Search for ""

Power Corporation of Canada, controlled by Paul Desmarais Jr. and André Desmarais (sons of the late PAUL DESMARAIS), was incorporated in 1925. It is a large and diversified company engaged in communications and financial services, as well as other business interests.

BMG Music Canada Inc / Musique BMG du Canada Inc. (successively, 1929-86, RCA Victor Co, Ltd, RCA Inc, RCA Limited/Limitée). Record company which began as the Victor Talking Machine Co in Camden, NJ, in 1901.

Morris Pianos, Ltd. Established in 1892 by three businessmen in Listowel, northwest of Waterloo, Ont, as Morris, Feild, Rogers Co, Ltd. Described in Industrial Canada, February 1904, as successor to the Brantford Piano Co, it produced pianos, piano cases, and piano and organ keyboard blanks.

The Mendelssohn Piano Company. A leading Toronto manufacturer of pianos in the early 1900s. It was formed by Henry Durke (b Liverpool 1863, d Toronto 1929) and David M. Best with assets of an unsuccessful company of the same name purchased in 1892 by Durke.

Lesage Pianos Ltd. A piano and organ manufacturing firm established in Ste-Thérèse-de-Blainville (renamed Ste-Thérèse), near Montreal, early in 1891 by Damase Lesage (d September 1923 or 1924). In 1892 Lesage went into partnership with Procule Piché and the firm became Lesage & Piché.

Keates-Geissler Pipe Organs Ltd (Keates Organ Company, Ltd until 1971). Established in 1945 in London, Ont, by Bert Keates (b 1909), to manufacture custom-built pipe organs. The company moved to Lucan, Ont, in 1950, became incorporated in 1951, and relocated in Acton, Ont, in 1961.

J.W. Herbert & Co. Montreal publishing, retailing, and instrument-building firm, active from the mid-1830s to 1861. It built and repaired pianos and organs as early as 1837, when La Minerve (1 Jun 1837) printed testimonial letters on behalf of one of the partners, William Dennis.

Mason & Risch. A leading Canadian piano manufacturing firm established in 1871 in Toronto by the former A. & S. Nordheimer accountant Thomas G. Mason, with Vincent M. Risch and Octavius Newcombe. During its first six years it imported and sold music and instruments.

E.I. du Pont Canada Company, commonly known as DuPont Canada, is a subsidiary of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, which is headquartered in the United States and known worldwide as the maker of Kevlar, Teflon, Lycra, nylon and cellophane, among many other products. DuPont Canada is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. The company has six main product lines, including agricultural, food and personal care products, construction equipment, industrial biotechnology, safety equipment, and polymers and fibres. It is the largest subsidiary of DuPont in the Americas with some $730 million in net sales in 2016.

A & M Records of Canada Ltd. Canadian subsidiary of A & M Records, a US company founded in 1962 by the trumpeter Herb Alpert (then leader of the Tijuana Brass) and the producer Jerry Moss. A & M and its subsidiaries became part of PolyGram in 1990.

Guilbault-Thérien Inc (Providence Organ Inc/Orgue Providence Inc 1946-79). Organ manufacturing company founded in St-Hyacinthe, Que in 1946 by Maurice Guilbault (1903-69) who had worked for the Casavant firm.

Four Seasons Hotels Ltd., headquartered in Toronto, owns and manages luxury hotels and resorts worldwide. Architect and builder Isadore Sharp founded the company in 1960.

Crown corporations are wholly owned federal or provincial organizations that are structured like private or independent companies. They include enterprises such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), VIA Rail, Canada Post and the Bank of Canada; as well as various provincial electric utilities. Crown corporations have greater freedom from direct political control than government departments. As long as crown corporations have existed, there has been debate about their structure, accountability and role in the economy.

Roots Corporation (better known as Roots or Roots Canada) is a publicly traded retail clothing business. It was co-founded by fashion designers and businessmen Michael Budman and Don Green, both from Detroit, Michigan. Budman and Green first met in 1962, when they were attending Camp Tamakwa in Ontario’s Algonquin Park. Following their graduation from Michigan State University, Budman moved to Canada in 1969 and Green followed a few years later in 1972. In 1973, Budman and Green began production of their version of the “negative heel” shoe — the first product sold under the Roots brand. That same year, on 15 August, the duo opened their first store in Toronto. Inspired by their early years at Algonquin Park, Budman and Green quickly made Roots, with its beaver logo and cottage feel, an iconic Canadian brand. In 2015, Budman and Green sold a majority stake to Searchlight Capital Partners, though the founders remain prominent shareholders. In October 2017, Roots made its initial public offering (IPO) in Canada, trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ROOT.

Les Éditions Jacques Ostiguy Inc. Music publishing firm founded in 1978 in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que, by Jacques and Claudette Ostiguy. A large section of the catalogue, which numbered 24 entries in 1990, is devoted to works for organ by Canadian composers, a collection directed by Lucien Poirier.

Farm Credit Canada (FCC), known as the Farm Credit Corporation until 2001, was established under the Farm Credit Act of 1959. FCC is Canada's largest agricultural term lender and is dedicated  to serving the financial needs of Canadian farmers. FCC is a Crown corporation that reports to the Canadian Parliament through the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. (See also Department of Agriculture.)

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) was established by an act of the National Assembly on 15 July 1965. The CDPQ was created to  manage funds deposited by the Québec Pension Plan (QPP), a public insurance plan similar to the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP). The CDPQ is a global investment group with 10 international offices. As of 30 June 2021 the CDPQ’s net assets totaled $390 billion.

The Company of New France, or Company of One Hundred Associates (Compagnie des Cent-Associés) as it was more commonly known, was formed in France in 1627. Its purpose was to increase New France’s population while enjoying a monopoly on almost all colonial trade. It took bold steps but suffered many setbacks. The company folded in 1663. It earned little return on its investment, though it helped establish New France as a viable colony.

Tim Hortons is a Canadian restaurant chain known for its coffee, doughnuts and connection to Canada’s national identity. Its namesake, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Tim Horton (1930–74), founded the business with Montréal businessman Jim Charade. The first Tim Hortons doughnut franchise opened in Hamilton, Ontario, in April 1964. Since then, Tim Hortons has become Canada’s largest restaurant chain, operating 3,665 stores across the country as of 2016. In 1995, American fast-food chain Wendy’s bought Tim Hortons in a partnership that lasted until 2006. In 2014, the chain was again purchased by a foreign company, this time by Brazilian firm 3G Capital, known for its ownership of Burger King. Despite foreign ownership, Tim Hortons remains a Canadian cultural phenomenon.

BlackBerry Limited (formerly Research In Motion) is a mobile communications company. Founded in 1984 by Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin in Waterloo, Ontario, the company released its first device — a pager capable of email — in 1999. Following the release of its first smartphone in 2002, BlackBerrys quickly became must-have pieces of technology, first among business people and later the general public. However, in the early 2010s they struggled to keep pace with the competitive smartphone market. In 2016, the company announced it would outsource all hardware production to other companies, instead focusing on software development. Today, BlackBerry is credited with putting Waterloo on the map as an innovation hub. The business trades under the ticker BB on the Toronto Stock Exchange and BBRY on NASDAQ.