Philanthropists | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Displaying 1-15 of 47 results

  • Article

    Adam Hartley Zimmerman

    Adam Hartley Zimmerman, OC, FCA, lumber and mining executive, philanthropist, and prolific board member (born 19 February 1927 in Toronto, ON; died 19 October 2016 in Toronto, ON). Zimmerman studied at the Royal Canadian Naval College from 1944 to 1946, and then at Trinity College, University of Toronto, earning a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1950. He became a chartered accountant in 1956. In 1958, Zimmerman began his career in the resource industry with Noranda Mines Ltd., rising to president and CEO by 1982. He sat on more than forty public and private boards, including Toronto-Dominion Bank, Confederation Life and the C.D. Howe Institute.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Adam Hartley Zimmerman

  • Article

    Alain Stanké

    Alain Stanké (Born Kaunas, Lithuania 1934). Alain Stanké, whose real name was Aloyzas-Vytas Stakevicius, was deported to a German concentration camp at the age of ten, and then emigrated to Paris complete his studies.

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  • Article

    André Chagnon

    André Chagnon, OC, O.Q., entrepreneur and philanthropist (born 17 March 1928 in Montreal, Quebec; died 8 October 2022 in Vaudreuil-Dorion). Trained as an electrician, André Chagnon created Télécâble Vidéotron Ltée in 1964 (see Cable Television). Under his leadership, the company became one of the most successful telecommunications companies, not only in Quebec but Canada-wide. He also established a charitable organization, the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation. André Chagnon has been recognized as one of the most dynamic and innovative businessmen of his generation.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/andre-chagnon/andrechagnonbybenedictebrocard.jpg André Chagnon

  • Macleans

    Anne Tanenbaum: Maclean's 1995 Honor Roll

    When asked why she gives her money away, 86-year-old Anne Tanenbaum avoids grand pronouncements. Instead, she shrugs her shoulders and tells a story, inflected with just a hint of her native New York City accent.This article was originally published in Maclean's Magazine on December 18, 1995

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Anne Tanenbaum: Maclean's 1995 Honor Roll

  • Article

    Brandt Louie

    Brandt Louie, business tycoon, philanthropist (born 5 July 1943 in Vancouver, BC). Louie is the president of the H.Y. Louie Company, a business started by his grandfather in 1903 that now includes London Drugs Ltd. and the IGA grocery store chain. In 2017, Louie was listed as Canada’s 47th richest person in Canadian Business magazine’s annual ranking, with an estimated fortune of $2.1 billion. Louie is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and a Member of the Order of British Columbia.

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  • Macleans

    Brandt Louie (Profile)

    This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on March 25, 2002. Partner content is not updated. In the days before business plans and vision statements, Vancouver shopkeeper Hok Yat Louie wrote, in his native Chinese, a series of letters to his sons. It was 1934 and, in failing health, he'd returned for the first time in 38 years to his birthplace in south China's Pearl River Delta.

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  • Article

    Bronfman Family

    Descendants of Russian immigrant tobacco farmer Yechiel (Ekiel) Bronfman and his wife, Mindel, members of the Bronfman family have owned and controlled huge financial empires built from the profits of the family liquor business (see Seagram). The best-known members of the family are Samuel Bronfman, founder of Seagram and president of the Canadian Jewish Congress (1939–62), and his descendants. Samuel’s wife, Saidye Rosner Bronfman, was an influential philanthropist who supported the arts in Canada and was awarded the Order of the British Empire for organizing work on the home front during the Second World War. Sons Edgar and Charles Bronfman ran Seagram for decades, while grandson Edgar Miles Bronfman Jr. oversaw the sale of Seagram to Vivendi. Charles was also co-founder of the Historica Foundation of Canada and Heritage Minutes, as well as chairman and principal owner of the Montreal Expos. His sister Phyllis Lambert is a well-known architect who founded the Canadian Centre for Architecture. Their cousins, Edward and Peter Bronfman (sons of Allan Bronfman), developed a financial empire in their own right. The family has given generously to several charitable organizations and been involved in the Canadian Jewish Congress and World Jewish Congress. 

