Travis Toews appoints Jason Kenney campaign advisor to ATB board

Earlier this week, the lieutenant governor approved a request from Travis Toews, minister of finance to appoint the following people to the board of directors of ATB Financial:

The appointments are for a 3-year term effective 16 June 2020.

Jim Davidson, recently retired as deputy chair of GMP FirstEnergy, an energy sector investment bank he cofounded with Murray Edwards, Brett Wilson, and Rick Grafton. He was the governor of the former Alberta Stock Exchange and is on the board of trustees for The Fraser Institute.

Davidson was part of the fundraising/advising team for Jason Kenney’s leadership campaign for the United Conservative Party. He was a prolific political donor, having donated $6,000 to the Wildrose Party in 2010; $15,000 in 2011; $15,000 in 2012, as well as $10,000 in campaign contributions to the party during the 2012 election; $15,000 in 2013; $2,300 in 2014 and $15,000 in a byelection that year; and $1,875 in 2015, plus $925 to the Calgary-Fish Creek PC constituency association and $1,100 in campaign donations to the Wildrose Party. He also donated $2,000 to Terry Rock’s 2015 election campaign and $2,000 to Richard Gotfried’s campaign: both were PC candidates in the Calgary-Buffalo and Calgary-Fish Creek ridings, respectively. In 2017, he donated $5,000 to the Alberta Advantage Fund, a political action committee focused on electing Jason Kenney as leader of the UCP. Davidson has donated to the UCP, as well, including $1,500 in 2017, $4,325 in campaign contributions during a 2017 byelection, $2,000 in 2019 and $2,000 during the provincial election last year. He also donated $1,000 to Jim Prentice’s 2014 PC leadership campaign. Between 2004 and 2015, FirstEnergy Capital (what his company was called before it was sold to GMP Capital) donated $92,170 the PC party. Altogether, that’s $185,870 donated to the PC, Wildrose, and UCP parties by Davidson or his business since 2004.

Andrew S. Fraser is president and CEO with NCSG Crane & Heavy Haul. Fraser donated $3,000 to the UCP party last year.

J. Robert Logan is former president and CEO with Osprey Informatics (now Osperity), a tech firm with offices in Calgary and Houston. He is an advisor for the company now. He’s also an advisor and investor with Chrysalis Acquisition Fund, a private equity firm. Finally, he owns ShaMac Holdings, an investment firm.

Directors on the ATB Board receive a retainer of $15,000 every year. Any directors who become the board chair receive an additional $15,000 a year. Anyone chairing a committee receives an extra $2,000 a year. Directors are also paid $700 for each board meeting and $500 for each committee meeting they attend.

Originally published at kimsiever.ca on 16 May 2020.