Page 34 - CCCA Magazine Fall 2018
P. 34

{ CCCA NEWS }











meet mike mCkinney, Q.C.


For the neW CCCA ChAir, it All stArted on boArdWAlk






“I used to enjoy playing Monopoly,” says Mike McKinney, the CCCA’s
new Chair, when asked about why he decided to go in-house. “When

I was in high school, I was in some Monopoly tournaments. I drafted
some pro forma contracts for use in the tournaments. I guess that
was a precursor to what I do now. I still play Monopoly, although my
children will all caution everyone from making any deals with me.
My deals tend to involve complicated partnerships…”


oday, McKinney is the Executive we have been involved in. Over the years,
Director / General Counsel for the I have appeared before Parliamentary
tSawridge Group of Companies and Committees as a witness; managed a
the Sawridge First Nation, in Edmonton, bottled water business; managed profes-
where he has worked since 1986, starting sional boxers; handled a private criminal
as an articling student. “The two entities prosecution; appealed property taxes;
have separate governance structures,” he built buildings and houses; acted as the
explains, “so with the Companies I report Chairman of the Board of a public com-
to the CEO and with the First Nation I re- pany; and participated in many startups,
port to the Chief and Council.” acquisitions and dispositions.”
For the Group of Companies, his main With all that on McKinney’s plate, it’s
function is as in-house counsel (a depart- hard to imagine he has much time for
ment of one), handling a variety of legal anything else, but you’d be wrong. A big
matters, with some management tasks. For believer in work-life balance, he loves
the First Nation, he also acts as in-house spending time with his family (a wife and
counsel but his main duties are managerial, four children) and travelling, especially on
such as overseeing staff and being involved backpacking adventures. “I try to fnd time
in the day-to-day management decisions. to forget about work, which sometimes
He also serves as Clerk of the Assembly of helps me to fnd a solution to a work prob-
the First Nation; as an Offcer of some First lem by not thinking about it for a while,”
Nation-owned companies; and in other he explains. “Backpacking into the back-
roles related to the First Nation, including country is one of the few places you can
participating in the Slave Lake Region Tri- go today where you truly have to discon-
Council as part of the CAO Secretariat and nect—there’s no WiFi or cell service.”
as a member of the Economic Develop- He also believes in the importance of
ment Committee. volunteering. He’s volunteered with the
“What I like most about my role is the CCCA Alberta Section for about eight years
diversity of work,” he shares. “Not only and has twice been a mentor for law stu-
in the diversity of the types of things I dents. Outside of the profession, he’s vol-
do, but the different industries or felds unteered with Scouts Canada for 15 years,





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