Appointments to Board of Trustees of National Arts Centre

OTTAWA, September 18, 2006 - The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, today announced the appointments of Richard M. LeBlanc, of Gatineau, Quebec, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Arts Centre (NAC) and Larry Fichtner, of Calgary, Alberta, as a part-time member of the Board of Trustees of the NAC.

A lawyer by profession, Mr. LeBlanc has been an associate with LeBlanc, Doucet, McBride since 1995. He was an associate with Beauchamp, Laurin, LeBlanc from 1992 to 1995, with Hamon, Dufour & Isabelle from 1986 to 1992, and with Lapointe, LeBlanc & Associés from 1978 to 1986. Mr. LeBlanc has been a member of the Canadian Bar Association since 1978. He has been active in many professional and community organizations. He served as a member of the Board of the Outaouais Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1995 to 1998, and as a provincial member and regional chair of the Association provinciale des constructeurs d'habitations du Québec, section Outaouais, from 1992 to 1995. He has been legal counsel for the Outaouais Construction Association since 1986.

Mr. Fichtner has been president of Entrada Resource Management Group since 1998, when he retired from active service. He had been Executive Vice President of Veritas DGC Inc. and remained on its Board until 2002. Mr. Fichtner is the Board Chair of Si Systems Ltd., an Information Technology professional placement agency. He is also the Board Chair of Arista Energy Limited and also sits on the Board of Dorian Energy Limited. Actively involved in many non-profit organizations, he has been a Board member of Honens International Piano Competition and has served on the Board of the Calgary Philharmonic Society for five years, of which three were as Chair.

The NAC Corporation is a federal cultural organization dedicated primarily to developing and showcasing the performing arts in the National Capital Region and across Canada. Home to the acclaimed National Arts Centre Orchestra, the NAC is a multidisciplinary performing arts centre that features classical music, dance, English- and French-language theatre, variety shows, and regional programming. The NAC takes part in co-productions with other organizations throughout the country, hosts festivals and, through its new technologies and its international tours, reaches out to audiences across Canada and around the world. The Corporation's website is at www.nac-can.ca

Information:

Véronique Bruneau
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
819 997-7788

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