Leadership
Leadership
Johan van 't Hof – Project Lead
Johan van ‘t Hof is the CEO of Mitigokaa Development Corp and of Tonbridge Corporation which he co-founded in 2003. From 2005 to 2011 he also served as President and CEO of Tonbridge Power, a publicly traded incubated company of Tonbridge Corporation. In that capacity, he lead the team in successfully achieving six major environmental and system stability permits, and closing seven financings for a total of $250 million, including a $161 million senior debt facility under the US Stimulus Act, and initiating construction. Mr. van ‘t Hof testified to the US Senate on transmission policy, and to the Canadian Parliament on environmental regulatory policy. Tonbridge Power was sold to Enbridge for an enterprise value of close to $300M.
From 2012 to 2016 he acted for a wood pellet biomass company, securing all construction and environmental permits, all fibre supply, logistics contracts, EPC design and agreements, and arranging debt and equity financing for a total of $100M. Prior to that, he was with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Partner and Managing Director in Project Finance and Privatization for ten years where he developed extensive financing and capital markets experience in the transportation, energy and utility sectors including closing several transactions in infrastructure, such as privatization, project financing, capitalization, and BOOT projects. Following graduation as a C.A., Mr. van ’t Hof started his career in corporate finance and investigations while on secondment at the Ontario Securities Commission from his firm.
He is a director of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, and Rockwell Diamonds Corporation and is a member of the advisory board of Crystallex Corporation. He has served on seven other commercial and not-for-profit boards. Mr. van ‘t Hof received a Bachelor of Commerce and an M.B.A. in finance at the University of Toronto, he is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Professional Accountant in Ontario.
Rob McFarlane – Finance and Major Contracts
Rob McFarlane is a Mitigokaa Board member and an infrastructure development executive with deep experience in developing, financing, and project execution.
From 2011 to 2015 Mr McFarlane led Enbridge Inc. in its Green Power and Transmission Group, as a Director responsible for building and developing the electrical power transmission business within one of Canada’s leading energy companies. Within that role, he was tasked with identifying and executing investments in power transmission. Prior to Enbridge, Mr. McFarlane held the positions of CBO and CFO at Tonbridge Power Inc, a Canadian public company, focusing on independent power transmission and during that period developed the Montana Alberta Transmission Line which was commissioned in September 2013.
In 2011, Tonbridge Power was purchased by Enbridge with Mr. McFarlane acting as one of the key executives during the transition. He is also one of the original founding partners of Tonbridge Corporation, originally a private merchant bank focused on the financing and development of infrastructure assets. Tonbridge Corporation took Tonbridge Power Inc. public in February 2005.
In the 1990’s Mr. McFarlane worked for CIBC World Markets. As an Executive Director within the Debt Capital Markets group, he served a dual role as a liability and senior relationship manager for institutional investment clients. His experience there included the leadership of various elements of debt capital markets activity as well as the trading and sales of numerous debt instruments including structured and derivative products. This role covered municipal and provincial credit while managing CIBC’s municipal and provincial bond books. In addition Mr. McFarlane was a co-manager of the banks significant Eurobond book.
Subsequent to his time at CIBC, while adopting the role of investment/merchant banker, he has advised numerous businesses in their financing and corporate strategies occasionally acting as an investing principal. Mr. McFarlane holds a BA from the University of British Columbia, as well as an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. Rob serves on a number of advisory and charity boards and plays a very active role in his local community.
Scott Stevens – Permitting and Project Design
Scott Stevens is an innovative energy project development professional with thirty-five years of progressive experience in power generation industry in the private and public sectors. Employers have included Northland Power, British Gas, Enbridge, Energy Mines and Resources Canada, Ontario Ministry of Energy and Toronto Hydro. Responsibilities have included securing project investment opportunities, project development and management and energy asset acquisitions and dispositions.
Core technical expertise includes gas fired generation projects (simple cycle peakers, combined cycle, cogeneration and district energy) and biomass fired generation projects. Power market expertise includes Canada and the USA. Practical skills include power project origination and development, development and presentation of business cases to senior management, proforma development, power generation team building and leadership, working with First Nations business development personnel and providing technical and strategic advice to not for profit entities.
John Beaucage – Chairman
In October 2004, John Beaucage was elected as Grand Council Chief to serve the 42-member First Nations of the Anishinabek Nation, one of Canada’s oldest First Nation, political organizations. Prior to his election as Grand Council Chief, Beaucage was the elected Chief of Wasauksing First Nation and served in that capacity for four consecutive terms.
Beaucage is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a combined degree in English and economics, and he has done post-graduate work in First Nation planning at the University of British Columbia. He also was the recipient of a Honourary Doctor of Letters from Nipissing University in the 2009 Convocation. An economist by education, Beaucage worked for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for over 15 years in Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Regina and Saint John, New Brunswick. After leaving CMHC on 1989 he and his wife started a number of successful businesses in retail and in property development and management.
