The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister Responsible for Labour, today announced the appointment of the new members to the Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel.
Members of the Panel are:
- Sheilagh Murphy, KC (Chairperson)
- Ronald McCabe (alternate Chairperson)
- John Whelan (alternate Chairperson)
- Earle McCurdy (member)
- Brian Vallis, B.Comm., CPA, CA (member)
- Art Dodd, MBA, CPA, CMA (alternate member)
- Will Reid (alternate member)
The Chairperson and the alternate Chairpersons are appointed for a two-year term and the members and alternate members are each appointed for a one-year term. The members of this panel were recommended through a new selection process, outlined in section 19.1 of the Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act.
Biographies of the appointees can be found in the backgrounder below.
Established in 2006, the Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel is responsible for annually identifying, in consultation with stakeholders, particular fish species for collective bargaining; collecting and disseminating market information; establishing parameters for negotiations; facilitating collective bargaining; setting hearings; and, where necessary, acting as an arbitration panel in setting fish prices when the parties have been unable to agree.
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“I welcome the newly appointed members of the Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel. These new members have strong and varied backgrounds in arbitration practices, finance and the fishing industry. Collectively, they will bring diverse skills and extensive experience to the panel.”
Honourable Bernard Davis
Minister Responsible for Labour
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BACKGROUNDER
Biographical Information for the Members of the Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel
Sheilagh Murphy, KC (Chairperson)
Sheilagh Murphy has been a practicing barrister and solicitor in Newfoundland and Labrador since the late 1990s, and has focused her expertise and practice on the provision of neutral labor and employment dispute services as an arbitrator, mediator, and independent workplace investigator.
Ms. Murphy has served as an external adjudicator for the Canada Industrial Relations Board since 2020 and as a Vice-Chair and Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board from 2007 to 2017. She has adjudicated more than 700 labour relations and employment disputes under various provincial and federal legislation, including the Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act, the Canada Labour Code, the Labour Relations Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
As a volunteer for her profession, Ms. Murphy served on the provincial executive of the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Canadian Bar Association, and was elected President in 2006. She concurrently served as a member of the association’s national Board of Directors. Ms. Murphy spent fourteen years on the board of the Canadian Bar Insurance Association (now Lawyers Financial), completing her tenure as Chair from 2017 to 2019 and past chair through 2021. She is currently volunteering as a bencher with the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Ms. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New Brunswick. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2014.
Ronald McCabe (Alternate Chairperson)
Ronald W. McCabe is a lawyer with over 40 years practicing in corporate, commercial, securities and regulatory law, throughout Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean. He has extensive corporate and commercial experience as Vice President and General Counsel with Fortis Inc., Newfoundland Capital Corporation and Air Atlantic. In his current practice, Ronald is counsel with Dawe & Burke.
Mr. McCabe is also a member of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ministerial Roster of Arbitrators, serves as an Appeal Commissioner for the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Service Pension Plan and is an arbitrator representative on the Labour Management Arbitration Committee.
Additionally, he was nominated by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to serve as a Member Roster Panelist to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.
John Whelan (Alternate Chairperson)
John Whelan was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 2009. John has significant experience as General Counsel for a large group of companies within the province, including unionized operations with over 900 employees. John oversaw all labour relations and was the lead negotiator for multiple collective agreements covering a diverse range of operations in the health care sector.
A graduate of the Memorial University School of Business (B.Comm, Finance, Honours.), University of New Brunswick Law, and Queen’s University (Advanced Executive Certificate). Prior to going in-house, Mr. Whelan articled and was an associate at Stewart McKelvey’s St. John’s office.
In addition to his in-house role, Mr. Whelan is a member of the Provincial Court Judges’ Salary and Benefits Tribunal, a former member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board, and a former director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council.
Earle McCurdy (member)
A graduate of Memorial University, Earle McCurdy worked as a reporter for the Evening Telegram from 1973-77 before joining what was then known as Newfoundland Fisherman, Food and Allied Workers (now FFAW) as Editor of the union publication Union Forum. He went on to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the union from 1980 until 1993, and President from 1993-2014. In 2015, he was elected provincial Leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party, a position he held until his retirement in 2017.
He also served as President of the Canadian Council of Professional Fish Harvesters, an umbrella organization representing fish harvester groups from across Canada, and from 1993 to 2014 as a member of the National Executive Board of the Canadian Auto Workers (now Unifor).
Mr. McCurdy was also active in a variety of industry, labour and community organizations, including the governing bodies of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital, Memorial University, Workers Compensation Commission, and the Coalition for Equality. Mr. McCurdy has served one year as a member of the Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel.
Brian Vallis, B.Comm., CPA, CA (member)
Mr. Vallis is an experienced entrepreneur, corporate finance professional and Chartered Accountant, with over 30 years of national and international business and corporate financial experience.
Art Dodd, MBA, CPA, CMA (alternate member)
Mr. Dodd is a corporate finance professional with an extensive background in corporate tax, risk management, insurance, financial reporting, cash management, performance management, and merger and acquisitions. Mr. Dodd has extensive experience in the fishery sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is well respected across the industry.
Will Reid (alternate member)
Will Reid built his life around the fishery. As a Bonavista native, Mr. Reid spent 20 years working in a fish processing plant. He was elected to the FFAW Executive Board, where he served three terms representing industrial workers prior to assuming the position of Staff Representative. As Staff Representative, he provided servicing to both fish harvesters and fish processing workers across the province. He negotiated collective agreements, represented members at Workers’ Compensation hearings, arbitration hearings, Employment Insurance appeals and Tax Court. He retired from the FFAW in 2017.