BC Hydro Task Force

Shannon Salter is Deputy Minister to the Premier, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the BC Public Service. She previously served as Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister Responsible for Housing for British Columbia.

Prior to that role, Shannon was the Chair of the Civil Resolution Tribunal, Canada’s first online tribunal resolving small claims, condominium disputes, and motor vehicle accident disputes for almost 8 years. She is also an adjunct professor at the UBC Allard School of Law, teaching administrative law and legal ethics and professional regulation.

Shannon earned her BA and LLB from UBC, and her LLM from the University of Toronto. Ms. Salter was a BC Supreme Court judicial law clerk before practicing civil litigation at a large Vancouver firm. Shannon is a frequent speaker at international conferences on online dispute resolution, administrative law, legal education, and the future of law and technology.

Doug White, Coast Salish name: Kwulasultun, Nuu-chah-nulth name: Tliishin, Métis name: L'om fore de shenn (Michif) / Mistikominâhtik napîw (Plains Cree)

Doug is a member and former chief and councillor of the Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo, B.C. He is also a practising lawyer and a negotiator for First Nations across the country, advocating on their behalf with the governments of British Columbia, Canada and the United Nations.

Doug is Special Counsel to the Premier on Indigenous Reconciliation. Before this appointment, he was the Chair of the BC First Nations Justice Council, Co-Chair of B.C.’s Provincial Advisory Committee for Indigenous and Specialized Courts and Related Initiatives, Director of the federal Nanaimo Port Authority and BC Housing Commissioner.

Doug completed his BA in First Nations Studies at Malaspina University-College and graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria in 2006.

Shannon Baskerville was appointed Deputy Minister, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation in December 2022, including responsibility for the BC Hydro crown corporation and BC Energy Regulator.  

Shannon has served the province for 30 years and has significant leadership experience in strategic policy, operations, complex project and change management, and corporate governance. Prior to her current appointment, Shannon held the positions of Deputy Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, Deputy Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, and Deputy Minister of International Trade. Previous executive appointments include Assistant Deputy Minister of Labour Market Development, Assistant Deputy Minister of Immigration, and Assistant Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Competitiveness.

Shannon holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Victoria, a Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Royal Roads University, and an Executive Program Certificate from Queen’s University.

Kevin Jardine was appointed Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy on April 23, 2020. Most recently, he was Associate Deputy Minister of the Environmental Assessment Office for five years and led the development and implementation of B.C.’s new Environmental Assessment Act (2018).

Kevin joined the provincial government in the late 2000s. Since joining the public service, he has held executive roles in diverse public policy and service delivery areas, including the justice and natural resource sectors. He also served as deputy cabinet secretary for several years and has had leadership roles in the management of species at risk, integrated land management, establishing Geo BC, and Open Government, where he had accountability for public service revitalization initiatives and citizen-centered service transformation.

Lori has over 30 years of experience with the B.C. provincial government. Most recently, Lori served as the Deputy Minister to the Premier, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the B.C. Public Service for the former Premier John Horgan.

While with the province, Lori was Deputy Minister for the ministries of Finance; Children and Family Development; Justice; Public Safety and Solicitor General; Tourism, Culture and the Arts: and, Labour and Citizens’ Services. She also served as an Assistant Deputy Minister of several different portfolios within the ministries of Municipal Affairs and Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services.

Dedicated to serving the province, Lori was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for Excellence in Public Administration in 2014. She was also selected as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 in 2013, B.C.'s Most Influential Women in Finance: Public Service in 2019, and in 2011 was honoured with a Fellowship from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia.

Chris O’Riley leads BC Hydro, B.C.’s largest Crown corporation and the fourth largest company in the province as ranked by annual revenue. Powered by water, BC Hydro safely provides reliable, affordable, clean electricity to its five million customers.

Chris has held positions throughout the organization and across the province during his 32-year career with BC Hydro, including working with customers, leading operations, overseeing capital projects, and managing risk for BC Hydro's trading subsidiary, Powerex.

Chris is a Professional Engineer in electrical engineering and holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Russell Myers Ross is Indigenous to the Tsilhqot'in Nation and from the community of Yunesit'in. He has a Masters of Indigenous Governance from the University of Victoria (2010).

Russell has since completed eight years as an elected Chief of Yunesit'in Government from 2012-2020. In two terms, he was influential in lands, housing, economic, language revitalization and energy projects - and has continued these activities since in various capacities.

Dan Woynillowicz is Principal of Polaris Strategy + Insight, an energy and climate change policy advisory firm. He works with a range of clients from the public, private, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors to inform and advise on public policy that accelerates climate solutions.

Dan currently serves as Chair of the Board for the B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy, which was incorporated in 2021 with a mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting B.C.’s clean energy innovators to scale commercialization of their solutions for greater global impact. In 2019 he received a Clean50 award for advocacy, recognizing his leadership in clean energy solutions. He lives and works on the unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.

Kate Harland works at the Canadian Climate Institute, where she currently leads research on energy affordability, building heat decarbonization and utility regulation on the path to net zero.

Her previous roles include climate policy and economic analysis for the UK/EU governments, managing low-carbon technology trials for Transport for London, working on low-carbon vehicle strategies for Nissan, and acting as Research Lead for the Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister. She is also a seasoned reviewer, evaluating potential innovation projects for their societal, environmental, ethical, and economic implications. She holds a Masters of Science from Cambridge University (UK) and training from Simon Fraser University’s Master of Public Policy program. 

Kate lives and works in Vancouver, the unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. 

Blake Shaffer is an associate professor in economics and public policy at the University of Calgary. His research focus is at the intersections between climate policy and electricity markets.

Prior to returning to academia, Shaffer had a 15 year career in energy trading, specializing in electricity, natural gas and emissions markets, including at BC Hydro (Powerex). He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Calgary, Master of Philosophy in economics from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences from Queen’s University. He has recently held visiting scholar and Fulbright postdoctoral scholar positions at the Toulouse School of Economics and Stanford University, and has also served as policy advisor for the governments of Alberta, British Columbia and Canada on energy and environmental policy matters.