Grand Council Chief Beaucage played an instrumental role in the First Ministers’ Meeting which took place in Kelowna, BC in November of 2005. Leading up to the First Ministers’ Meeting, Beaucage served as the Co-chair for First Ministers’ Working Groups for both Housing and Relationships. In May of 2008, Beaucage was appointed Chairperson of the First Nations Market Housing Fund. The $300 million Fund was first announced in Budget 2007 and is a new and innovative way to give First Nations citizens the opportunity to own their homes on reserve.
Since leaving his position as Grand Council Chief, Beaucage now serves on a number of boards and is working on developing green energy projects with several First Nations across the country. He has also has been involved as a mediator with land disputes and was appointed as Special Advisor to the Minister of Children & Youth Services, which resulted in a much publicized report on the state of native child welfare in Ontario.
Walter Manitowabi – Stakeholder Engagement
Walter Manitowabi, Bear Clan, is from the Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation on Manitoulin Island and shares over thirty years’ financial, organizational management and political experience.
Walter established Three Fires Solutions in 2014 to provide a conduit for First Nations and proponents/investors for enhanced relations, project financing and to expedite project development.
After graduating from Canadore College with his Business Administration-Accounting diploma, he continued on his post-graduate studies and attained his Certified Management Accounting designation in 1992. Walter has worked for several firms and government agencies specializing in such areas as accounting and financial management, economic development and business advisory services, as well as retail management and First Nation band administration.
Walter has served his home community as Band Chief and as a Band Councilor. Walter is also the past Chief Operating Officer of the Union of Ontario Indians.
Paul Parisotto – Business Development and Government Relations
Paul Parisotto brings over 35 years of extensive business development, government relations, regulatory, capital markets, C Suite, and director experience, primarily in the resource sector to Mitigokaa.
For the past 20 years, Paul has served as either the Chairman or CEO of five mining development companies, all of which that have been acquired, including Noront Resources Ltd, that was acquired in 2022 for $650 million and Arizona Star Resources that was acquired in 2008 for $775 million. He was responsible for all aspects of these companies’ affairs including financing, business development, and engaging with all stakeholders including all levels of governments, local residents and First Nation communities.
From 2008 to 2022, as the Chairman of Noront Resources, Paul was actively involved with all stakeholders in advancing and developing Noront’s high-grade nickel, copper, platinum and palladium deposit and its high-grade chromium deposits in an area that is known as the “Ring of Fire” located in the James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario. The Ring of Fire is a remote area that is undeveloped and lacks infrastructure.
In the 1990s, Paul was a senior vice-president in mining investment banking at two multi-national investment banking firms. Prior to that, in the 1980s Paul began his career as a manager in Listings at the Toronto Stock Exchange where he was responsible for listing and regulating companies. Paul also serves on the Advisory Board of the Goodman School of Mines at Laurentian University.
Caren Narvet – Treasury and Reporting
Since June 2014, she has served as a director of Kinark Child and Family Services, a $95M government funded children mental health and autism services agency in Ontario. She is on Finance and Audit Committee, previously served as Chair of the Lead Agency Task Group and was a member of the Technology Committee. She was also a director of Delisle Youth Services, a multi-service non-profit agency serving families and youth in Toronto for three years and served as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee for the organization.
Caren is a graduate of Victoria College, University of Toronto and is also a Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified General Accountant (CPA, CGA) in the province of Ontario.
Kristy Corbiere – Associate, Project Management
Kristy Corbiere is of Ojibway and Cayuga nations from M’Chigeeng, ON. She is a Women’s Fancy powwow dancer and is learning her Ojibway language. She graduated from Electrical Engineering Technology-Process Automation and Instrumentation Technician from Sault College of Applied Arts in Technology in 2005. She was the first indigenous female to graduate from the Technology program.
She has 14 years of experience in the Automation/Electrical industry; She worked with a large automation company which she commissioned the automation system of two diamond mines in Canada and then was in the maintenance department of a large mining company for 12 years. She was responsible to maintain, design and repair the control system, security system, incinerator, water treatment, wastewater treatment, HVAC and instrumentation. Kristy led the organization and updating of all site electrical drawings, safe work plans, and procedures for the electrical department.
Another passion of Kristy’s is in safety and Emergency Response as she was a part of a team for 8 years. She was the first female Lieutenant and participated as a guest team for the Timmins area Ontario Mine Rescue in special skills (Rope rescue) and the first aid portion of the competition. They received an award for demonstrating their strong skills in these two areas. Kristy is an advocate for Women in Technology and First Nations post-secondary education and has participated in several different events promoting education in the Technology industry.