President and CEO, APPrO

David Butters is President of APPrO. He comes to APPrO from Hill & Knowlton in Toronto, where he was Vice President, Public Affairs, and Director of their Canadian Energy Asset Group. He has been active in the sector as Secretariat to the Stakeholders Alliance for Competition and Customer Choice. His professional background also includes work for Bruce Power, TransAlta, AECL, Fortis, Toronto Hydro, the Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario, and as Chief of Staff to a federal cabinet minister. Mr. Butters also has an extensive background in advertising and marketing communications.

Director, Energy Management, Atura Power

Tom is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario with over 20 years of work experience in the energy industry.  Currently he is the Director of Energy Management at Atura Power.  Atura Power is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation and operates 4 natural gas combined cycle facilities in the Province of Ontario.  

Responsibilities include overseeing real time commercial operations, contract management and settlement, and market affairs.  Tom leads a team of 13 energy professionals.  Prior to joining Atura Power, Tom worked at TC Energy for 20 years where he worked in several areas including commercial asset management of Eastern Canadian power generation assets, thermal generation business development in Eastern North American markets, renewable generation business development in North American markets, and project engineering.  Tom is married to Wendy, a chiropractor, and has two kids aged 10 and 13.

Principal, Sussex Strategy Group

Chris Benedetti is a Principal with Sussex Strategy Group, and Head of its Energy and Environment Practice. With experience in both federal and provincial governments, Mr. Benedetti provides an in-depth insight and expertise into various policy development and political processes, and brings to Sussex an extensive background in strategic communications and public affairs.

Since 1999 he has led client efforts related to energy-related policy, regulatory and procurement matters. This work has led to the successful development of over 4.5GW of generation in Ontario, in addition to extensive experience in distribution and transmission. He is a Past Chair of the Recycling Council of Ontario, has served on the Program Advisory Committee for the Sustainability Programme at Ryerson University, and is a Past President of the Public Affairs Association of Canada. Prior to joining Sussex, Mr. Benedetti was Vice President and Government Relations Practice Leader for a global public affairs and communications company. He has also held several positions in the federal government with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and as a political advisor within the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada.

Mr. Benedetti holds a BA in law and a BA (High Hons.) in political science from Carleton University, and an MA in political science (International Relations) from McMaster University and the University of Bath, England.

Senior Vice President, Strategy and Growth Initiatives Evolugen by Brookfield Renewable

Nicolas oversees all the business strategic planning as well identifying growth opportunities across the energy sector value chain.

Through his current position with Evolugen and past tenure at Hydro-Québec, he accumulated almost 20 years of experience in the energy sector ranging from strategic planning, technology product licensing to international mergers and acquisitions. Bossé has a vast knowledge of transmission, merchant generation and energy trading issues, as well as a deep understanding of energy policy and regulatory dynamics for the majority of the North American organized wholesale energy markets.

Holder of a baccalaureate degree in economics from the Université Laval (Quebec, Canada) and a master’s in economics from the Université du Québec à Montréal (Quebec, Canada), he currently serves on the boards of the Association of Power Producers of Ontario, Stakeholder Advisory Committee of the Independent Energy System Operator of Ontario, Quebec Association for the Production of Renewable Energy, Chaire de gestion en énergie HEC and is a past director of the National Hydro Association (United States), Independent Power Producers of New York and the New England Power Generator Association. Nicolas is also a mentor with the clean tech accelerator Ecofuel. 

Executive Director, APPrO

Jake Brooks is the Executive Director of APPrO and its Corporate Secretary. He has been with the organization since its inception, serving on the Board continuously since 1986. Jake's primary functions at APPrO include developing and producing the annual Canadian Power Conference, editing the association's magazine IPPSO FACTO, and overseeing internal operations. He represents APPrO in a range of industry stakeholder contexts and co-ordinates and/or supports APPrO participation in selected regulatory proceedings and advocacy initiatives. He was the recipient of the Hedley Palmer Award in 1999.

Prior to joining APPrO, Jake worked for the Credit Union Central of Ontario, Pollution Probe, and in his own consulting business.

CEO

AB Energy Canada Ltd.

