Famous Canadian Women On the Job

ISBN: 0-9736246-0-4

Elizabeth Arden née Florence Nightingale Graham. Born December 31, 1878 Woodbridge, Ontario. Died October 18, 1966 New York City, New York, U.S.A. She left Woodbridge Ontario for the bright lights of New York City when she was 25 years old. After working as secretary at a cosmetic firm she decided that she would work in the cosmetic business herself. The rest is history. In 1909 she formed a short livered partnership with Elizabeth Hubbard and the trade name Elizabeth was sued to save money on her salon signage. She would choose the name Arden from a local farm of that name. In 1910 she founded the Red Door Salon in New York City. In 1912 she traveled to France to learn beauty secrets of Paris salons. In 1934 she opened a residential spa in Rome, Maine the 1st destination beauty spa in the U.S.A. Along with her rival, Helena Rubenstein, she made make-up acceptable to the average North American woman. She pioneered such concepts as scientific formulation of cosmetics, beauty makeovers, and coordination colours of eye, lip and facial makeup. At the peak of her career, she was on of the wealthiest women in the world. In 1962 she received the Legion d'Honeur from France for her contribution to the cosmetics industry. You can see for yourself all the various products her company makes at most large department stores cosmetic sections. She is buried in Sleepy Hollow, New York under the name Elizabeth N. Gordon

Zahra Al-Harazi Born 1971 Yemen. She married at 17 and the couple had three children . She taught English as a second language (ESL) at the Yemen American Language Institute. She immigrated to Canada in 1996 with her children. She earned her degree in Visual Communications from the Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, Alberta. In 2006 she was the director and co-owner of Foundry Communications with Allison Wattie. The Foundry is an internationally awarded marketing and communications studio. In 2009 Zahra was listed in Calgary’s top 40 Under 40, and in 2011 she was Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for Chatelaine. The Women’s Executive Network (WXN) and named her one of the most powerful women in Canada. She has earned the Governor General’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her significant contribution to Canada. She is a speaker in demand internationally and has been a judge at national design competitions.

Clare Margaret Haddad C Bardwell. Born July 17, 1924 Toronto, Ontario. Died May 17, 2016 Toronto, Ontario. Claire’s family business was sewing clothing with her mother, Rose was an accomplished seamstress. By the age of 10 Claire had taught herself how to sew on her mother’s machine. After high school she to a one year drafting course at Northern Vocational School and then took courses at the Toronto School of Design. She also took courses by home study with the New York Fashion Academy in the U.S.A. She went on to study at the Galasso School of Design, Toronto. When she was 20 she married Albert Haddad and the coupe had two daughters. She worked at the father’s factory and her name even appeared labels as designer. On the death of her father in 1954, her husband took over running the family business. Claire soon branched out with a lingerie business called Clare Haddad Ltd, in which Albert did the administration. Soon the couple were receiving invitations to show designs which were sold in establishments such as Hudson Bay Company, Eaton’s, Holt Renfrew and Simpson’s In the 1960’s she designed for such dignitaries as the actor Liz Taylor. In 1967 she was the 1st Canadian to be awarded the Coty American Fashion Critics Award. In 1968 her company was one of the 1st Canadian manufacturers to be featured in Vogue Magazine. In 1984 she signed with Kayes-Roth Canada which had established offices in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas in the U.S.A. In 1979 she was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada. Clare retired in 1985. Some of her works are held at the Royal Ontario Museum, the School of Fashion and Seneca College.

Sally Ainse-Hands Born 1728? U.S.A. Died 1823, Upper Canada (now Ontario). Sally was mainly known by her given name. She had several additional names, Sally Montour, Sara Hands, Sara Hains, Sara Willson and Sarah Hance, No doubt many of these names came from improper enunciation or clear speaking. She was an Oneida by birth and she became an accomplished fur trader about the great lakes areas. She married Andrew Montour as a teen but they became separated in 1756 with Andrew having custody of most of their children who were sent to live in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Her youngest child Nicholas remained with her and he was baptized in Albany, New York, U.S.A. She became the owner of a deed to land which the governor of New York did not honour her ownership. She moved to Detroit during the American Revolution and expanded her prosperous business trading in furs and other goods and became known as Sally Ainse. She held lands and even held Negro slaves. She sold her land in Detroit in 1787 and moved to land near present-day Chatham, Ontario. She served as an ally, liaison and messenger to Joseph Brant during the Northwest Indian War. In 1794 she helped negotiate peace after the Battle of Fallen Timbers. In 1790 the British refused to acknowledge that she was the rightful owner of land and she make legal attempts in 1808, 1809, 1813 and in 1815 when the Executive Council of Upper Canada claimed she was dead. She moved to Amhearstburg, Ontario to finally settle. Source: Dictionary of Canadian Biography Vol. 6 pages 7-8.

