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Board Compensation
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During 2007 directors, other than Mr. Marshall who is an officer of Fortis
Inc., were compensated with a combination of annual retainer, meeting
attendance fees and Deferred Share Units ("DSUs"). In 2004, the Board of
Directors (the "Board") of Fortis Inc. introduced the Directors’ Deferred Share
Unit Plan (“DSU Plan”) as an optional vehicle for directors to elect to receive
credit of their annual retainer to a notional account of DSUs in lieu of cash.
The Board may also determine from time to time that special circumstances exist
that would reasonably justify the grant of DSUs to a director as compensation
in addition to any regular retainer or fee to which the director is entitled.
Options were granted to directors in 2005 pursuant to the 2002 Stock Option
Plan. During 2006, the Board elected to discontinue the grant of stock options
to directors and initiated an annual grant of DSUs.
During the financial year ended 31 December 2007, the annual retainer for each
non-officer director, excluding the Chair, was $35,000. The annual retainer for
the Chair was $125,000. The additional annual retainer for a committee chair
was $15,000. Each non-officer director, including the Chair, was paid a meeting
fee of $1,500 for each meeting of the Board and Committees, attended in person
or by telephone, together with reimbursement of travel expenses.
The following table summarizes the director compensation for 2007:
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Individual Director Compensation - 2007
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Annual Retainer
(Cash)
$ |
Annual Retainer
(Optional DSUs)(1)(2)
$ |
Annual Retainer
(Mandatory DSUs)(2)(3)
$ |
Meeting Fees
(Cash)(4)
$ |
Total Compensation
$ |
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| Peter E. Case |
35,000 |
- |
30,000 |
31,500 |
96,500 |
| Bruce Chafe (5) |
125,000 |
- |
30,000 |
42,000 |
197,000 |
| Frank J. Crothers |
|
22,822 |
30,000 |
9,000 |
61,822 |
| Geoffrey F. Hyland |
- |
35,000 |
30,000 |
21,000 |
86,000 |
| Linda L. Inkpen |
- |
35,000 |
30,000 |
25,500 |
90,500 |
| H. Stanley Marshall (6) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| John S. McCallum |
- |
50,000 |
30,000 |
37,500 |
117,500 |
|
Harry McWatters |
|
22,822 |
30,000 |
13,500 |
66,322 |
| David G. Norris |
- |
50,000 |
30,000 |
36,000 |
116,000 |
| Michael A. Pavey |
- |
35,000 |
30,000 |
24,000 |
89,000 |
| Roy P. Rideout |
- |
50,000 |
30,000 |
28,500 |
108,500 |
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| Total |
$160,000 |
$300,644 |
$300,000 |
$268,500 |
$1,029,144 |
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| (1)
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These amounts represent the annual Board
and Committee Chair retainers of directors who elected to receive DSUs
in payment of their 2007 cash retainers.
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| (2)
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During 2007, the cumulative DSU holdings
of participants increased by the notional reinvestment of dividends. The
net amount expensed by the Corporation for DSUs related to notional dividends
and decreased share value to $28.99, as at 31 December 2007, was $22,647. This
amount is not included in the above table.
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| (3)
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These amounts represent the annual
equity compensation in the form of DSUs granted to directors. During 2006, the equity
component of the Corporation’s annual director compensation was changed from the
granting of stock options to the issuance of DSUs. The DSU values are included in
the cumulative holdings of the respective directors as detailed in the table
on page 13 of the Management
Information Circular dated 04 April 2008.
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| (4)
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The meeting fees represent $1,500 per
Board or Committee meeting attended in person or by telephone by the director
as disclosed in the particulars of director nominees on pages 6 through 11 of
the
Management Information Circular dated 04 April 2008 .
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| (5)
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Mr. Chafe will be retiring as Chair and
not standing for re-election as director at the Meeting in accordance with the
Director Tenure Policy detailed on page 14 of the
Management Information Circular dated 04 April 2008 .
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| (6)
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Mr. Marshall, as CEO, does not receive
compensation as a director of the Corporation.
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DSUs granted in lieu of cash payment of annual retainer are credited to
participating directors as of 1 January of each year by dividing the total
applicable annual retainer by the daily average of the high and low board lot
trading prices of the Common Shares on the TSX for the last five (5) trading
days immediately preceding the grant of the DSUs. Additional DSUs are credited
on the quarterly dividend payment dates as notional dividends are assumed to be
reinvested.
The annual grant of DSUs, that comprises the equity component of the
Corporation’s annual directors’ compensation, is credited to all directors who
are not officers of the Corporation as of the grant date at the daily average
of the high and low board lot trading prices of the Common Shares on the TSX
for the last five (5) trading days immediately preceding the grant of the DSUs.
On 8 May 2007, directors who were not officers of the Corporation were each
granted 1,064 DSUs at a price of $28.19, equivalent to approximately $30,000 in
value. Additional DSUs are credited on the quarterly dividend payment dates as
notional dividends are assumed to be reinvested.
Upon retirement from the Board, a director participant in the DSU Plan will
receive a cash payment equivalent to the number of DSUs credited to the
notional account multiplied by the daily average of the high and low board lot
trading prices of the Corporation’s Common Shares on the TSX for the last five
(5) trading days immediately preceding the date of payment.
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