Jan Buijk is the CEO of AB Energy Canada Ltd., a Canadian company that is specialized in providing energy solutions with best in class gas engine technology for clean energy projects such as CHP, biogas and other gaseous fuelled power generation applications. 

Over the past 25 years Jan has had engineering, project management and direct sales and marketing responsibilities for many of the reciprocating gas engine based CHP, district energy, and other distributed generation projects currently in operation in Ontario and across Canada.

Jan received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands, where he also wrote a thesis on the use of landfill gas for power generation applications.

Jan is a director of APPrO, a former director of OSEA and CDEA, and holds a director position with the Decentralized Energy Association of Canada.

Senior Regulatory Advisor, TransAlta

Chris has worked in the power industry for over 10 years at a range of organizations in Ontario and Alberta, including a system operator, a regulator, an independent power producer and a consultancy.  His career has focused on planning and policy issues where he has sought and found changes to benefit all stakeholders.  He currently oversees market policy and regulation for TransAlta in Ontario, MISO and PJM.

Chris holds a B.A.Sc. from the University of Toronto and a M.Eng. from the University of Waterloo. He is also registered as a Professional Engineer in the Province of Alberta.

Managing Director, Morrison Park Advisors

Pelino Colaiacovo is a Managing Director at Morrison Park Advisors, an independent investment bank located in Toronto. Since joining MPA in 2005, Pelino has focused on assisting clients in the energy, utilities, infrastructure and public sectors to meet financial and strategic challenges, including mergers & acquisitions, capital raising, restructuring and project partnerships.

Prior to joining MPA, Pelino was Chief of Staff to the Ontario Minister of Energy from 2003 to 2005. During that time, he assisted in significant restructuring of the Ontario electricity sector, including the drafting and implementation of new legislation, the creation of the Ontario Power Authority, and significant procurements of new electricity generation capacity for the province.

Pelino has a B.A. and LL.B., both from the University of Toronto.

P.Eng., General Manager, Toromont Energy Ltd.

Lou Colangelo has worked in the power industry for over 30 years, actively engaged in Ontario’s energy sector focusing on development and operation of renewable and clean energy projects.  Experience in the electricity market includes direct involvement in all aspects of business development, engineering, construction, contract negotiation, regulatory affairs and operations of combined heat & power, renewable energy and district energy projects.

Lou is responsible for overall management of Toromont Energy’s power generation assets which include, in part, a district energy system located in downtown Sudbury, Health Sciences North's combined heat & power plant and the Waterloo Landfill Gas Utilization Plant project.

Lou currently serves on the Board of the Association of Power Producers of Ontario supporting the small generator sector by participating in a number of stakeholder engagement sessions and working groups in support of IESO initiatives, including Combined Heat & Power Standard Offer Program (CHPSOP 2.0) and Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) stakeholder activities.  Most recent participation in the energy sector has been advocating for 3rd party eligibility for CDM programs.

Director, Government and Stakeholder Relations – Corporate Affairs, Bruce Power

Patrick Dalzell is the Director of Government and Stakeholder Relations at Bruce Power, a role primarily focused on the development and growth of the corporate identity through government and stakeholder engagements, public communications and the advancement of internal innovation.

Patrick started his career at Bruce Power in 2011 as a Senior Financial Trader where he worked on the Geographic Diversification Initiative to develop new trading strategies and optimize regional diversification. In 2015, he embarked on a new position with Bruce Power working alongside the Chief Investment Officer helping to oversee the investment and risk management of Bruce Power’s defined benefit pension plan. Prior to working for Bruce Power, Patrick worked as a hedge fund derivatives trader at Aquilon Power.

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Finance from Concordia University. He also completed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program in 2003.

Chief Executive Officer, Capstone Power Corp.

Mr. Eva joined Capstone in October 2013 as Vice President, Development, and progressed to Senior Vice President and later to Chief Executive Officer of Capstone Power Corp., the power subsidiary of Capstone. On January 1, 2017, Mr. Eva was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Capstone and member of the Board. Mr. Eva is responsible for leading the organization’s executive team. 