Gladys "Gladdy" Balsillie Born 1919 Franklin, Manitoba. Died 1987. Gladys was educated at St. Mary’s Academy. She opened a restaurant on Main Street in Winnipeg and ended up running a restaurant consultancy firm and a bartending school, as well as managing a stable of 100 dancers. For years she was known as Winnipeg’s “Queen of Burlesque” because of the agency for exotic dancers she operated in the province. An equal opportunity employer she also hired male strippers who proved popular for bridal showers. In 2009 a made for TV movie told her story. Sources : Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by J.M. Bumsted (University of Manitoba Press, 1999) ; Memorable Manitobans , Online (Accessed December 2011)

Vicki Lynn Bardon Born June 27, 1947 Halifax, Nova Scoti . After studying at Acadia University in Nova Scotia she continued her studies at the the New York School of Interior Design. Returning to Canada she used her artistic skills and combined them with business acumen and founded the highly successful Shuttles and Seawinds of Nova Scotia Ltd in 1973. The stores sold designs with a Canadian maritime flavor and soon expanded to central Canada. For her work she has received the Design Canada Award in 1974, The Tommy Award from the American Painted Fabrics Council in 1978, and the Commemorative Medal of the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Federation 1992. She is married and is mother of three children.

Ida Virginia Barclay née Burns Born May 16, 1877. Almonte, Lanark County, Ontario Died Morden, Manitoba December 26, 1935. She came to Manitoba in 1887 and settled at Wood Bay. On 22 July 1897, she married Alexander McKenzie Barclay of La Rivière, at Winnipeg. They had four children. After divorcing her husband, she moved to La Rivière late in 1914. The next year, she bought the Valley Hotel. It featured heat, air conditioning and hot water, as well as telephone service. It was originally known as Barclay House and, after her death, it was operated by two of her daughters. She was instrumental in developing ski hills at La Rivière after being approached, in 1935, by a group of young people from Winnipeg. She agreed to finance the cutting of the first ski slides on the hills facing north of the Canadian Pacific Rail station. The 1st ski trains started around 1933 and, in 1934-35, a special ski train ran from Winnipeg every second Sunday during the winter, carrying as many as 800 to 1000 people to the La Rivière slopes. Skiing continued until 1959. Following her death, the Ida V. Barclay Memorial Trophy was donated by a Mr. Mathers of La Rivière, a prominent skier. Sources: Pioneers and prominent people of Manitoba, (Winnipeg, 1925 : Memorable Manitobans online (Accessed December 2011

Sonja Bata née Wettstein. Born Switzerland. She was of a well to do historical family in Switzerland and as a student she studied architecture. She was active in community activities , establishing the first Swiss Rotary Club and working for the Red Cross. In 1946 she married shoe business magnate Thomas Bata who brought her to Canada. She helped her business and life partner husband rebuild his family shoe business into one of the world's largest after the devastation of World War two. In 1979 she created the Bata Shoe Foundation for research and study of the history of footwear. In 1995 the Bata Shoe Museum was founded. They both worked on numerous foundations including the National Design Council of Canada and the World Wildlife Fund. Her knowledge of 5 languages is a help with all the travel for work, volunteerism and pleasure. They both received the Order of Canada and in 2003 the Retail Council of Canada gave both a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Susan Riva Bellan Born July 5,1952 Winnipeg, Manitoba. Susan earned BA from the University of Manitoba in 1973 and the following year a second BA from McGill University, Montreal. An import and retail executive she showed promise of achievement early in life in music at the Winnipeg Music Festival 1968. She would work in the field of small business and enterprise and use her knowledge and experience to write the book: Small Business and the Big Banks. published in 1995. Combining an interest in world crafts where she is the owner/manager of Frida Craft Stores. She is also a mother of a family of three. (2018)

Fanny Bendixen Born 1820? France. Died May 2, 1899 Barkerville, British Columbia. She went to California during the Gold Rush where she met and married Louis A. Bendixen. The couple moved on to the Fraser River Gold Rush in British Columbia. October 1862 the couple opened the St George Hotel in Victoria on Vancouver Island. The business and the marriage failed and Fanny moved to the next gold rush in Barkerville in summer of 1865 returning to winter at the St George in Victoria. In 1866 she settled in the Cariboo region and opened the Parlour, a saloon in Barkerville. In June 1867 she opened her second saloon in Bella Union but it was destroyed by fire in September 1868. By 1869 she had partnered with James Burdick and opened the St George Hotel in Barkerville in 1871. Archival records make suspect that the saloon and boarding house was a brothel in reality. She moved to the next gold rush in Lightening Creek and founded the Van Winkle Hotel. By 1874 she had sold the Van Winkle to open the Exchange Hotel in Stanley. When the gold began to peter out she returned to Barkerville and continued to run a saloon into the 1890’s as the only listed businesswoman in the area. Her Barkerville saloon was next to the Masonic lodge and was a main fixture of the town as was the very stout Mme Bendixen herself. There were legal problems with her will over a pair of earrings which were disputed by a Mrs. Andrew Kelly, a hotel keeper and Fanny’s grand-niece Leonie Fanny Perrier-Cochrane who lived with her husband as companions to Fanny when her health began to fail. Elizabeth Kelly finally received the earrings after having the court declare that the almost comatose Fanny was not competent and was forced to sign the earrings to her grandniece.

Mira Goddard Bennett
Born 1928 Bucharest, Romania. Died September 20, 2010, Toronto, Ontario. She married Reginald S. Bennett and in 1948 the family moved to Paris, France where Mira studied physics and mathematics at the famous Sorbonne University. She also studied medieval art history at Ecole de Louvre. Moving to Montreal she earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Concordia University and went on to McGill to earn her masters in Business Administration. She eventually began her career as a metrology engineer at Aviation Electric. She also enjoyed being an art dealer, this avocation she pursued for nearly 50 years. She opened her 1st gallery in Montreal in 1962 and ran it until 1979. She set up in Calgary from 1972 through 1983 and finally settled with her gallery in Toronto. She was a founding member and 1st president of the Art Dealers Association of Canada. As a philanthropist she was a patron of the Toronto Symphony, Chair in Vision Research at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children. She was inducted into the Order of Canada. Source: “Birth and Death Notices” The Globe and Mail September 27, 2010. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa, Ontario.

