Neil B. Freeman Phd, C.Dir. Email & Phone Number

Toronto, On, Ca

MCBC's primary purpose is to manage the for-profit, off-reserve enterprises of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation by balancing the building of long-term wealth with the generation of short-term income opportunities for the needs of MCFN membership. Its secondary purpose is to raise the profile of MCFN in the business community, to enhance the profile, brand awareness and history of MCFN, and to create career and employment opportunities for MCFN members. In its dealings, MCBC seeks to be known to be reputable and to honourably represent the history, culture and core of MCFN in the business community .

Director since 2021, Chair since 2024. Lakefront Utilities Inc., a subsidiary of Town of Cobourg Holdings Inc., is the OEB-regulated local electric distribution utility in Cobourg and Colborne, Ontario.

Toronto

NBF Group Inc. provides business and market development strategies for the utility, energy and municipal sectors. Specific services include industry market research, business case development, and sales and marketing execution. The additional specialty is designing and implementing strategies for sustainable development for productivity enhancement and reputation development.

Public Energy is a Distributed Generation based Independent Power Producer with fully containerized, plug'n'play natural gas gensets able to supply on-site, behind-the-meter electricity.

Led all business development and corporate relations activities and, among other accomplishments, conceived and led three ‘big data’ projects that contributed to enhanced company financial performance and distinguished the organization as a leader in the sector. All three initiatives – triple bottom line sustainability based on social, environmental and economic metrics; energy-density mapping for more effective delivery of conservation through targeted marketing to customers; ‘smart growth’ inspired infill development database and connection policy to gain more tariff revenue from existing wires assets – earned many industry awards for Horizon.

Key player in the development of this newly formed agency’s Supply Mix Advice, a royal commission-like exercise that reintroduced and rebuilt power system planning in Ontario after an experiment with markets alone. The uniqueness of the challenge was twofold: it was the first to require a sustainability screening for the plan and it required a reordering of the traditional stacking of resources, by placing conservation and new renewables ahead of traditional resources. Other roles were to begin the rebuilding of electricity planning policy for the interplay of environmental, energy and infrastructure planning policies within broad provincial and municipal planning processes.

Identified how the government-mandated municipal restructuring framework dovetailed with electricity restructuring to company's business advantage for distribution sector consolidation. The database of municipal and utility variables I built was instrumental in the strategy and execution of the acquisition of 88 of the 306 municipal electric utilities, bringing in ~160,000 new customers in three years. I also developed the approach to determining receptivity for sale, acted as the first-in contact to most of the municipal shareholders, and served as lead negotiator for a number of the larger transactions and resolutions of post-closing settlement issues.

Assistant professor (full time) at University of Saskatchewan and Wilfrid Laurier University and adjunct professor (part time) at University of Toronto and University of Waterloo. While a professor, completed my book "The Politics of Power: Ontario Hydro and Its Government, 1906-1995" (University of Toronto Press 1996).

Contributed to industry restructuring policy and regulatory strategy development during the reformation of Ontario Hydro into five successor entities. This involved having a key hand in industry stakeholder management strategies and government relations. In addition, I also contributed to business strategies for the introduction of competition for monopoly services, including construction and maintenance contracting and electricity retailing.

Delivered a number of commissioned reports as an independent consultant to clients, which included Ontario Hydro, Ontario Municipal Water Association, Windsor Utilities Commission, and Power Workers' Union, during a period of great change in government policy. My research work on water, including the only statutory and regulatory history to then exist, was a critical foundation for the work of the Walkerton Inquiry. See: "Ontario's Water Industry: Models for the 21st Century," and, “The Future of OCWA and Ontario’s Water Industry”.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd)

Doctoral thesis published by University of Toronto Press as "The Politics of Power: Ontario Hydro and its Government, 1906-1995". The book.

Chartered Director (C.Dir.)

Chartered Director is a designation of The Directors College, a collaborative degree program between McMaster University.

Hon. Ba, Ma

Masters thesis, titled "Economic Development and Federalism in Canada: The Ontario Case", examined the economic pressures at work.