The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships to Honour Dale Richmond with 2018 Champion Award

TORONTO, Oct. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dale Richmond will receive the 2018 Champion Award for his “visionary and pioneering role in financing P3 infrastructure projects” across Canada, The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships announced today.

Richmond, a past chair and president of the council, will receive the prestigious award at CCPPP’s 26^th annual conference – P3 2018 – on Tuesday, November 6 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.

“Dale Richmond is among a small group of early Canadian pioneers who recognized the opportunities for economic growth presented by public-private partnerships,” explained Mark Romoff, President and CEO of The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships.

“His influence and leadership contributed to the broader acceptance of the model in Canada and ultimately to making Canada a recognized global P3 leader. Dale always gave freely of his time and his expertise at every point in the development of the council — and the organization and its members will forever be indebted to him.”

The Champion Award is presented by CCPPP to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to public-private partnerships in Canada. He joins a long line of distinguished Canadians who have received the award, including: the late James Flaherty, former federal Finance Minister; Bert Clark, President and CEO, Investment Management Corporation of Ontario; John Beck, Founder, President and CEO of Aecon Group Inc.; and Sarah Clark, President and CEO at Fraser River Pile and Dredge (GP) Inc. and former President and CEO of Partnerships British Columbia.

“I’m humbled by the honour. My most sincere thanks to the Council and its board of directors,” Richmond said. “It’s been wonderful to see the P3 sector grow and successfully deliver critical infrastructure projects, from schools and hospitals, to electricity, safer highways and public transit, that have greatly benefitted Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast.”

During his 12-year tenure with CCPPP, Richmond helped shape the organization’s research, education and government relations work, as well as helped build its reputation as a significant international player. In particular, CCPPP’s annual conference expanded to become a key global gathering point for governments, companies and agencies with an interest in P3s.

He is currently an independent director and chair of IBI Group’s board of directors. Previously, he spent a decade as the president and CEO of OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), as well as 17 years with the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto where he held various positions including chief administrative officer. He is also a past chair of the Toronto Board of Trade, the Canadian Urban Institute and Humber College.

Richmond noted that OMERS currently has $15 billion in infrastructure investments, a class of investment he helped initiate during his tenure. These investments have a “very predictable return for pensioners and are an important investment for the Canadian economy,” he said, adding they help build major projects such as the Confederation Bridge, Bruce Power, the Toronto District Heating and Deep-Lake Water Cooling system, as well as hospital, school and transit projects.

CCPPP’s annual conference is the world’s premier event on public-private partnerships, attracting 1,200 senior public and private sector infrastructure leaders from across Canada and abroad with unparalleled networking and business development opportunities. Media are invited to register in advance at p3-2018.ca.About the Canadian Council for Public-Private PartnershipsEstablished in 1993, CCPPP is a national not-for-profit non-partisan, member-based organization with broad representation from across the public and private sectors. Our mission is to collaborate with all levels of government and Indigenous communities to enable smart, innovative approaches to public infrastructure development and service delivery that achieve the best outcomes for Canadians. The Council is a proponent of evidence-based public policy in support of P3s, facilitates the adoption of international best practices, and educates stakeholders and the community on the economic and social benefits of public-private partnerships.