Jalynn Bennett Born March 12, 1943 Toronto. Ontario. Died January 23, 2015. Jalynn attended University of Trinity College earning he BA in 1965. She joined the Manufacturers Life Insurance Company eventually becoming the Vice President of Corporate Development from 1985 to 1989. In 1989, she founded her own consulting firm called Jalynn H. Bennett and Associates Limited which specializes in strategic planning and organizational development. she was a member of the Board of Directors of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Nortel Networks, Teck Cominco, Sears Canada, Cadillac Fairview, Bombardier, Rexel Canada Electrical, CanWest Global Communications Corporation, Ontario Power Generation, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the Ontario government's Public Accountants Council, and the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation. From 1989 to 1994, she was a Director of the Bank of Canada. From 1989 to 1994, she was a Commissioner of the Ontario Securities Commission. From 1994 to 1999, she was the Chair of the Trent University Board of Governors. In 2000, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada for her "impressive financial career". In 1999, she was made a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Sources: Canadian Who’s Who

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Alice Helena Berry née Miller. Born August 10, 1868 New West Minster, British Columbia. Died 1919. She married Henry Azariah Berry (1862-1899) on June 24, 1890. After the death of her husband she earned a living by teaching piano and was the “Lady Manager” of Mutual Life Insurance of Canada. In 1905 she founded The World Printing and Publishing. With the help of her father, Jonathan Miller, she purchased the newspaper The World in 1911. She became the only woman managing director of a Canadian daily newspaper in this era. The newspaper, which had originally been founded in 1888, would become the highly respected Vancouver Daily World. It was the first Canadian paper to bypass Canadian Press telegraph and get its news from the U.S. press associations.   One of her early partners was Louis Denison Taylor whom she married on June 9, 1916. Source: The History of Metropolitan Vancouver – Hall of fame http://www.vancouverhistory.ca (accessed June 17, 2009)

Susan Riva Bellan Born July 5, 1952. An import and retail executive she showed promise of achievement early in life with achievements in music at the Winnipeg Music Festival 1968. She would work early in the field of small business and enterprise and use her knowledge and experience to write a book, Small Business and the Big Banks. (1995) Combining an interest in world crafts where is the owner/manager of Frida Craft Stores. She is also a mother of a family of three.

Jalynn Riva Bennett Born March 12, 1943. Died January 23, 2015.Earning her B.A. degree at the University of Toronto in 1965 but even with degree in hand she was only hired to answer the telephone at the Manufacturers Life Company in 1965. While the company held interviews for young men with B.A.'s to be professionals interviews for women were only for clerical positions. Since first breaking into the workforce, she has had a varied career that has included being a member of the Trent University Board of Directors, a Director at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, an executive at Sears Canada and Canwest Global Communications Inc. In 1989 she took on being president of Jalynn H. Bennett Associates. She was one of the 6 women to become the first women members of the exclusive men's only York Club and the 1st woman to be a member of the Toronto Club. March 4, 200 the National Post Newspaper declared her to be one of the Power of 50 : Canada's most influential women. Sources: Lisa Fitterman, A powerhouse who balanced grace and grit, Globe and Mail February 10 2015.

Martha Billes Born September 7, ??? She studied sciences at the University of Toronto but had more of an interest in business. She has worked her way to become the Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Tire. She is also married and has one son. In 1996 she was the Entrepreneur of the Year. In 1997 she bought out her two brothers from the family business. She envisions future beyond her native Canada with perhaps expansion to China and South America. She received an honourary doctorate from Ryerson University in 2002. Dr. Billes has striven for the creation of, and is the Chairman of, the Canadian Tire Foundation for Families, an organization that is dedicated to helping families in times of crisis. She is a trustee of the Calgary Emergency Women’s Shelter Endowment Fund and has also served as a member of Sunnybrook Medical Centre Foundation. She has served on the boards of several other public corporations. Dr. Billes is the Honourary Consul Emeritus, Southern Alberta region, for the Republic of Chile. A firm believer in encouraging entrepreneurship and in 1996 through 1998 she has been a Judge, Entrepreneur of the Year, Prairie Region; in 2001, Ontario Region; and in 1998, a National Judge, Entrepreneur of the Year. When she is not working, Dr. Billes enjoys theatre, gardening and bicycling. Not unexpectedly, she is an accomplished handyman.

M.A. "Jill" Bodkin née Madsen. Born June 18, 1943 Belleville, Ontario. She studied foreign languages at the University of Alberta and enjoys speaking English, Russian, French and Spanish and is considering learning Mandarin. She helped to negotiate Canada's historic auto pact with the United States, played a pivotal role in EXPO 86 and founded the British Columbia Securities Commission and was the first woman deputy minister (Consumer and Corporate Affairs) , responsible for financial institutions. She currently heads up Golden Heron Enterprises as CEO. In 2004 she was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the Association of Women in Finance.

