Don Gibson was a business law partner in the Toronto office of McCarthy Tétrault LLP from 1977 until his retirement from the firm in 2006, specializing in energy, public-private partnership and project finance law. He was a founding Director and member of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Council beginning in 1993 and served as its Treasurer and last Corporate Secretary until his retirement from the Board in 2006. Mr. Gibson’s practice focused on planning, approvals, financing and Implementation of major natural gas and oil pipeline, tar sands and airport infrastructure projects; acting for developers, lenders, operators, investors and host plants involved in co-generation, hydro, nuclear and other independent power generation projects. He has advised public and private owners of municipal electric utilities on utility restructuring and operational matters following the Energy Competition Act (Ontario) and has worked with clients on many high-profile special projects. He has also been recognized as a Leading Practitioner-Transactional Matters- Toronto in “Lexpert” magazine’s directory of electricity lawyers.

Bill Pearson served as a Director of The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships from 1996 to 2005. For over 40 years, Mr. Pearson has been engaged in infrastructure development, project finance and corporate re-structuring, including extensive experience in acquisitions and divestiture of engineering and construction companies. He was a member of the senior management teams of Aecon Group Inc., AGRA Inc. (now AMEC) and SNC-Lavalin Group during their periods of substantial growth and service diversification in Canada and Internationally. Much of that growth was in the area of P3 and Mr. Pearson is recognized for being able to bring together partners (domestic and international; public and private) into consortiums to successfully finance, design, build and operate infrastructure projects. His experience in major infrastructure development has included power developments in hydro, nuclear, cogeneration and fossil fuel; transportation developments in roads and airports; and the structuring of project finance from domestic and international lending agencies for these projects. During his career at AGRA, and SNC-Lavalin, he served as a senior executive holding various product and corporate responsibilities including corporate development and strategic planning. As the Executive Vice President of Infrastructure at AECON until 20006, Mr. Pearson established an infrastructure and project finance team that negotiated a 35-year concession to finance, design, build and operate a new US $600M airport in Quito, Ecuador in partnership with a Brazilian and Canadian Companies.

In June 2001, Gordon Campbell was sworn in as British Columbia’s 34th premier, with the largest majority in B.C. history. He was re-elected in May 2005, making him the first premier in 22 years – and only the fifth in B.C. history – to be elected to two consecutive terms. Since taking office, Premier Campbell has worked to unleash the full power of the British Columbia economy, using public-private partnerships as a key delivery method for major infrastructure projects. His government implemented new regulatory and tax reforms that have spurred growth and investment opportunities in sectors of the provincial economy such as tourism, trade, and green energy. During his first term in office, his government introduced the Capital Asset Management Framework and formed Partnerships British Columbia, which helped spur the use of many P3s in transportation, healthcare and wastewater treatment. In 2006, he announced that all infrastructure projects receiving $20 million (since increased to $50 million) in provincial funding have to be evaluated for their P3 potential. Under Gordon Campbell's leadership, British Columbia was also awarded the right to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which is further stimulating B.C.’s economy. Premier Campbell was Mayor of Vancouver for three successive terms from 1986 to 1993. Prior to that, he was a developer. He served for two years under CUSO as a secondary school teacher in Nigeria, Africa.

Pierre Le François was appointed Executive Director of the Association nationale de éditeurs de livres (Canadian Association of French-speaking publishers) in 1996 after serving as President of the Society of Partnership and Cooperation and former President of the Institut pour le Partenariats Public Privé in Québec. He began his public service career in 1975 as the Director General and later Assistant Deputy Minister in the Québec Department of Intergovernmental Affairs. He became Deputy Minister in a number of departments including Recreation, Fish and Game, Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat and Department of Health and Social Services. He became Director General for the City of Montréal in 1986 and for seven years he was the Chair of Montréal’s Budget Committee, overseeing a budget of $ 1.8 billion. Mr. Le François moved to the private sector in 1994, becoming a Partner with Montréal based consulting firm, Hermès. In 1997 he founded and became President of the Society for Partnership and Cooperation (SPC), an organization dedicated to the strategic planning as well as assessment of projects and monitoring of organizations and development of PPP in Québec, Canada and abroad. He was a Board Director of The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships from 1997 to 2006. While he ceased actively working in the area of public-private partnerships in 2006, assuming the position with the Association nationale de éditeurs de livres, Mr. Le François maintains an active interest in public-private partnerships.

Michael Wilson assumed his responsibilities as Ambassador on March 13, 2006, becoming the 22nd representative of Canada to the United States. Mr. Wilson was Chairman of UBS Canada, an operating division of UBS AG one of the world's leading financial institutions. Prior to joining UBS in July 2001, he was responsible for RBC Financial Group's institutional asset management business. Mr. Wilson also served as a Vice Chairman of RBC Dominion Securities, responsible for senior client relationships and advice to both Canadian and international companies and governments. He served as Chair of The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships from 2000 to 2006. In 1979, Mr. Wilson was elected to the House of Commons. In September 1984, he was appointed Minister of Finance and remained in that role until May 1991. He then became Minister of Industry, Science and Technology and Minister for International Trade. Prior to his career in public life, Mr. Wilson's career was in investment banking with responsibilities in corporate, government and international finance. He was Director of a number of companies including BP P.L.C. and Manulife Financial. Mr. Wilson is active in a number of professional and community organizations including NeuroScience Canada Partnership, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. Mr. Wilson is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has honorary degrees from the University of Toronto and York University.

