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Board Mandate

The FirstService Board of Directors Mandate

The shareholder-elected FirstService Board of Directors is responsible for stewardship of the Company.

The purpose of this mandate ("Mandate") of the board of directors (the "Board") of FirstService Corporation (the "Company") is to provide guidance to Board members as to their duties and responsibilities. The responsibilities of the Board described herein are pursuant to, and subject to, the provisions of applicable statutes and the constating documents of the Company, and do not impose any additional responsibilities or liabilities on the directors at law or otherwise.

Purpose of the Board

The Board is responsible for the stewardship of the Company. This requires the Board to oversee the conduct of the business and affairs of the Company. The Board discharges some of its responsibilities directly and discharges others through committees of the Board. The Board is not responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of the Company's business, as this responsibility has been delegated to management. The Board is, however, responsible for supervising management in carrying out this responsibility.

Membership

The Board consists of directors elected by the shareholders as provided for in the Company's constating documents and in accordance with applicable law and any policies adopted from time to time by the Board. From time to time, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall review the size of the Board to ensure that its size facilitates effective decision-making by the Board in the fulfillment of its responsibilities.

Each member of the Board must act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Company, and must exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances. A director is responsible for the matters under "Role and Responsibilities of the Board" below as well as for other duties as they arise in the director's role.

All members of the Board shall have suitable experience and skills given the nature of the Company and its businesses and have a proven record of sound judgment. Directors are to possess characteristics and traits that reflect:

  • high ethical standards and integrity in their personal and professional dealings;
  • the ability to provide thoughtful and experienced counsel on a broad range of issues and to develop a depth of knowledge of the businesses of the Company in order to understand and assess the assumptions on which the Company's strategic and business plans are based and to form an independent judgment with respect to the appropriateness and probability of achieving such plans;
  • the ability to monitor and evaluate the financial performance of the Company;
  • an appreciation of the value of Board and team performance over individual performance and a respect for others; and
  • an openness for the opinions of others and the willingness to listen, as well as the ability to communicate effectively and to raise tough questions in a manner that encourages open and frank discussion.

Directors are expected to commit the time and resources necessary to properly carry out their duties. Among other matters, directors are expected to adequately prepare for and attend all regularly scheduled Board meetings. New directors are expected to understand fully the role of the Board, the role of the committees of the Board and the contribution individual directors are expected to make.

If at any point the Chair of the Board (the "Chair") is not independent, the Board shall also appoint one of its members as a lead independent director (the "Lead Director"), which lead independent director shall be independent, and have the duties and responsibilities, as set out in the Position Description for the Lead Director.

Ethics

Members of the Board shall carry out their responsibilities objectively, honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Company. Directors of the Company are expected to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of personal and professional integrity. Directors are also expected to set the standard for Company-wide ethical conduct and ensure ethical behaviour and compliance with laws and regulations. If an actual or potential conflict of interest arises, a director shall promptly inform the Chair or Lead Director and shall refrain from voting or participating in discussion of the matter in respect of which he has an actual or potential conflict of interest. If it is determined that a significant conflict of interest exists and cannot be resolved, the director should resign.

Directors are expected to act in accordance with applicable law, the Company's constating documents, the Company's Code of Ethics and Conduct and other policies applicable to directors as are adopted from time to time.

Meetings

The Board shall meet in accordance with a schedule established each year by the Board, and at such other times as the Board may determine. Meeting agendas shall be developed in consultation with the Chair or Lead Director. Board members may propose agenda items though communication with the Chair or Lead Director. The Chair is responsible for ensuring that a suitably comprehensive information package is sent to each director in advance of each meeting. At the discretion of the Board, members of management and others may attend Board meetings, except for separate meetings of the independent directors of the Board.

Directors are expected to be fully prepared for each Board meeting, which requires them, at a minimum, to have read the material provided to them prior to the meeting. At Board meetings, each director is expected to take an active role in discussion and decision-making. To facilitate this, the Chair is responsible for fostering an atmosphere conducive to open discussion and debate.

Independent directors shall have the opportunity to meet at appropriate times without management present at regularly scheduled meetings. The Chair or, if the Chair is not independent, the Lead Director shall be responsible for presiding over meetings of the independent directors. Independent directors may propose agenda items for meetings of independent directors members through communication with the Chair or Lead Director.

Role and Responsibilities of the Board

The Board is responsible for approving the Company's goals, objectives and strategies. The Board is also responsible for overseeing the implementation of appropriate risk assessment systems to identify and manage principal risks of the Company's business.

In addition to the other matters provided in this Mandate, including the matters delegated to Board committees as set out below, the Board is also responsible for the following specific matters:

  • review and approve management's strategic plans;
  • review and approve the Company's financial objectives, business plans and budgets, including material capital expenditures;
  • monitor corporate performance against the strategic plans and business, operating and capital budgets;
  • management succession planning, including appointing and monitoring, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company;
  • assess its own effectiveness in fulfilling its responsibilities, including monitoring the effectiveness of individual directors;
  • ensure the integrity of the Company's internal control system and management information systems;
  • developing the Company's approach to corporate governance, including developing a set of corporate governance principles and guidelines, and authorizing environmental, social and governance programs, and general oversight of the foregoing; and
  • satisfy itself that appropriate policies and procedures are in place regarding public disclosure and restricted trading by insiders, including the review and approval of the Company's corporate disclosure policy and confirmation that a process is in place to disclose all material information in compliance with the Company's timely disclosure obligations and to prevent selective disclosure of material information to analysts, institutional investors, market professionals and others.

A director has an important and positive role as a representative of the Company. A director is also expected to participate in outside activities that enhance the Company's image to investors, employees, customers and the public.

Procedures to Ensure Effective and Independent Operation

The Board recognizes the importance of having procedures in place to ensure the effective and independent operation of the Board. In addition to the policies and procedures provided elsewhere in this Mandate and in the position descriptions of the Chair and the Lead Director of the Board, the Board has adopted the following procedures:

  • the Board has complete access to the Company's management;
  • the Board requires timely and accurate reporting from management and shall regularly review the quality of management's reports;
  • subject to the approval of the Board, individual directors may engage an external adviser at the expense of the Company in appropriate circumstances;
  • the Chair shall monitor the nature and timeliness of the information requested by and provided by management to the Board to determine if the Board can be more effective in identifying problems and opportunities for the Company; and
  • the Chair, together with the Chief Executive Officer, shall develop a position description for the Chief Executive Officer. This position description shall be approved by the Board.

Environmental, Social and Governance

The Board shall oversee and monitor the Company's policies and practices related to its environmental, social and governance ("ESG") program, including management of climate-related risks and opportunities, and alignment of the ESG strategy with the Company's overall business strategy. The Board will satisfy itself that the Company has developed and implemented appropriate ESG standards in the conduct of its operations. At least annually, the Board shall verify the Company's compliance with any applicable legal and regulatory requirements related to ESG disclosure and review any ESG report prepared by the Company.

Board Committees

Subject to limits on delegation contained in corporate law applicable to the Company, the Board has the authority to establish and carry out its duties through committees and to appoint directors to be members of these committees. The Board assesses the matters to be delegated to committees of the Board and the constitution of such committees annually or more frequently, as circumstances require. From time to time the Board may create ad hoc committees to examine specific issues on behalf of the Board.

The Board has established the following committees: (1) Audit Committee; (2) Executive Compensation Committee; and (3) Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The respective responsibilities of each of the foregoing committees is set forth in the applicable committee mandate.