Peter MacKinnon

Monday, June 17
NCF AGM: Board candidacy for Peter MacKinnon
Nominated by the NCF Board of Directors

What skills will you contribute to the NCF Board?

My name is Peter MacKinnon. I have been serving on the Board of NCF for several years and I have agreed to stand for another three-year term as a candidate for the NCF Board of Directors.

I have a wide range of skills and experience on Boards and working with executive management in the private sector, government, international institutions and academia. Further to serving on the Board of National Capital FreeNet, I am on the Board of Directors of the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering, an organisation that supports all Members of Parliament in understanding issues in science and engineering.

I have written numerous Business Plans for launching organisations such as Canarie, Canada's national research and education network, the Business Plan for CIRA, Canada's Internet Registration Authority, as well as for the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, a national consortium of operators of high-performance computers (formerly called supercomputers).

At the international level for example, I was responsible for developing the Business Plan for a TED Prize in the TED Talks series, by creating the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences - Next Einstein Initiative, which raised $100 million dollars to establish 15 centres of excellence in mathematical sciences throughout Africa with six centres already in place.

I was one of the principals who brought the Internet to Canada in the 1980s while on secondment to the Federal Government from my Artificial Intelligence company. Today, I serve on the IEEE-USA Artificial Intelligence Policy Committee in Washington D.C. where I have the privilege of providing advice to the White House and both Houses of the US Congress on AI and robotics. The IEEE is the largest technical organisation in the world with a motto dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. For example, Wi-Fi is a product of the IEEE.

I have served as a senior policy advisor on advanced information technology to the Government of Canada and represented Canada for 5 years at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, where I served on the Information, Computers and Communications Policy Committee.

Today, I serve as a Senior Research Associate in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa.

In summary, I believe I have sufficient experience and knowledge to provide a meaningful contribution to the governance of National Capital FreeNet.

What are the most important functions of NCF for its members?

There are many functions NCF provides to its members, among them are its function as a social enterprise dedicated to closing the digital divide and enhancing member access to affordable Internet connectivity, while providing Help Desk and training services to members in the National Capital Region.

NCF also facilitates community discussion groups and promotes community engagement through new service offerings such as community Wi-Fi.

NCF also submits official comments to the Canada Radio and Television Commission (CRTC), a behind the scenes service NCF management undertakes to benefit the mission of the organisation and hence the quality and costs for Internet services in the National Capital Region (NCR).

NCF also offers bilingual service and events in both official languages and assists new immigrants in adopting the Internet in the NCR.

Why do you want to be an NCF director?

Based on my years of gaining knowledge and experience, I seek to give back to the community in ways that can make a positive difference in people's lives through openly sharing my collective learning and people-to-people experience in multi-cultural environments around the world, having worked in many countries.

As part of giving back to the community, I also assist in identifying candidates for Board positions, technical support opportunities and in the hiring and annual assessment of the Executive Director, all with a view to helping NCF achieve its Vision, Mission and Goals as a social enterprise in the NCR.