McCaig says farewell to FFPC

It’s was the end of an era at the Fort Frances Power Corporation.
President and CEO Mark McCaig stepped aside last week to fully concentrate on his position as CAO for the Town of Fort Frances, while Jim Kibiuk takes up the reins.
McCaig was giving Kibiuk a tour of the facility on Wednesday, and the two took time out of their busy schedule to talk to the Times about the past, and the future, of the FFPC.
“I leave here with mixed feelings,” said McCaig. “I’m very proud of the things that have been accomplished here. We still have the lowest power rates in the province.”
McCaig began his career at the FFPC in 1976 as a student. He started full-time in 1983. He has held the role of CEO over the last five years, a position that evolved with the deregulation of the energy market.
“Prior to deregulation of the energy market, the former commission, who still is represented on the board, was very successful at keeping the rates as low as possible,” he noted. “In fact, in some of the years preceding deregulation, they decreased the rates 11 percent over a three-year period in the town of Fort Frances.”
McCaig was very grateful to the board of directors—Deane Cunningham, Roy Avis, Robert Cousineau, Glenn Witherspoon, and Douglas McCaig—for their efforts over the years.
He cited the passing of Bill 210—the Electricity Pricing, Conservation, and Supply Act—as an example.
“We went from the lowest rates in the province to the highest overnight,” he said. “We had a tenuous fight with the government last year, and we were successful because the board was very diligent.”
The board was determined to “make sure that benefit continued to exist for customers.”
As a result, the FFPC was able to pass a rebate on to its customers.
“That was a testament to that board of directors and how hard they worked,” McCaig said. “We’ve passed a lot of money back to the people of Fort Frances in the form of rebates.”
Besides working to keep rates low, he noted members of the board have acted as mentors to him in his position as CEO.
“I’m very appreciative that I had some pretty significant mentoring from the board. They instilled in me the importance of the power agreement in Fort Frances. Everything they do to protect the power agreement is a huge benefit to the people of this town,” McCaig said.
“They’ve committed a large part of their lives to this exercise,” he added.
In addition, the former CEO noted the FFPC offers reliable service, with few outages, good infrastructure, and a great staff.
“I can’t say enough about them,” he enthused.
Kibiuk said he was looking forward to his new role in the corporation.
“There’s some big shoes to be filled,” he noted.
McCaig said he would always be available to the new CEO should he need guidance or advice in his new role.
“I foresee a very strong working relationship with Mark,” Kibiuk noted. “I know he’ll be a valuable resource to me as we go forward.”
Kibiuk officially took over as CEO of the FFPC yesterday.