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/BronfmanFamily/Samuel Bronfman c. 1936.jpg Bronfman Family

  • Article

    Charles Bronfman

    Charles Rosner Bronfman, PC, CC, businessman and philanthropist (born 27 June 1931 in Montréal, QC). Bronfman was co-chairman of the Bronfman family business, Seagram, the world’s largest producer and distributor of distilled spirits. He also owned the Montreal Expos baseball club from 1968 to 1990. According to Forbes, Bronfman had an estimated net worth of over $2 billion (as of 2017) and was ranked the 16th wealthiest Canadian and 896th wealthiest person in the world. Bronfman is also a dedicated philanthropist. He established the CRB Foundation to promote study of Canadian and Jewish affairs, and co-founded and endowed the Historica Foundation of Canada, which later became Historica Canada (publisher of The Canadian Encyclopedia). He has disbursed approximately $325 million through Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies Inc. (ACBP) and private donations.

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  • Article

    Cyrus Stephen Eaton

    Cyrus Stephen Eaton, financier, philanthropist (b at Pugwash, NS 27 Dec 1883; d at Cleveland, Ohio 9 May 1979). Educated at McMaster, Eaton moved to the US in 1900. He became involved in public utilities and after 1925 in steel, eventually forming Republic Steel.

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  • Article

    Daniel Langlois

    Daniel Langlois, OC, COQ, animator, producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist (born 6 April 1957 in Jonquière, QC; died 2023 in Gallion, Dominica). Daniel Langlois was a pioneer in the field of computer animation. In 1997, he received a Scientific and Technical Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for developing Softimage, the industry standard in 3-D computer animation software. After selling and resigning from the company, Langlois created the Daniel Langlois Foundation, which promotes artistic and scientific research. He was then involved in various technology projects, including Montreal’s Ex Centris cinema complex, and developed an eco-conscious luxury resort on the Caribbean island of Dominica. He and his partner were found dead in Dominica under mysterious circumstances in December 2023.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/Daniel_Langlois.jpg Daniel Langlois

  • Article

    David Lam

    David See-Chai Lam, OC, CVO, OBC, 25th lieutenant-governor of BC 1988–95, banker, land developer, philanthropist (born 25 July 1923 in Hong Kong; died 22 November 2010 in Vancouver, BC). After establishing himself as a successful banker in Hong Kong, David Lam moved to Vancouver in 1967 and became a central figure in the city’s real estate development. As a philanthropist, he made major contributions to the cultural life, community spaces and educational institutions of British Columbia. A vocal advocate of immigration and of Canada’s role within the Pacific Rim, Lam served as lieutenant-governor of British Columbia from 1988 to 1995. He was the first person of Asian ancestry to hold a vice-regal post in Canada.

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  • Article

    Elsie Reford

    Elsie Reford, née Meighen, philanthropist and founder of the Reford Gardens (born 22 January 1872 in Perth, ON; died 8 November 1967 in Montreal, QC). A niece of Lord Mount Stephen and a close friend of Lord Grey, Reford belonged to the conservative and imperialist wing of Montreal’s large business bourgeoisie.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/elsiereford/Roses.jpg Elsie Reford

  • Article

    Eric Harvie

    Eric Lafferty Harvie, oilman, philanthropist (b at Orillia, Ont 2 Apr 1892; d at Calgary 11 Jan 1975). Harvie was called to the Alberta Bar in 1915. He served overseas in WWI, was wounded in France and achieved the rank of captain.

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  • Article

    Eugene O'Keefe

    Eugene O'Keefe, brewer, banker, philanthropist (born 10 December 1827 in Bandon, Ireland; died 1 October 1913 in Toronto, ON). 

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  • Article

    Gerry Schwartz

    Gerald Wilfred Schwartz, OC, business executive (born 24 November 1941 in Winnipeg, MB). Gerry Schwartz is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Toronto-based Onex Corporation, one of Canada’s largest private equity firms. A successful long-term investor, he has overseen major business deals in more than three decades at the head of Onex. Schwartz was one of 45 Canadians to make the Forbes list of billionaires in 2019, with the magazine estimating his net worth at US $1.6 billion. He has donated millions of dollars to universities, hospitals, charities and cultural organizations. Click here for definitions of key terms used in this article.

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