At Capstone, prior to his appointment to Chief Executive Officer, Mr, Eva led the acquisition, development, and construction of eight wind farms, totalling 120 MW, resulting in the successful execution of over $400 million in capital projects.  Prior to joining Capstone, Mr. Eva had 10 years’ experience in the power sector, including serving as Project Management Director at Sprott Power Corp., and various roles at predecessor companies, where he contributed to the acquisition, development, financing, construction and operation of over 150 MW of energy projects. Before entering the power industry, David was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Mr. Eva is a registered professional engineer in the province of Ontario, holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, received a Masters of Engineering (M.Eng) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc.Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University.

Partner, National Leader Energy Markets Group, Borden Ladner Gervais, LLP

Shane Freitag is a Partner and the National Leader of the Electricity Markets Group at Borden Ladner Gervais, LLP.  Shane specializes in corporate, commercial and regulatory matters in the resource and infrastructure sector, with emphasis upon electricity, water and natural gas.  Prior to being with BLG, Shane held senior positions with major utilities in both Ontario and Alberta.

Shane has been involved in all aspects of the development of renewable and non-renewable generation projects throughout Canada, including the procurement, key underlying agreements and regulatory approvals.  Shane also provides regulatory advice and negotiates commercial agreements with and on behalf of electrical, natural gas and water utilities. In that context, Shane has negotiated numerous agreements for the purchase and sale of power, gas and steam and other industrial related agreements.

Shane holds an LLB from the University of Windsor, a MBA from the University of Saskatchewan and a BComm from the University of Alberta.

Shane is a member of the Law Societies of Alberta, NWT, Nunavut and Upper Canada.   Shane is also the Vice-Chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL).

Partner, National Practice Group Leader, Business Law McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Stephen is a partner in the Toronto office and National Practice Group Leader of McCarthy Tétrault’s
Business Law Group. Recognized as one of Canada’s leading project financing lawyers, Stephen’s
practice is focused on helping clients with high profile, complex national and international lending and project financings. Stephen leverages over 25 years of experience to provide clients with practical guidance and solutions.

Clients appreciate his commitment to understanding the drivers and risks behind every transaction. As the leader of the firm’s Business Law Group, Stephen is responsible for managing over 200 legal
professionals across seven cities, giving him unique insights into the nature of successfully running a complex business that in turn, helps him to better serve clients in running their own businesses.

As a pioneer in Canadian project finance, Stephen has acted as lead counsel for lenders, borrowers and governments on the project financing of power and infrastructure projects at the intersection of
Government policy and private capital, which also frequently involves Aboriginal communities.

Vice President, Business Development and Commercial, Capital Power Corporation

Kelly is responsible for business development and growth through green field developments and acquisitions and divestitures. He is also responsible for commercial management of Capital Power’s non-coal operating assets portfolio in Canada.

Kelly’s experience spans directing system operations, resource and energy planning, power (hydroelectric and natural gas) and natural gas pipeline projects development, asset acquisitions and divestitures, M&A, financing and negotiation of Joint Ventures. Kelly led deal structuring and negotiations of Capital Power’s interest in the Shepard project, Genesee 4 and 5 projects, the Veresen thermal portfolio acquisition, the Gorway acquisition and the divesture of CPLP and Capital Power’s two hydro assets. He has presented to the Board of Directors; made formal appearances before regulatory agencies; held meetings with municipal councils and officials, industry and aboriginal groups; and participated in meetings with the Provincial Treasury Board, Cabinet and the B.C. Legislature and the Canadian Senate.

Prior to joining Capital Power/EPCOR in 2006, Kelly was with BC Hydro for 14 years and with TransAlta for six years. While at BC Hydro, Kelly served as the head of Resource Management, Business Development and Energy Plans, and Investments divisions.

Kelly is also an entrepreneur who has founded and successfully sold high-tech startups and he has been active in real estate development.

Kelly is a graduate of University of British Columbia in applied science in electrical engineering. He attended the University of Calgary for graduate business courses and has completed the Ivey School of Business Western Executive Development Program. Kelly is the past member of the Board of Northwest Power Pool, director of three privately held profitable businesses and is a past founding member of a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy charity.

Kelly enjoys skiing, running and improving his golf game. He has been married for 33 years to Vee who is a physician and together they have a 21-year-old son studying at UBC.

Associate Director Energy and Fleet, Greater Toronto Airports Authority

Henry is a registered Professional Engineer with the Province of Ontario with over 20 years’ experience in the utility industry. Currently he is the Associate Director of Energy and Fleet with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), which he joined in 2003.

