Tim Richardson
Tim Richardson is an experienced renewable energy project developer, and Indigenous and Community Relations expert with over 35 years in the energy field including waterpower, pumped storage, offshore and onshore wind power, solar power and battery energy storage. Throughout his career, Tim has focused on realizing challenging projects. Tim strongly believes in achieving mutually beneficial Indigenous participation in projects through substantial equity ownership.
Tim grew up in Cochrane and then Timmins, in Northeastern Ontario. Tim’s background is Metallurgy and Material Science. After university, Tim worked at the Ojibway Cree Cultural Centre and Grand Council Treaty Nine, both of which are Indigenous organizations in Timmins. Following that experience, Tim built a private business focusing on scientific instrument design and holds 10 US, 14 Canadian, and 19 European patents on scientific optical instruments, nanotechnology and power generation.
In 2005, Tim joined Northland Power in project acquisition and development for waterpower, wind power and solar energy. Northland is a major global renewable energy company. With its head office in Toronto, Northland has energy projects in Canada, the US, Colombia, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, and Taiwan, with development projects in several other countries. Beginning in 2012, Tim became the General Manager of Indigenous Relations for Northland globally. In 2019, Global Community Relations was added to Tim’s role. While at Northland, Tim traditionally worked alongside development teams while facilitating collaboration between development, consultation, environment, finance, legal, construction and operations on projects ranging from $100 million to over $1 billion CAPEX. Tim retired from Northland at the end of December 2024 and started Richardson Consulting. Tim lives with his partner and dog in Palgrave, Ontario.
Voices of Our Partners
“I have known and worked with Tim for almost 40 years, most of which have been during his time at Northland Power. Throughout, Tim has been an unwavering advocate for Indigenous peoples and an instrumental leader in advancing community engagement efforts. He deeply believes in his work and the principles he is advancing. His commitment to fostering meaningful relationships and his passion for creating positive change have left a lasting impact on both Northland and the people and communities we serve. Tim’s leadership and integrity have been essential to the success of our initiatives in Indigenous and community affairs and the projects that we were developing, constructing and operating. He earned the respect and trust of the peoples and communities we worked with.”
John Brace
Retired CEO and former Board Chair, Northland Power Inc
“Tim Richardson played a pivotal role in fostering a respectful and forward-looking relationship between Northland Power and Taykwa Tagamou Nation. His support helped launch the Kisis-Aki partnership, providing TTN a true seat at the table with ownership in clean energy.
Tim’s legacy is one of reconciliation through action.”
Chief Bruce Archibald, Taykwa Tagamou Nation
“I first met Tim working on the Grand Bend Wind Farm Project in 2014. What I did not expect was to have Tim become a friend and not just an associate. What I learned about Tim was he is dedicated to First Nations people. Not because of his job title but this is his heart. As a First Nations person I know that Tim has endless concern for the best outcomes for First Nations people, which is something I have witnessed countless times.”
Ed Gilbert, CEO, Chippewa Industrial Developments Limited, Sarnia
“Over the past 13 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Tim through my role as one of the directors at the Giiwadin Noodin Corporation. During this time, Tim served as a liaison for the Northland Wind Board on the Grand Bend Wind Farm Project, where he played an instrumental role in the development of this 40-turbine wind project. This initiative fostered a strong and mutually beneficial business relationship between the Walpole Island and Aamjiwnaang First Nation communities.
I have always found Tim to be approachable, knowledgeable, and responsive to any requests or concerns brought to him. His efforts consistently helped both communities gain a clearer understanding of the complex issues at hand, and he demonstrated a genuine commitment to respectful and effective collaboration.
He brings a valuable perspective and skill set that would benefit any long-term business endeavour, particularly in today’s evolving economic landscape.”
Lyle Johnson
Director of Giiwadin Noodin Corp., Former Band Councillor of Walpole Island First Nation
“Tim is a conscientious consultant who approaches every engagement with the highest level of integrity. He has an unwavering focus on creating win-win outcomes, ensuring that all parties involved feel respected and valued. His extreme attention to detail, combined with his ability to listen deeply and thoughtfully, allows him to understand complex situations and provide solutions that are both practical and principled.
What truly sets Tim apart is his commitment to old-school ethics and morals. He consistently does what is right, even when it requires extra effort or goes unnoticed. He is not only a trusted professional but also a genuine ally to Indigenous communities, demonstrating respect, humility, and advocacy in his work and relationships.
