Canton moves from P.U.C. to oil company

He has headed the Public Utilities Commission since its formation six years ago, but Dr. Gilly Canton will soon be moving on to a new line of work. It has been confirmed that Canton will not be renewing his contract at the P.U.C., which ends next week, and has accepted the post of C.E.O. at Belize Natural Energy Limited, the nation’s first and only oil producer. Canton’s tenure at the helm of the regulatory agency was often marked by heavy pressure from government, the public and the regulated utilities, including electricity, telecommunications and water. Although the job with B.N.E. may be no less stressful, at least Canton will have a clear idea of where the battle lines are drawn. The company continues to export high quality petroleum from its field at Spanish Lookout, which B.N.E. estimates to have recoverable reserves in the vicinity of ten million barrels.