The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety, today announced that Christopher Pike has been appointed to the Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities (PUB).
Mr. Pike has been appointed to fill a commissioner role left vacant by the resignation of James Oxford. His 10 year term is effective January 13, 2020. Mr. Pike was recommended through the merit-based appointment process established by the Independent Appointments Commission Act and his biography can be found in the backgrounder below.
The Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities is an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory body responsible for the regulation of the electric utilities in the province to ensure that the rates charged are just and reasonable, and that the service provided is safe and reliable. The Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities is a regulatory body operating in Newfoundland and Labrador under the authority of the Public Utilities Act.
The board is also responsible for ensuring fairness in marketing of petroleum products throughout the province in accordance with the Petroleum Products Act, and for the supervision of rates charged by automobile insurers for the various automobile insurance coverages, limited regulation of the motor carrier industry in relation to certain passenger and ambulance operations, as well as conducting hearings and other required activities under the Expropriation Act.
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“I am very pleased to see the vacancy at the PUB filled. I want to thank Mr. James Oxford for the work he did on behalf of residents of the province and I am confident our new commissioner Mr. Chris Pike will contribute significantly in his new role.”
Honourable Andrew Parsons
Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General
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Newfoundland and Labrador Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities
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Lesley Clarke
Justice and Public Safety
709-729-6985, 699-2910
LesleyClarke@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Biography of Christopher Pike
Christopher Pike
Christopher Pike has worked as an adjudicator since 2015, most recently with the Social Security Tribunal of Canada. Prior to this role, he practiced insurance and personal injury law in St. John’s for 25 years. He was appointed as Master and Taxing Officer of the Supreme Court in 2010. Mr. Pike graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of New Brunswick in 1988 and completed the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals course on adjudication in 2013. He is past president of the Canadian Bar Association for the Newfoundland and Labrador Branch and the Insurance Institute of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is also active in community organizations including Scouts Canada and the Perchance Theatre. Mr. Pike received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013.