I wholeheartedly recommend Tim to any organization or individual seeking a consultant who brings integrity, insight, and dedication to achieving meaningful results.”
Matt Ladner
Head of Indigenous and Community Relations, Northland Power
“Our partnership started in 2012-2013. This relationship created many questions about the project’s wind turbines and the effect they might have on the environment. Tim was very quick and accurate with his comprehensive responses to any of our questions. He always followed up with us to make sure we were satisfied with his findings. We could see that he was a man of his word, and we wish him well in his future endeavours.”
John Adams, President, Giiwedin Noodin Board of Directors, and Elder & Council Member Aamjiwnaang First Nation
“I have had the opportunity to work with Tim Richardson as counsel to Northland Power and to Indigenous partners on projects. These projects have included four run-of-river hydroelectric facilities located on the Kabinakagami River, and the Oneida Battery Energy Storage Project. Tim has a very high level of integrity, confidence and is an empathetic and attentive listener, all of which make him a very good person to work with. I’ve always been really impressed by his in-depth knowledge of the power sector. Tim also has in-depth knowledge of First Nations, including the various considerations that go into achieving decisions by a First Nation to participate in an infrastructure project, be it generation, storage, or transmission. Tim is an excellent team player, extremely resourceful, has a tremendous amount of experience and has a very strong work ethic. I do not have any reservations in recommending him as a consultant to assist First Nations.”
Domenic Damiani
Former partner at BLG (Borden Ladner Gervais LLP) and currently lawyer at SRLaw (Schneider, Ruggiero, Spencer, Milburn LLP)
“Tim has always been a supporting, strong voice for First Nations and Indigenous Peoples in Canada and for Indigenous and local communities across the globe. We closely worked together on multiple benefit agreements with First Nations for the McLean’s Mountain Wind Farm project, the Grand Bend Wind Farm project and later the La Lucha solar photo voltaic project. This is in addition to the High Voltage Transmission Line development projects in Colombia. Tim has been an educator to many at Northland and passionately discussed the spirit of collaboration and benefits of working with the local communities. Tim’s dedication and passion paved the way to the success for the above-mentioned projects.”
Paul Kaminski, Plant Manager, North Battleford Energy Centre
(previously general manager construction on the La Lucha project and project manager on McLean’s Mountain Wind Farm and Grand Bend Wind Farm projects)
“While I was employed with the United Chief and Councils of Mnidoo Mnising UCCMM) as the Chief Executive Officer, I had the pleasure of working with Tim Richardson, General Manager, Indigenous Relations (Global) and Community Relations.
UCCMM entered into a 50/50 partnership with Northland Power Inc. for the development, construction, and operation of 60MW’s of renewable assets. In the case of UCCMM, Tim managed First Nations relations during the development, and construction phases and also the final operations phase of the project. Tim was in continual contact with the UCCMM and the First Nations to arrive at the final operation of the McLeans Mountain Project and the working relations with Mnidoo Mnising Power. He also assisted in the development of the equity partnership agreements.
It was a real pleasure working with Tim.”
Hazel Recollet
Past Chief Executive Officer, UCCMM
Project History
This is a list of some of the projects that Tim Richardson has worked on as a developer or in Indigenous or community relations.
| PROJECT | SIZE | ROLE | TECHNOLOGY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Sault Rapids Project | 18 MW | Developer | Hydroelectric |
| Kabinakagami River Project | 4 x 8 MW | Developer/Indigenous relations | Hydroelectric |
| Marmora Pumped Storage Project | 400 MW | Developer/Indigenous relations | Pumped Storage |
| McLean’s Mountain Wind Project | 60 MW | Indigenous relations | Onshore Wind |
| Grand Bend Wind Project | 100 MW | Indigenous relations | Onshore Wind |
| Abitibi Project | 10 MW | Indigenous relations | Solar |
| Empire Project | 10 MW | Indigenous relations | Solar |
| Long Lake Project | 10 MW | Indigenous relations | Solar |
| Martin’s Meadows Project | 10 MW | Indigenous relations | Solar |
| Colectora I Project | 500 kV | Indigenous relations/Community relations | Transmission |
| La Lucha Project | 130 MW | Community relations | Solar |
| Spiorad na Mara Project | ~900 MW | Community relations | Offshore Wind |
| Oneida Battery Energy Storage Project | 250 MW | Indigenous relations | Battery Storage |