Hay River,
NT (June 22, 1999)
Pond Inlet businessman Simon Merkosak has been appointed
Chairman of the NWT Power Corporation on an acting basis effective July
1.
The announcement
was made here today at a Corporation Board meeting by the Hon. Charles
Dent, Minister Responsible for the NWT Power Corporation, and the Hon.
Ed Picco, Minister Responsible for the Nunavut Power Corporation.
Mr. Merkosak, 44,
was first appointed to the Board in May, 1996, and was appointed vice-chairman
in December 1997. He assumes the chair from Pierre Alvarez, who held
the post since April 1996. Mr. Alvarez was recently appointed president
of the Calgary-based Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, but
will be staying on the Power Corporation Board as a regular member.
“This is an
important period of transition for the Corporation,” said the ministers
in a joint statement. “We are both pleased that Mr. Merkosak has
accepted this challenging role. We are confident that along with his
nine Board colleagues from Nunavut and NWT as well as southern Canada,
the Corporation will continue to see sound and professional direction.”
The governments
of the two territories recently restarted discussions on the future
of the Corporation, and possible long-term joint ownership. The Corporation
has operated as a single entity, serving both Nunavut and NWT, since
the new territories were created on April 1,1999. The governments have
set March 31, 2000, as the deadline for resolving the matter. Further
appointments or changes to the Board are not expected until this fall.
The Corporation's
295 employees serve 25,000 customers in 54 communities with energy and
related services, with annual revenues of approximately $100 million.