Bonnie Brooks Born 1953 London, Ontario. After university she worked at retailers Fairweather and then with Holt Renfrew prior to living in Hong Kong as president for Lane Crawford from 1997-2008. She was the 1st in retail to launch an in-house style magazine, Flair serving as editor-in-chief for three years. Served as President and CEO of the Hudson Bay Company retiring in December 2016 and that month she was named a Member of the Order of Canada. Collectively she raised more than $17 million for charitable organizations, including the Canadian Olympic Foundation, and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. In 2013 she became a member of the Marketing Hall of Fame in the Legend category.

Ellen 'Nellie' Cashman Born circa 1845, near Queenstown, Ireland. Died January 4, 1925, Victoria, British Columbia. About 1860. Nellie, her mother and her sister, were among the tens of thousands of Catholic Irish who landed in Boston, Massacheutts, U.S.A. in the hope of a better chance at life. By 1869 they had worked their way across country to San Francisco just in time for the silver boom in the state of Nevada. Always a businesswoman at heart they opened a Miners’ Boarding House in Pioche, Nevada. From there it was on to the gold mining camps in Cassiar, British Columbia before settling a short while in Victoria, British Columbia. When she heard that Cassiar needed supplies desperately and was suffering from an outbreak of scurvy she gathered supplies and 6 volunteers. They took 77 days traveling through snow and storms to reach Cassiar to distribute supplies and tend the sick. She remained for two years raising funds helping to build a hospital. She was often called, ‘Miners’ Angel’ or the ‘Angel of the Cassiar’. By 1876 she was touring the mining camps in the American west and by 1879 settled in Tucson, Arizona Territory. Here she opened a restaurant before relocating to Tombstone, Arizona. She ran several businesses and raised money for St Mary’s Hospital, the Catholic Church building and the 1st public school in town. In 1886 she kept moving until the 1897 word of the gold in the Canadian Yukon. The next year she was back in Victoria, British Columbia getting supplies to go to the northern gold fields. She gained the reputation as an exceptional miner at a time when only 1% of the 30,000 gold seekers were women. In Dawson City she ran a restaurant, a grocery store and a hotel. Then it was on to Alaska, where she prospected well into her 70’s. When ill with pneumonia she returned home to Victoria where she died. Source: Charlene Porsild, “CASHMAN, ELLEN (also known as Nellie Pioche and Irish Nellie),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 15, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed February 11, 2016, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/cashman_ellen_15E.html.

Micheline Charest Born United Kingdom 1953. Died April 14, 2004. She and her partner Ronald Weinberg were the founders of Cinar Films Inc. in 1976 and it became, an award-winning animation company producing such popular children's Television shows as Arthur and Caillou. At one time the Hollywood Reporter named her to the top twenty most-powerful women in Hollywood. In 1993 she was awarded the Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year. and in 1994 she was the Outstanding Achievement Award winner for Women in Television and Film. In 2000 there were sever financial problems and the two were ousted from the company and fined 1,000,000 dollars each while baring them from managing any Canadian company for five years. She died during from complications experienced during recovery from some plastic surgery.

Zita Cobb Zita grew up on Fogo Island, off the coast of Newfoundland, where life did not include electricity nor running water. She traveled to Ontario to attend the University of Ottawa. After earning he B.A. she worked for a while in Alberta and traveled across Canada and even to Africa. She was a successful entrepreneur who in 2001 left her position as a CEO in the tech industry to dedicate her energies to philanthropic work. She had earned millions in stock options in the company and decided to purchase a yacht and sail the world for four years. She would set philanthropic projects distributing radios in Rwanda and providing scholarships for students in her home Fogo Island. She is actively involved in projects to contribute to a resilient and vibrant future of Fogo Island and Change Island. She launched, with her brothers, in 2006, the Shorefest Foundation on Fogo Island. She invested 10 million of her own money along with monies from the federal and provincial governments to make Fogo Island an international destination for the arts and tourists. She became an innkeeper at her home of Fogo Island in 2012. The inn is a destination for upscale tourists. On June 30, 2016 she became a Member of the Order of Canada. She was a staunch supporter of the incorporation of the Town of Fogo Island on March 1, 2011. Shorefest Foundation also has a project to microfinance local peoples with diverse projects such as green houses, sewing businesses and a craft guild. (2019)

Erminie Joy Cohen Born July 26, 1926. For some 50 years she has been respected businesswoman of the Saint John business community. In 1991 she received a Certificate of Appreciation for distinguished service to the community from the United Nations Association. In 1948 she married Edgar Cohen. The couple have 3 children. She was the 1st woman to be elected president of her synagogue. As a result of her work she was elected National Vice President of the Hadassah WIZO Organization of Canada. She was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1993 and served until retirement in 2001. After retirement she continued to serve on the Progressive Conservative National Task Force on Poverty. She has been awarded the Humanitarian award from the Salvation Army and the Red Cross Humanitarian Award amongst other awards. She became a Member of the order of Canada invested on May 27, 2011.