Currently responsible for operations and maintenance of GTAA’s power plant, known as the Cogeneration Facility, the Central Utilities Plant, the HVAC, the airport’s utility distribution systems, and maintenance of the GTAA’s varied fleet, including light fleet and heavy equipment.

Henry holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Johannesburg.

Chief Operating Officer, Markham District Energy Inc.

Peter Ronson is the Chief Operating Officer of Markham District Energy, which owns and operates two district energy systems currently supplying over 12 million sq. ft. of building space, including 24 MW of cogeneration (CHP) and power generation equipment.  His 28 year background in the electricity and district energy sector includes many distributed generation projects including cogeneration, district energy, bio-gas generation, diesel standby and peak shaving applications.  Peter continues to actively work with APPrO, Quest and other associations to deliver the facts and promote the benefits of district energy and distributed generation. 

Vice President, Business Development & Acquisitions with H20 Power LP

Stephen has worked for fifteen years in the power industry, including all types of natural gas fired generation, wind, hydro, biomass and biogas. He is currently a Vice President, Business Development & Acquisitions with H20 Power LP. H2O owns and operates 8 hydro facilities in Ontario representing 136 MW of nameplate capacity. Prior to this, Stephen was a Vice President with Competitive Power Ventures (“CPV”), Inc. where he was responsible for the development of all CPV’s natural gas-fired power generation development projects (and associated natural gas pipeline and transmission lines) and large scale wind projects, across Canada.

Prior to joining CPV, he was a member of the Probyn & Company and Clean Power Income Fund team responsible for business development and acquisitions. Stephen has experience working with the OPA, the IESO, the Ministry of Energy, and various First Nations Groups across Canada and he is a long standing member of the Board of the Association of Power Producers of Ontario (“APPrO”).

Stephen’s mission is to ensure that all generation developers in the electricity sector have a fair opportunity to compete in future generation procurements. Stephen has been a Member of the Board since 2003 and he has been the APPrO Annual Conference Chair from 2005 through 2015. Stephen also currently serves on the Finance Committee and he has served on many Ad-Hoc Committee’s over the years. Stephen holds an MBA from the University of Toronto and an Honours B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Waterloo.

Senior Vice President, Renewable Generation, Liberty Power

John Windsor has is a senior leader in the energy industry of Ontario as well as many other North American and European energy markets.

As SVP Renewable Generation at Liberty / Algonquin Power Corp and more than 25 yrs. of industry experience, he brings experience to technical, commercial, energy marketing and business development discussions.

John has been a director of APPrO since 2016 and has held other senior roles in well-known international energy companies including: Transalta, Emera Inc. OPG, Northland Power Inc. and Algonquin Power. Notable accomplishments include leading the development of a new Asset Mgt. businesses and the technical and Commercial due diligence on more than 1.5 GW of thermal and Wind capacity across ISONE and NYISO while at Emera Inc., Developed the strategy and framework for Northland’s European Offshore Wind Operating (O&M) business located in Hamburg Germany, lead the divestiture of several non-strategic power assets at Northland, lead the development of a new Energy Marketing business located in Toronto and Mexico City for Northland.

John is a 1st Class Power Engineer, A Chartered Manager with the Canadian Institute of Management and holds a Graduate Diploma in Management and an MBA form Athabasca University.

Director, Market Compliance & Integration, Asset Management Northland Power Inc.

Mike Zajmalowski is Director of Market Compliance & Integration at Northland Power Inc. Mike is responsible for the Internal Compliance Program for Northland’s North American investments and assets and takes a lead role in Regulatory Market Affairs and Commercial Asset Management for those assets. 

Mike has established his reputation as a leader in the power industry over a 20-year career with broad exposure and experience in Canada and the U.S. Mike has in-depth insight and expertise in the areas of Regulatory Market Affairs, Commercial Asset Management, Compliance & Enforcement, Resource Planning, Energy Trading & Risk Management.

Prior to joining Northland, Mike worked for the IESO in the Market Assessment & Compliance Division (MACD) and has also worked at the Ontario Power Authority, TransCanada Energy, Deloitte, and Ontario Power Generation. When not immersed in energy related matters Mike also serves as the President of his Condo Corporation.