Mr. Wetston has been the Chair & CEO of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) since 2010. He was the Chair & CEO of the Ontario Energy Board from 2003 to 2010, and he was a Vice-Chair of the OSC from 1999 to 2004.
He holds a Law degree from Dalhousie and a B.Sc. from Mount Allison. He has been called to the Bar in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta. He holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Mr. Wetston’s connections to Cape Breton run deep. He immigrated to Sydney with his parents in 1949 and attended Sydney Academy before heading off to university. A proud Cape Bretoner with strong family ties here in Sydney, Mr. Wetston came home often during the years. He also enjoys the beauty of the Island, especially its many fine golf courses. His connection to Cape Breton is further strengthened with his recent appointment to the CBU Shannon School of Business Advisory Board.
In addition to his duties as OSC Chair, Mr. Wetston is a Vice Chair of the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). IOSCO is the leading international policy forum for securities regulators and is recognized as the global standard setter for securities regulation.
He spent the first 12 years of his career as a lawyer achieving the positions of General Counsel at the Canadian Transport Commission and Assistant General Counsel at the National Energy Board. Mr. Wetston was also General Counsel and Program Director at the Consumers’ Association of Canada. Before that, he was a Crown Counsel in Nova Scotia and at the federal Department of Justice. He has worked in private practice in Montreal and Calgary and articled in private practice in Halifax.
In addition, Mr. Wetston has been a Board Director of Mount Sinai Hospital since 2004 and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Program on Ethics in Law and Business at the University of Toronto. He was a lecturer of competition law and regulated industries at the University of Ottawa for seven years.
Mr. Wetston resides in Toronto with his partner, Debbie Fischer.
Cape Breton University confers the degree Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, on a dedicated and transformational leader in the public service, Howard Wetston.