Jocelyne Marguerite Marie Coté-O'Hara Born North Bay, Ontario. She earned her B.A. at the University of Ottawa in 167 and later , 1986 topped off her education with Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. She has held numerous executive positions with such groups as Petro Canada, the International Assistance Corporation and was a financial advisor with Treasury Board. She also worked with the RCMP with the Reform Implementation Council. She has worked as Director with BC Tel, Manitoba Telecom Services, President of Cora Group and CEO of Stentor Telecom Policy Inc where she was CEO. In 2005 she was invited to join Ryerson University Board of Governors. She has been named Woman of the year by the Canadian Women in Communications and the Award for Excellence from the International Association of Business Communications. She was invested with the Order of Canada on September 26, 2012 and has also been presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Thérèse de Couagne Born January 18, 1697. Died February 26, 1764. She married Francois Poulin de Francheville in 1718 and was a widow in 1733. She became interested in business after her husband's death. She would be known as an astute business woman and played an active role in New France economy. She was the owner of the slave Marie Joseph Angelique. It was this slave who while trying to cover her escape would set fire to the widow's house in 1734 and the fire would get out of control burning much of the settlement.

Louise de Ramezay Born July 6, 1705 Montreal , New France . Died October 22, 1776 Chamblay, Lower Canada (now Quebec) . Louise was one of the five daughters of the Governor of Trois Rivières. She was educated with the Ursuline sisters in Quebec. At 30 she became interested in the administration of her family’s properties. From 1739 through the 1760’s she oversaw the operations of the family sawmill making sure the foremen were well schooled in required book keeping. She also ran sawmills outside of the family interests through astute partnerships. She also used her strong business sense in the tannery business. Her won knowledge was no doubt augmented by advice of other of her upper colonial class show shared their successful business techniques. After the establishment of the Canadian boarder she lost her claims to areas about Lake Champlain in New York State and it seems that it was about this time she chose to divest herself of some of her other business properties. Near the end of her life she made grants of numerous lots to local habitants in the Richelieu Valley.

Lisa de Wilde Born 1956 Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lisa relocated with her family to Montreal, Quebec when she was ten. Lisa graduated from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. She worked at the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC). She worked as President and CEO of Astral Television Networks Inc. In 2005 she became CEO of TVOntario. In 2015 she became a Member of the Order of Canada.

Nazia L. Dane
Born June 6, 1906. Indian Head, Saskatchewan She began her working career as a teacher. During WW II she worked in the Department of Munitions and Supply and the Department of Transport. After the war she became Director of Education and Woman’s Division at Canadian Life Association in Toronto. She retired in 1971 and became a free lance Public Relations Consultant. She was President oft he International Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs from 1971 through 1974. In 1977 she was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal. Sources: Canadian Women of Note. Media Club of Canada. (York University 1994) page 212. : Canadian Who’s Who volume 14. 1979 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press)

Sarah Deblois Born December 29, 1753 Boston, Massacheutts, U.S.A.. Died December 25, 1827, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She married successful merchant, George Deblois on Christmas Day 1771 and raised a family of nine children. In April 1775 the family fled to Halifax, Nova Scotia. As loyalists or people who had left the colonies in the United States because they were still loyal to the British monarchy, her family relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1777 they once again tried living in the U.S.A. but returned to Halifax in 1781. When her husband died June 18, 1799 she assumed supervision of his highly successful merchant business. The store, S. Deblois sold imported dry goods and hardware. She was somewhat of a novelty in Halifax society and the business survived difficult times. In 1802 Sarah and some of her children sailed to once more settle in Massachusetts but maintained her Halifax business. She provided a solid foundation for the business which continued as a family business into the 19th century.

Marie Joseph Charlotte de Treourret de Kerstrat Born July 25, Langolen, France. Died December 20, 1920 Point-l'Abbé, France. Marie was born to a former aristocrat family that had lost face and fortune during the French Revolution(1789-1799). She married Count Gustave de Grandsaignes d'Houterives another fallen aristocrat. With a small inheritance she began to invest in tourism and bought a villa to entertain paying guests. After the death of her husband Marie headed to Montreal to help her floundering businessman son in October 1897. The mother and son successfully formed Historiograph Company to produce exhibitions of films and soon they had traveling exhibitions of films. They traveled thoughtout Quebec and Ontario prior to heading to New York, U.S.A. They did exhibitions in the summer in Canada and the northeaster United States in winter. The company became Parisian Mimodramas exhibiting French films. IN Montreal Marie was known as the 'Motion Picture Countess'. With the gain in popularity of nickelodeons business had stiff competitions for a woman in the business and she left for St Louis. Later she took her business to the French Island of St Pierre off the coast of Canada. At the age of 72 in 1913 she returned to Brittany, France but World War l closed down her business. She was a true pioneer in the motion picture industry.   (2019)

Maria Clara Dorimène Roy Desjardins Born September 17, 1858 . Died June 14, 1932. Dorimène married Gabriele-Alphonse (1854-1920) a journalist and newspaper owner on September 2, 1879. The couple would have 10 children. Along with her husband, she was c0-founded the pioneering credit union Caisses populaires de Lévis on December 6, 1900, and opening in January 23, 1901. She was made full-time manager from 1903 to 1906 for a nominal salary of $50 per year, while her husband received the official title. After his death in 1920, she played an active role in founding the Union régionale des caisses populaires Desjardins in Quebec City. She was appointed vice-patron of the board and made an honorary member in 1923. In 1982 heir home became an historical center. Dorimène became the 1st laywoman to be honoured on Parliament Hill in Quebec City in 2008. Dorimène Desjardins was appointed a Person of National Historic Significance in 2012.

