Northern Development Initiative Trust has a team comprised of a volunteer board of thirteen directors that is supported by a team of professionals centrally located in Prince George, B.C. Of the thirteen directors, eight are elected local government representatives, two from each of the four regions. Five of the directors are appointed by the Province of British Columbia based on their previous business leadership abilities to round out the board. The staff members have a wealth of career experience in both the public and private sectors in central and northern B.C.
Board composition and responsibilities
Northern Development’s board of directors is a policy governance board responsible for strategically setting the policy and program framework for the operations of Northern Development. It ensures that there are effective internal systems in all areas of corporate activity and is charged with the task of defining the corporate mandate, its mission, vision and objectives, its operations, and its by-laws.
The board of directors are a group of volunteers that do not receive any remuneration from Northern Development, other than reimbursement for reasonable travelling and out of pocket expenses necessarily incurred by a director in acting out his or her board duties.
The board identifies new candidates in one of two ways, contingent on whether the vacancy is for a local government elected official or a provincially appointed director. These are:
- In the case of a local government elected official vacancy, the relevant regional advisory committee will forward a nomination to the board of directors.
- In the case of a vacancy for a provincially appointed position, the Crown Agencies and Board Resourcing Office will recommend candidates for appointment by way of website advertising and selection protocol. The Northern Development Initiative Trust board may also encourage candidates to apply through the Crown Agencies and Board Resourcing Office.
The chair of the Northern Development Initiative Trust board is responsible for the leadership of the overall board and ensuring its effectiveness on all aspects of policy governance. The chair also focuses on effective communication with the public through representation of Northern Development and of board decisions regarding project funding.
The board is provided with ongoing education by way of invited presentations at board meetings on topics of governance, strategic development, policy backgrounding, and refinement of mandate and vision.
The board maintains its working relationship with the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation through meeting with the Minister, executive staff and regional staff. Working relationships with other federal and provincial government ministries are also maintained.
Northern Development works with the Business Council of British Columbia, Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Industry Associations, local governments, community groups and financial institutions on economic development and diversification initiatives. For further information regarding the structure and role of Northern Development’s board of directors, please consult the Northern Development Initiative Trust Act.
