Canada's Finance Minister Joe Oliver announced last week the appointment of Sheila O'Brien, CM, to the Board of Directors of PPP Canada.

Ms. O'Brien has been the President of Belvedere 1 Investments Ltd. since April 2004. She is a corporate director and business consultant with over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas, pipeline and petrochemical sectors in Canada, the United States, South America and Europe.

Joe Oliver, Minister of Finance, said:

"I am pleased to name such a distinguished member to the Board of Directors of PPP Canada. Our Government knows that investments in Canada's public infrastructure create jobs and economic growth, and provide a high quality of life for families in every city and community across the country."

PPP Canada is a Crown corporation responsible for advancing P3s through the provision of expert advice and support to all levels of government. It manages the renewed $1.25-billion P3 Canada Fund.

Ms. O'Brien currently serves on the Board of Directors of Gildan, a publicly traded, vertically integrated apparel manufacturer based in Montréal, and the Board of Directors of the Alberta Energy Regulator. She has previously served on the boards of Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd., a Calgary-based natural gas company; Skye Resources, a nickel mining company with mines in Guatemala; TransForce, Canada's largest trucking company; and MaRS, a biotechnology accelerator based in Toronto. She is a past member of the Board of Governors of Alberta College of Art + Design in Calgary, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Women's Foundation in Toronto.

Ms. O'Brien has been active in the not-for-profit sector, having served on more than 25 Boards of Directors dealing primarily with human rights, women's rights and the need to give a voice to marginalized members of society. In 1998 she was bestowed the honour of the Order of Canada.