Hélène Desmarais Born June 7, 1965. Hélène graduated in business administration from HEC (École des hautes études commerciales de Montréal), Montreal and then to The Paris School of Political Sciences (Sciences Po) in France. She also studied art history in London, England at Christie's Auction House and history of architecture at the New York School of Design, U.S.A. In 1996 she founded and served as CEO and chair of the board of the Montreal Centre for Enterprise and Innovation (CEIM), the 1st technology think tank and consulting service of its kind. She has served on the board of HRC and was HEC Chair in 2003. Since 2006 she has chaired the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Medicine Advisory Committee. She has served on numerous other boards including Christian Dior, Garda World Security, Génome Québec, and Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal. She was also governor of the International Economic Forum of the Americas. In 2010 she became a Member of the Order of Canada and was named to the Académie des Grands Montréalais. In 2013 she was inducted as an Officer of the the Ordre national du Québec. (2019)

Rita Deverell Born 1945. She started in television when she helped create a successful children's show, All in a Tube in 1972. Her career has encompassed being an on-air journalist, a producer, a university professor , a social activist and visionary television pioneer. In 1988 she was one of the founders of the world's firs multi-faith and multicultural enterprises of its kind...VISION TV. She has mentored the careers of visible minorities and aboriginal hopefuls. She assures positive portrayal of women of all ages on VISION TV. Her work has been diversified from Obsidian Theatre to the Couchiching Conference of Public Affairs. In 1993 she was included in Maclean's Roll of Outstanding Canadians. She has received the Canadian Black Achievement Award and is a member of both the Broadcast Hall of Fame and the Order of Canada.

Arlene Dickinson
Born October 8, 1956, Germiston, South Africa. Arlene emigrated to Canada with her family when she was quite young. She attended High School in Calgary. She married when she was 19 and the couple had 4 children. By the time she was 31 she was divorced and lost the custody of her children because she had no financial system of support. After several attempts at various positions in 1988 she was working at venture Communications. Within 10 years she was the CEO and owner of the business. She was listed as one of Canada’s top 100 Most Powerful Women, Calgary’s Business owner of the Year and earned the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. A self made millionaire she entered the successful CBC television business show, Dragons’ Den in 2008. She has served on numerous boards including Kids Help Phone, Marketing Magazine and is the national spokesperson for the Breakfast Club which raises awareness of the necessity of a nutritious morning meal for children. In 2011 she published her 1sdt book , Persuasion and earned the Women in Film and Television Showcase Lifetime Achievement Award. Source: Arlenedickinson.com (Accessed February 2014)

Denise Donlon Born 1956. She entered broadcasting in 1985 when she joined MuchMusic. In 1997 she had worked her way up the corporate ladder to Vice president and general manager of MuchMusic. She was instrumental in taking the company to an international audience. In 2000 she accepted a position as President of Sony Music Canada. She has won two Gemini Awards, the Peter Gzowski Award of Merit, 3 times she has received Canadian Music Week's Broadcast Executive Award and she has received the Outstanding Achievement Award from Women in Films and television. Shift Magazine 1998 listed her as one of the top 25 most important people in New Music. In 2002 she was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and in 2005 she was appointed a Member in the Order of Canada.

Marie-Geneviève Drapeau née Noel. Born January 13,1766 Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France (now Quebec). Died November 17, 1829. She married Joseph Drapeau in 1782 but became a widow with his death in 1810. As a wife she had no rights nor power but as a widow she had the same rights as an adult male. This was a law entitled Coutume de Paris. She took over the family businesses and rented out houses, businesses and lands. The monies were invested in real estate. She was a well known and respected business personality of her day. Upon her death her estate was divided evenly among her 6 daughters who ably continued the family businesses.

Eileen Valentine Duncan Born February 14, 1915, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. Died January 29, 2008, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Eileen relocated to Winnipeg as a youth where after High School she worked as a secretary at the J. H. Ashdown Hardware Company. On June 29, 1940 she married James Couper Duncan (d.1966). The couple had 5 children. Upon her husband’s death she stepped in as President of the James Duncan Singers and produced shows at the Hollow Mug Theatre Restaurant. She was also Executive Secretary to the manager at the International Inn until she retired in 1985. She was a supporter of post secondary education for women through the P.E.O. Sisterhood, serving as the provincial president in 1967. She also served as president of the Inner Wheel Club of Winnipeg as well as being and active lifelong member of the United Church of Canada. Source: ‘Eileen Valentine Duncan’ in Memorable Manitobans. Online (Accessed September 2014)

Celia Duthie Born Vancouver, British Columbia. She studied English literature at the University of British Columbia. She began her working career as a social worker and wrote poetry for release. Eventually she returned home to the family business, Duthie Books Ltd. She automated the business and increased the total number of book stores in Vancouver to 10 outlets. The company also publishes The New Reader, a quarterly journal of book Reviews which has run for over 20 years

Lulu Mae Johnson Eads Born 1877 ?. Alabama ? U.S.A. Lulu Mae came to the Yukon in 1899 with a traveling troupe of performers. She worked in various dance halls in the settlement of Dawson until 1904 when she married Murray S. Eads and the couple ran Flora Dora Dance Hall, later the Royal Alexandra in Dawson until 1914. The Northwest Mounted Police kept the dance hall under their sights with clear suspicion of prostitution for which Lulu Mae was eventually arrested when her husband was away from town. In 1918 the couple headed south leaving the port of Skagway, Alaska on October 23. The ill fated ship, the Princess Sophia, sank two days later with all passengers and crew on board.

