Eligibility and recruitment

General

Directors are appointed by various appointing bodies as follows:

  • the federal governor-in-council who appoints
    1. one individual nominated by the minister of transport
    2. seven individuals nominated by the minister of transport in consultation with the port users advisory committee (the “nominating committee”)
  • the municipalities of Belcarra, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley (Township), Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver (City), North Vancouver (District), Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver and West Vancouver, who jointly appoint one individual
  • the Province of British Columbia who appoints one individual
  • the Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba who jointly appoint one individual

Each of the four appointing bodies have their own set of eligibility requirements for their appointee. However, as described in the Canada Marine Act:

  • for the one federal government appointee, one provincial government appointee for the province of British Columbia, one provincial government appointee for the Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and one municipal appointee for the 16 municipalities within the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s jurisdiction, the appointee shall have generally acknowledged and accepted stature within the transportation industry or business community
  • for the seven federal government appointees which are recommended by the nominating committee, the appointee shall have generally acknowledged and accepted stature within the transportation industry or the business community and relevant knowledge and extensive experience related to the management of a business, to the operation of a port or to maritime trade

In addition, the following individuals, no matter who is the appointing body, are not eligible to be directors of a port authority (per Section 16 of the Canada Marine Act):

  • a mayor, councillor, officer or employee of a municipality mentioned in the Letters Patent (Belcarra, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley (Township), Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver (City), North Vancouver (District), Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver and West Vancouver))
  • a member of the legislature of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba, or an officer or employee of the public service or of a Crown corporation of one of those provinces
  • a senator or a member of the House of Commons
  • an officer or employee of the federal public administration,  a federal Crown corporation or a port authority
  • an individual who is not a resident Canadian, as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Canada Business Corporations Act
  • an individual who is a director, officer or employee of a person who is a user of the port
  • anyone under eighteen years of age
  • anyone who has been declared mentally incompetent by a court in Canada or elsewhere
  • an undischarged bankrupt

All board members must be independent. 

At least four months prior to the expiry of a director’s term, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority must provide notice to the applicable appointing body that their appointee’s term is about to expire and to request an appointment.

For information regarding the appointment process for each appointing body, please contact the applicable appointing body. For the appointment process for the seven appointees which are recommended by port users to the Minister of Transport, please see the “nominating committee” section below.

The director recruitment briefing document below provides more details on the directors’ roles and responsibilities, which is applicable to all appointees.

Director recruitment briefing document [PDF]

Nominating Committee

Nomination Commencement

The nominating committee consists of representatives of port users as defined in Schedule “D” of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Letters Patent. The nomination process commences when the nominating committee advertises for nominations for directors, at least four months prior to the expiry of a director’s term. Pursuant to Section 4.19 of the Letters Patent, the nominating committee receives nominations for appointees to the board of directors. The function of the nominating committee is to provide recommendations to the federal minister of transport.

How to nominate

Once the advertisement is placed, candidates must mail, fax or email a letter expressing interest in the director’s position and confirming the candidate meets the eligibility criteria described above and a copy of the candidate’s current resume to the nominating committee at:

Nominating committee
c/o Mark Gustafson, vice president, legal risk & compliance
Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
100 The Point, 999 Canada Place
Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3T4
Phone: 604.665.9000
Fax: 604.665.9062
Email: [email protected]

Nominating process

After reviewing all candidates and developing a short-list of candidates, the cominating committee will forward a list of recommended candidates to the minister for consideration. Subsequently, the minister will nominate individuals to the governor-in-council. However, the minister, in consultation with the port users, shall at all times have the flexibility and discretion to nominate as directors persons other than those persons recommended by the nominating committee to ensure an appropriate mix of directors at all times.

Notification to successful individual

The governor-in-council office will advise the successful individual that the successful individual has been appointed to the board of directors at Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and will also advise the successful individual on the length of term, which is typically three years. The appointment process usually occurs prior to the expiry of an appointee’s term, however, if the appointment has not occurred, the incumbent director can carry on in their role until either re-appointed or a new person is appointed as director in their place.