Join PIAC’s Board of Directors

We are recruiting, and we would love to hear from you!

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is actively recruiting new members to its Board of Directors. We are looking for creative, curious and innovative people who want a hands-on role in strengthening a national voice for consumers.

You do not need to have sat on a board before. We are open to first-time directors and seasoned professionals alike, and we believe the best boards bring both around the same table.

About PIAC

Since 1976, PIAC has represented consumers in the provision of essential, regulated services across many sectors, including telecommunications, broadcasting, energy, financial services, groceries, and transportation. We are a national non-profit and federally-registered charity, and we bring legal and research expertise to this work, with a particular focus on consumer protection, competition, and privacy.

Our mission is to protect the rights of Canadian consumers through advocating for lower prices fairer terms, and more protections in the provision of regulated services. We advocate before governments, regulators, tribunals, and the courts. PIAC regularly intervenes at the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in consumer-related proceedings to call for increased protections in the public interest. Most recently, PIAC was granted leave to intervene before the Supreme Court of Canada in North v. BMW, and we have weighed in on grocery pricing and competition in the food supply chain. Throughout our work, we focus on ensuring that the interests of vulnerable consumers are championed.

Why join now

PIAC has been fighting for consumers for 50 years. This work affects everyone in Canada, but it is also under-funded and increasingly complex. We are charting a course to sustainability to keep PIAC going for years to come. Our current organizational development project includes work on strategic planning, revenue diversification, communications, and fundraising.

New directors will have a real opportunity to help chart that course. Participation in PIAC’s board offers a great opportunity for people who like building things, trying new approaches, and seeing their contributions make a difference.

The work ahead

Our directors are volunteers who provide governance, strategic direction and oversight. New PIAC Board members should expect to participate in a variety of dynamic and hands-on tasks. Depending on your interests and expertise, you might:

• join or help lead a board committee [e.g., governance, fundraising, recruitment, communications];
• bring fresh ideas to fundraising, partnerships and funder relationships;
• help with budgeting, financial projection, and revenue diversification;
• assist with streamlining operations and adopting new systems and workflow processes;
• advise on digital outreach, social media or storytelling;
• help us reach new communities and build relationships with allied organizations; and
• act as an ambassador for PIAC in your networks and region.

Our staff lead day-to-day operations and casework. Directors’ hands-on contributions focus on strategy, organizational strength, modernizing operations and extending PIAC’s reach.

Who we are looking for

There is no single profile of an ideal director. We want people who are committed to the public interest and who bring diverse experiences, perspectives and skills. We are looking for team-players who communicate effectively and constructively. Previous board experience is welcome but not required.

We are especially interested in hearing from:

• people who are creative, collaborative and comfortable trying new things;
• people from equity-seeking and historically underrepresented communities;
• people from all regions of Canada, including rural, remote and northern communities;
• bilingual (English and French) candidates and members of Francophone communities;
• early-career and emerging leaders;
• individuals whose lived experience as consumers can inform and strengthen PIAC’s advocacy; and
• people with experience or expertise in fundraising, communications and digital outreach, non-profit governance or leadership, law, public policy, research, finance, technology, advocacy or community organizing, or in sectors such as telecommunications, broadcasting, financial services, energy and food policy.

The commitment

• Term: 1 year, renewable.
• Meetings: 8-12 meetings in person and/or virtual
• Time: approximately 4-6 hours per month, including committee work.
• Compensation: directors serve as volunteers. Reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

Independence and conflicts of interest

PIAC’s credibility depends on its independence. Directors must be free from significant conflicts of interest and able to act solely in the interests of the organization and the consumers it represents.

As a result, individuals who are employed by, represent, or have substantial ongoing interests in industries that PIAC regularly engages with will generally not be eligible to serve on the Board. This includes sectors such as telecommunications, broadcasting, banking and financial services, transportation, and energy. Potential conflicts are assessed on a case-by-case basis, so if you are unsure, please ask.

How to apply

Please email board@piac.ca with:

1. a short introduction: why PIAC, what you would bring, and, if you have one, an idea you would like to try; and
2. a résumé, biography, and/or a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Application deadline: December 1, 2026. Following this deadline, additional Board recruitment will continue on an ongoing basis.

Not sure whether a board role is right for you? Get in touch anyway. We would be happy to arrange an informal conversation with a current director or staff member for more information.

PIAC is committed to building a board that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. If you need an accommodation at any stage of the process, please let us know.

Apology, clarification, and systemic challenges facing PIAC

PIAC has been fighting on behalf of consumers for 50 years. We are incredibly proud of that history and the many victories we have secured for all Canadians. But while this work is important, it is also under-funded, under-resourced and increasingly complicated.

It is in that context that the Board of Directors of PIAC would like to apologize to Mr. Geoff White for any miscommunications arising from comments we made to the CBC for a March 2026 Marketplace special ‘What’s Wrong with your Rights?’ and a related online article.

In that piece, Mr. White, former executive director and general counsel of PIAC, outlined the lack of consumer protections in industries dominated by big companies as well as the stark systemic financial challenges PIAC and other organizations fighting for consumer protections face.

PIAC agrees with these comments and notes that with the coming closure of the federal Office of Consumer Affairs, which funded much of PIAC’s past research, these challenges will be exacerbated.

Mr. White drove home the seriousness of these issues in the episode by relaying that “he left PIAC after going months without paying himself in order to keep the organization afloat amid a lack of funding from the federal government.” He added that he faced “‘a lack of support’” from PIAC’s volunteer board of directors.

When contacted by the CBC to respond to Mr. White’s comments about PIAC, the Board made clear that it believed Mr. White was working in PIAC’s best interest and deferred his compensation in an effort to help navigate the organization through difficult financial times. None of the Board’s comments were meant to suggest otherwise and the Board apologizes if it created that impression.

PIAC also contacted the CBC in an effort to clarify the Board’s comments and have relayed this apology directly to Mr. White.

Mr. White was hired by the Board because of his extensive experience with public interest law and we value his contributions to the organization. We understand and acknowledge that his work at PIAC was significantly affected by the structural funding and cashflow constraints that PIAC and other consumer rights organizations face, and which long pre-date Mr. White’s time at PIAC.

The PIAC Board also apologizes that Mr. White felt insufficiently supported during his time at the organization.The public interest community is small but the issues we’re tackling are massive.

Ultimately, while PIAC is working hard to chart a path to sustainability to ensure our work can continue for another 50 years, there is no doubt that serious policy changes from governments are also needed to ensure that public interest work is properly funded.

PIAC Board of Directors