Mr. Collins was elected as an MLA in British Columbia in 1991 and held a variety of critic roles as well as Official Opposition House Leader. He served as Minister of Finance from 2001 to 2004. In establishing Partnerships British Columbia, Gary Collins set the stage for BC to become a leader in public private partnerships in Canada. He recognized the benefits of an independent agency to focus on putting together projects, as well as formulating Best Practices and becoming a Centre of Expertise. He understood the benefit of creating a sound policy framework for PPP and reviewing capital programs. By establishing the Capital Asset Management Framework - BC became focused on conducting analysis with a view to achieving best value for taxpayers from capital assets. Under Mr. Collins’ oversight, BC initiated innovative projects such - the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, Academic Ambulatory Care, William R. Bennett Bridge, among others. Prior to his election, Mr. Collins taught in the aviation diploma program and was a flight instructor at the University College of the Fraser Valley. He studied economics and political science at Simon Fraser University. Mr. Collins is currently President and CEO of Harmony Airways.

Mr. Wills joined the City of Windsor in 1991 as the Commissioner of Finance and became Chief Administrative Officer in 1994. He also held several senior financial positions with other municipal level organizations including the Calgary Board of Education, the City of Peterborough and the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. He was a representative for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) on the Who Does What Sub-Panel on Property Tax Reform and was appointed to the Board of the Ontario Property Assessment Corporation (OPAC) in April 1998.  He was also an executive member of the Ontario Municipal Administrators' Association (OMAA).  He served on the Board of Directors for The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships from 1997-2000 and served as the Annual Conference Chair for each of these years. Upon his retirement Mr. Wills served as Chairman of the Board for the University of Windsor and as a volunteer with the United Way. Mr. Wills passed away in August 2003 and will be remembered as a tireless worker who brought stability and a fresh vision to his position at the top of the City of Windsor bureaucracy.

In addition to the Champion Award, The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships will offer a permanent award, in his name, which will be given out to projects at the municipal level as part of our National Awards for Innovation & Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships program.

In 1974 Mr. Carson became the Commissioner of Social Services for the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth and in 1986 became Chief Administrative Officer. As CAO, he had a pioneering role in directing contract negotiations for the first major municipal water and wastewater operating and maintenance contract in Canada. He is former Chair of the Regional Chief Administrators’ Group of Ontario, involved as a negotiator in the Social Contract talks. He served as Chair of the Ontario Housing Corporation until he retired in 2000. Mr. MacLaren was a founding member of the CCPPP Board, and co-authored the original membership regulations and by-laws. He continues work as a consultant on organizational restructuring, government relations and executive coaching.

Ms. Carr's contributions to PPP as a leader in the Ontario Public Service, in her senior positions in Canadian companies, and most recently in her activities with CCPPP, have been exemplary. She championed the formation of PPP's as a Deputy Minister in the Ontario Government, establishing the Board of the Ontario Training Corporation and  the Board and agreement for Teranet Land Information Services Ltd. As Vice President of Laidlaw Inc. (1992 – 95), she participated in environmental and community transportation partnerships in North America. She was a founding Board Director and Chair of the Technical Standards and Safety Authority and served on the Board of CCPPP from 1993-2000 and later as President between 1996 and 1998. As President & CEO of Carr-Gordon Limited since 1995, Ms. Carr has provided advice and consulting services to federal, provincial and municipal governments and public institutions as well as private sector companies in energy, health, transportation and technology.

Mr. Macdonald's list of business and political accomplishments is a long and distinguished one. He was a Member of Parliament for Rosedale from 1962-1978, serving as President of Privy Council and in several cabinet positions (finance; national defence; energy, mines and resources). He was appointed Canadian High Commissioner to Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1988 and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Competition in Ontario’s Electricity System in 1995. He recently became Senior Advisor of Public Policy at Lang Michener and served as chair of many noteworthy organizations including the Institute for Research on Public Policy, The Design Exchange, Institute of Corporate Directors, and from 1993 to 2000 as Chair of The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships. Mr. Macdonald has served on numerous boards in the financial, petroleum, insurance, chemical and arts sectors. He is an avid writer on public policy and political affairs and an active member of community groups in Toronto and abroad.

Mr. MacLaren's award recognizes a true pioneer, someone who has been a champion of PPP long before the phrase was even coined. He has had a life-long passion to raise public and political awareness of the importance and the true cost of our municipal infrastructure. Considered by many to be the founding father of the water and waste water engineering community in Canada, Mr. MacLaren has a profound understanding of almost every major project in Canada since the 1940's, and he has championed the provision of high quality and cost effective water and waste water across Canada. A Civil Engineering graduate from the University of Toronto, he rose from junior partner in his father's consulting firm to become the Chairman and CEO of James F. MacLaren Ltd., became the Chairman and CEO of Lavalin-MacLaren Engineers when MacLaren was purchased by Lavalin, and has had his own consulting engineering practise since 1992. Mr. MacLaren has headed major projects across Canada and overseas; has published treatises including a work on the commercialization of the waterworks and wastewater control industry written in 1986; and has received a number of distinguished awards including an Honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Guelph.