Squamish Nation Trust
Harold Calla, C.G.A, C.A.F.M.
Community Activities
Harold is a member of the Squamish Nation, located in North Vancouver, B.C. He served as an elected Council for eight years from December 1997 to December 2005, after which he chose not to seek re-election.
After many years in international business (manufacturing and wholesale distribution), Harold came to work with the Squamish Nation in 1986. The Squamish budget has increased from $7.5M to $45M during this period, and the scope of Squamish’s involvement in commercial business operations, land leasing and land development has greatly expanded. Today, the Nation delivers 140 different programs and services to its 3,600 members.
Harold is acts as a negotiator on behalf of the Squamish Nation in accommodation negotiations. Two agreements of note are the Sea-to-Sky Highway Agreement-in-Principle and the Shared Legacies Agreement, both of which resulted from the 2010 Olympic Games. He is also the Surveyor of Taxation for the Squamish Nation.
In addition to the above, Harold holds the following positions within the Squamish Nation: Surveyor of Taxes; Co-Chair of Municipal Services Negotiation Committee as well as serving as a negotiator in Squamish business ventures.
Regional Activities
Harold has acted as a financial advisor and an arbitrator for various First Nations throughout Western Canada. Through the First Nations Summit Society of B.C., Harold led the First Nations Summit Fiscal Relations Secretariat in its assessment of the proposed options for a new fiscal relationship through the B.C. Treaty Process.
Since 2003, Harold has been a Director on the Board of Partnerships B.C., a provincial crown corporation that is mandated to look at public/private partnerships as a delivery model in responding to B.C.’s infrastructure needs. In addition to this, Harold is the current Chair of the Audit Risk and Management Committee of Partnerships B.C.
National Activities
From 1997 to 2000, Harold was involved in the National Table on Fiscal Relations, where he was a member of the Chiefs Committee on Fiscal Relations, and Chair of the Revenue Options Technical Table. The mandate of the Chiefs’ Committee was to focus on developing a new fiscal relationship between First Nations, the Provinces and the Government of Canada.
The Squamish Nation was a signatory to the Framework Agreement on Land Management in 1997; this allowed Harold the opportunity to participate in the development of the Land Management Act, enabling legislation designed to remove Indian Affairs from decisions made by First Nations regarding the use of their Reserve Lands.
Since 2001, Harold has served as the Chairman of the First Nations Financial Management Board Advisory Panel (FMB). And in 2006, Harold was appointed by Governor-in-Council as the Chairman of the First Nations Financial Management Board. The FMB is an institution created under the First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Management Act, a First Nation led initiative to protect First Nations jurisdiction, support First Nations economic development, and provide First Nations with the opportunity to secure financing for their infrastructure needs.
Most recently, Harold assumed a leadership role in the creation of the First Nations Commercial and Industrial Management Act (FNCIDI), legislation that addresses the regulatory gap on-reserve.
Harold serves on several National Boards, He was also recently appointed to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Board of Directors and sits on the Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Corporation. He is currently a member of the CICA Study Group examining the financial reporting requirement of First Nations and is a member of the Treasury Board Secretariat Technical Committee examining the Directive on Aboriginal Transfer Payments.
In November 2007 Harold was appointed to the Board of Terasen Gas Inc. and is the Chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee of Terasen Gas Inc.
In recognition of his contributions to Canada’s Aboriginal communities through his work in First Nations financial management, Harold was awarded the 2005 Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada and Xerox Canada Ltd. National Award for Excellence in Leadership.