Flora McCrae Eaton Born Omemee, Ontario 1881. Died July 9, 1970. As a young woman she trained as a nurse. In 1901 she married Sir John Craig Eaton and turned her energies to philanthropic works. She would dedicate herself to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Institute for the Blind and children's welfare. As a businesswoman she was a director of the T. Eaton Co. and Vice-President and director of the Eaton Knitting Co. This busy mother of four sons also found time to pen a autobiography, Memory's Wall (Toronto 1956) which was to be a legacy for her grandchildren.

Marie Anne Fornel Born August 26, 1704. Died November 16, 1793.She was a woman of the merchant class. She and her husband would have 14 children but only seven would survive infancy. In this era of New France it was typical for a woman to continue in the family business after the death of a husband. When she became a widow in 1745 she took over the family business interests to assure the support of her family. She showed a strong business sense entering the pottery business when the war cause a shortage of shipments from France. She was successful in several ventures including real estate and she expanded her affairs throughout the community and even into Labrador.

Julie Frost Died October 3, 2002. She worked in radio in Red Deer Alberta, and Dawson Creek, British Columbia before moving and settling in Saskatchewan. In 1957 she and her husband, Bill founded C J F B - TV in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. She was more than 'just' owner and general manager and is described as a true pioneer of independent broadcasting. The station signed over to CBC only in May 0f 2002. She was also extremely committed to her community. She created the Kinsmen Telethon in Saskatchewan. Now called, Telemiracle, it is recognized nationally for the tens of millions of dollars that it has raised for individuals with disabilities.

'Tagish Anne' Graham Born December 10, 1914 Hodgeville, Saskatchewan. Died September 16, 1976 Yukon. Anne moved to Winnipeg where she met her future husband, Don Graham. They married in November 1936. Eventually the couple found their way to the Yukon and settled in Tagish Lake area. Anne loved to fish and she earned her nick name from an Aboriginal guide who always saw her fishing on the Tagish Bridge. In 1966 Anne opened Tagish Anne's Coffee Bar that she ran all on her own. She would produce homemade goods weekly to the tune of 200 loaves of bread, 145 pies, sausage roles, cinnamon buns and butter tarts. She often delivered her goodies to Whitehorse some 70 miles away. At her funeral the RCMP were pallbearers and seasonal tourists who had enjoyed her goodies paid for her grave marker. Source; A Guide to Who Lies Beneath Whitehorse Cemeteries. Online accessed 2019.

Linda Hasenfratz Born June 1966 Guelph, Ontario. Linda studied at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario earning both a BA and a Master's in Business Administration. Linda started her career as a machine operator at her father's car parts factory and eventually taking over the family business. Since 2002 she has been the CEO of Linamar Corporation auto-parts company based in Guelph, Ontario. She has seen her company grow from 9,400 jobs in 2002 to over 28,000 in 2018. there are now a total of 58 Linamar plants in 13 countries across Asia, North America and Europe. In 2014 she was the 1st woman named Canada's EY Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2018 she was named Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year. That same year she was named to the Order of Canada. She is a member of the Canadian NAFTA Council that worked on the trade pact with Canada, U.S.A. and Mexico in 2019. She also volunteers in her community serving on the boards of the Guelph General Hospital, Western University, London, Ontario, the Women on Boards Advisory Council and the Business Council of Canada.(2019)

Lois Hole Born 1929 Buchanan, Saskatchewan. Died January 7, 2005. She moved to Edmonton in her early teens. It was here that she would meet her husband Ted and in 1952 they purchased their farm. By 1960 they had diversified into a vegetable and mixed garden business and by 1979 the incorporated as Hole's Greenhouses and Gardens Ltd. Their business would grow into one of the largest retail greenhouse operations in western Canada. An advocate of education she was a member of the Governing Council of Athabasca University. She also worked on the Farm Credit Corporation, was honourary chair for the 27th Canadian Congress on Criminal Justice and for the Children's Millennium Fund. She also served as a board member of the Canadian Heritage Garden Foundation, the Child and Adolescent Services Association and the Quality of Life Commission. In 1999 Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed her as Alberta's 15th Lieutenant Governor. She is the second woman to hold this position. In her spare time, Mrs. Hole managed to publish several books on gardening as well as being a regular contributor to several newspapers across Canada. This in-between being an in demand and popular lecturer throughout North America. She was also appointed to the Order of Canada.

Lenora Hume

Production executive for Children's Media
Born Vancouver, British Columbia. Lenora obtained her B.A. at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario. She began work with Nelvana Lid. as a cinematographer but soon choose production as her preferred career. She worded on productions for entertainment of children and in 1989 she won a Grammy for work on the storied elephant Babar. This was followed with recognition for work on the animated series Beatlejuice by winning Daytime Emmy. By the mid 1990’s she was in charge of Walt Disney Television Animation in Toronto. Her name is associated with children’s character entertainment of the era from Strawberry Shortcake, the Care Bears, My Pet Monster and the Puffalumps. In June 2006 she settled in London England to work for HIT entertainment where characters such as Thomas the Engine come to life. In 2011 Waterloo University honoured her with the Alumni Achievement Award. Lenora sits of the board of Directors for Women in Animation (WIA) is an active member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She is also a founding committee member of Canadian Studies Program at the University of California. Leona Hume was nominated for inclusion into Famous Canadian Women by James Leier in March 2011. Sources: HIT news releases. http;//www.hitnewsonline.com (accessed May 2011) The Children’s Media Conference http://www.thechildrensmediaconference.com/2010/speakers/ Accessed March 29, 2011)

