News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Three new members have been appointed to the board of directors of the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation.

Joanna Bernard, Nicholas Ganong, and Brian McCain were appointed to represent the business sector for terms varying from one to four years.

“The new members bring a wealth of knowledge from the business world,” said Monique Richard, chair of the board. “There is no doubt that their participation in the management and implementation of Overcoming Poverty Together: The New Brunswick Economic and Social Inclusion Plan 2014-2019 will have a ripple effect within the business community. I thank the outgoing members for their excellent work during their term.”  

The Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation is a Crown corporation that co-ordinates and supports the implementation of the Overcoming Poverty Together plan. The corporation’s board of directors is made up of members representing persons who experienced or are living in poverty, non-profit organizations, the business sector, and the government.

Following are the biographies of the three new members:

Joanna Bernard

Bernard is the CEO of the Madawaska Maliseet Economic Development Corporation. She served as councillor and chief of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation from 2001 to 2013. Some of her accomplishments as chief include the completion of three additions to the reserve, the development of several by-laws and policies to assist in better government accountability, building several homes including a residential development and new sidewalks. She received the Order of New Brunswick in 2013 for her efforts to ensure the well-being and economic prosperity of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation as well as all First Nations communities in the province. She received the Queen`s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 that was given to Canadians who have made significant contributions to their communities and nation. She is a member of the First Nations Fiscal Management Board, a Canadian aboriginal institution that provides a suite of financial management tools and services to First Nations governments.

Brian McCain

McCain is a graduate of Queen’s University where he obtained a bachelor of science in engineering physics and a bachelor of arts in music, both in 2006. He worked in Saskatchewan and Britain on carbon capture and storage projects, including serving as lead technical advisor to the British government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change on carbon capture technologies. In 2009 he founded the Gaia Project, a charitable organization that provides students with opportunities to make informed decisions about energy and its impact on the environment. The project is active in about 70 schools throughout New Brunswick in both official languages. McCain served as the founding executive director of Brilliant Labs in 2014, a non-profit organization in Atlantic Canada fostering innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial skills in the K-12 education system. He is currently working as a production supervisor in the Florenceville French Fry Plant for McCain Foods Canada, as part of their Production Management Training program.

Nick Ganong

Ganong is the vice-president of sales and business development at Ganong Bros. Ltd. in St. Stephen. For the past 12 years Ganong, a fifth-generation member of the family business, has held positions in human resources, planning, manufacturing and supply chain. He is active in the community including as a member of the Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation Region 2 Health Board; conference member for the 2008 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference and a former vice-president of Enterprise Charlotte. He is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick with a bachelor of business administration. He lives in St. Stephen with his wife and two children.