Board of Directors
TAF is governed by a 10-member board. Three of these members are City Councillors and seven are citizen members appointed through the City of Toronto’s public appointments process. TAF has been fortunate to have attracted a wide range of experience and expertise to our board, including investment specialists, energy experts and community engagement professionals. The board meets four times a year and board meetings are open to the public (but may include in-camera sessions).
TAF board meeting minutes can be found online.
Chair: Parminder Sandhu
Vice-Chair: Mike Layton, City Councillor
Treasurer: Kimberly Marshall
Secretary: Jennifer McKelvie, City Councillor
Members:
- Laurel Atkinson, Program Director, Northern at the W. Garfield Weston Foundation
- Karim Bardeesy, Co-Founder, Ryerson Leadership Lab, Distinguished Visiting Professor, and Special Adviser to the President, Ryerson University
- Antoine Belaieff, Director, Regional Planning at Metrolinx
- Shelley Carroll, City Councillor
- Jacoline Loewen, Director at UBS Bank (Canada) Wealth Management
- Deepak Ramachandran, Investor, Entrepreneur, and Advisor
Legal Counsel: Gardiner Roberts
Auditors: Welch, LLP
Two standing committees assist the Board of Directors. The members of each committee are appointed by the board. Minutes for each committee’s meetings are submitted to the board and can be found online.
Grants and Programs Committee
The Grants and Programs Committee directs TAF’s granting and social mobilization efforts, reviews incubation program goals and outcomes and provides strategic advice. We are fortunate to have members with expertise in community engagement, energy efficiency, sustainable buildings, energy policy, and greenhouse gas emissions quantification and community engagement.
Members:
- Antoine Belaieff (Chair), Director, Regional Planning at Metrolinx
- Laurel Atkinson, Program Director, Northern at the W. Garfield Weston Foundation
- Nicola Crawhall, Principal at Westbrook Public Affairs
- Corey Diamond, Executive Director at Efficiency Canada
- Andrew Dooner, Partner at Strategy&, part of the PwC Network
- Mike Layton, City Councillor at City of Toronto
- Erika Lontoc, DSM Partnerships Manager at Enbridge
- Ryan Ness, Canadian Climate and Clean Growth Institute
- Sandra Odendahl, President & CEO at CMC Research Institutes
- Andre Vallillee, Environment Program Director at Metcalf Foundation
- Chris Wray, Director, Government and Industry Relations at Alectra Utilities
The committee’s responsibilities include:
- Periodically reviewing TAF’s grants and special project policies and procedures
- Screening and evaluating grants and program proposals and submitting funding recommendations to the Board of Directors
- Monitoring the progress of successful grants as well as TAF programs
- Providing guidance and advice to the board and TAF staff, as required
Investment Committee
The Investment Committee oversees both management of TAF’s endowment and mandate-related investments (loans and equity investments in enterprises that can deliver emission reductions). The committee members have a wealth of investment and legal expertise and provide recommendations to the TAF board on all investment decisions.
Members:
- Kimberly Marshall (Chair)
- Shelley Carroll, City Councillor
- Bill Crossland, President and CEO at Thermal Energy International Inc.
- Robert Eberschlag, Partner at WeirFoulds LLP
- Hyewon Kong, Associate Portfolio Manager at AGF Investments Inc.
- Jason Kotler, Entrepreneur
- Michael LeClair, Founder and CEO at GML Legacy Corp.
- Jacoline Loewen, Director at UBS Bank (Canada) Wealth Management
- Graham McBride, Independent Investor and Strategist
- Rob A. Roberti, Chief Financial Officer at Cordelio Finance Inc.
- Stephen Simpson, Partner at InstarAGF
- Terry Vaughan, Senior Consultant at Prime Quadrant LP
The committee’s responsibilities include:
- Selecting the investment manager(s) and any other agents or advisors needed to prudently manage the endowment
- Formulating and amending when necessary the Statement of Investment Objectives and Principles (SIOP), with consideration to TAF’s mandate and purpose of advancing solutions to climate change and air pollution, and reviewing the SIOP at least once per year
- Preparing and maintaining a Prohibited Securities List of companies whose securities cannot be held in the portfolio in keeping with the mandate and beliefs expressed in the SIOP
- Monitoring the investment manager(s) and any other agents or advisors with respect to investment performance and compliance with the SIOP
- Reviewing and advising on impact/direct investments and providing recommendations on those investments to the board
- Providing quarterly reports to the board on the performance of the endowment and any other aspects of asset management, which the Investment Committee deems appropriate or as requested by the board
Past meetings
- July 11, 2019, Board of Directors. Minutes
- June 14, 2019, Grants and Programs Committee. Minutes
- April 30, 2019, Members of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund – AGM. Minutes
- April 30, 2019, Board of Directors. Minutes
- April 10, 2019, Investment Committee. Minutes
- April 9, 2019, Grants and Programs Committee. Minutes