Alberta Energy Regulator rehires executive fired after 2019 ICORE scandal
Mark Taylor, one of three executives terminated over a non-profit venture that cost the regulator millions, returns as board secretariat director.
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The Alberta Energy Regulator announced September 9 it is bringing back Mark Taylor as board secretariat director, seven years after his employment was terminated following the ICORE scandal.
Taylor was one of three executive vice-presidents whose jobs ended in 2019 after auditor general, ethics commissioner, and public interest commissioner reports highlighted financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest at the AER. The reports primarily blamed then-CEO Jim Ellis, who led the creation of the International Centre of Regulatory Excellence — a non-profit corporation designed to sell Alberta's regulatory expertise to other countries.
ICORE operated outside the AER's mandate and cost the regulator millions in lost funds. Ellis resigned as CEO in late 2018. Following the reports, the AER dissolved and replaced its board of directors.
Board Chair Duncan Au and CEO Rob Morgan announced Taylor's return in an internal message, saying his "combination of industry, regulatory, and government experience will be invaluable to the success of the board secretariat."
The AER told Postmedia it could not comment publicly on staffing or employee matters due to privacy legislation. Energy Minister Brian Jean's office issued a statement saying Alberta's government had "taken significant steps to strengthen governance of the AER and enhance its reputation as a global leader in regulating energy and mineral development." The office added: "We are confident that they have processes in place to do appropriate due diligence on hiring." The AER is responsible for its own staffing decisions, the statement said.
What was Mark Taylor's specific role at the AER before his 2019 termination, and was he directly involved in ICORE?
What does the AER's due-diligence process entail for rehiring former executives terminated over governance failures?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
Why was Mark Taylor fired in 2019?
Taylor was one of three executive vice-presidents terminated following reports by the auditor general, ethics commissioner, and public interest commissioner that detailed financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest at the AER related to the ICORE non-profit venture.
What was ICORE and why did it cause problems?
The International Centre of Regulatory Excellence was a non-profit corporation created to sell Alberta's regulatory expertise internationally, but it operated outside the AER's mandate and cost the regulator millions in lost funds.