Annie Lucille Johnstone

'Tugboat Annie'

Born 1924 Vancouver, British Columbia. Died December 31, 2004. In high school she was introduced to accounting and enjoyed it. Later on she would attend night classes to follow through with studies to become a Certified General Accountant. In 1945 she was hired by a company called Riv Two as a “girl Friday” and she learned quickly. Through the years she worked her way to president and CEO of the company! An inspiration to all her staff she did whatever was required to be done. When she was tug dispatcher she earned the nickname ‘Tugboat Annie’. After courses in advanced management she helped prepare the company for a successful merger doubling its size. By the time of her retirement in 1989 she was overseeing 1500 employees, one of the largest marine companies in British Columbia. After she left the job she continued with her volunteer positions, which included being Chair of the Vancouver International Airport Authority, an aboriginal business foundation and a sexual assault recovery program. She was the Woman of the Year in Vancouver in 1984 and was appointed to the Order of British Columbia and the Order of Canada. Source: The amazing story of tugboat titan Lucille Johnstone by Paul E. Levy. (Madira Park Harbour, 2006).

Mary Jane Katzmann Born January 15, 1828, Preston, Nova Scotia. Died March 23, 1890, Halifax, Nova Scotia. In January 1852 she became editor of the Provincial magazine. Under her guidance the magazine covered diverse topics from local history to foreign travel. Although a magazine of good quality, unfortunately, there were not enough subscribers to keep the magazine going beyond December 1853. By 1866 Mary Jane was the proprietor of the Provincial Bookstore in Halifax which she left to be married. Mary Jane married William Lawson on December 31 1868 and the couple had one daughter. Later in life she became interested and wrote the History of the Townships of Dartmouth, Preston, and Lawrencetown, Windsor in 1887. The history was published posthumously in 1893 as were a volume of her verses. Mary Jane accomplished much at a time when women simply remained home to care for house and family. (2017)

Maureen Kemptston-Darks Born July 31, 1948 Toronto, Ontario. Maureen studied at the University of Toronto graduating in 1970. By 1973 she had earned her Bachelor of Laws degree for UofT and had been called to the Bar. In 1975 she joined the legal staff at General Motors (GM) Canada and climbed the corporate ladder to become general counsel and secretary of GM Canada in 1992 and went on to be the 1st woman President and General Manager of GM Canada. In 1997 she was awarded the Women’s Automotive Association International Professional Achievement award. In 1998 she was inducted into the Order of Ontario and the following year the Order of Canada. In 2006 she earned the Governor General’s Aware in Commemoration of the Persons Case. In 2003 Forbes Magazine ranked her in the top ten of the Most Powerful Woman in International Business. She retired at the end of 2009.

Vickie Kerr
Born Montreal, Quebec. A pre-school teacher by profession she and her farmer husband would settle to growing potatoes in the fertile regions of western Ontario. In 1986 she began making her own potato chips in her farmhouse kitchen in New Lowell. Her children were loved her potato chips and were a real encouragement for the long work house. Her idea was to provide a healthy snack food for children. The farm was mortgaged and the business began in 1989. The first year Miss Vicki’s Potato Chips was a million dollar business. She would be the Director of Blinding Hope Foundation that was established to relieve the suffering of orphaned, abandoned and other disadvantaged children worldwide. The business was eventually sold and plants are now located in British Columbia and Quebec. After the death of her husband Miss Vicki moved to the United States from where her dream of living on a beach in Mexico finds her on the Sea of Cortez near Puerto Penasco ,Mexico only a i/2 day drive from San Diego. She is a certified notary and a student of Spanish language and culture. She is an investment specialist encouraging opportunities by the beach in Mexico. Suggest source: I know that Name: The People Behind Canada’s Best-known Brand Names by Mark Kearney and Randy Ray (London: Hounslow, 2002)

Muriel Kovitz née Libin. Born February 20, 1926 Calgary Alberta. Muriel graduated from the University of Toronto and the Royal Academy of Music. In 1945 she married David M. Kovitz and the couple had three children. She served as Director of Readers Digest Association of Canada, the Institute of Donations and Public Affairs Research, the Alberta Investments Ltd., Centennial Packers of Canada, Ltd., and Murko Investments Ltd. In 1970 she was a member of the Senate at the University of Calgary and in 1972 she was a member of the Board of Governors for the university. From 1974-1978 she was the 1st woman to serve as Chancellor of the university. The University of Calgary annually presents the Muriel Kovitz Award to the graduate with the highest grade pointe average. In 1975 she was the 1st female Director of Imperial Oil where she also served as Chair of the Imperial Oil Foundation in 1994. In 1977 she became a Member of the Order of Canada and received the Alberta Achievement Award. In 1979 she was appointed a commissioner of the Federal Government Task Force on Canadian Unity. She has also held numerous volunteer positions including being on the Executive Board of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, being on the Calgary Recreation Board, being a Member of the Calgary Housing Authority and being a Director with the Boys and Girls Club. (2019)

Marie-Marthe Aldéa Landry SEE - Politicians

Catherine Kim McArthur
Born 1953 Simcoe Ontario. She attended the University of Western Ontario , London, Ontario, for her B.A. and earned a Gold Medal for her studies. She then attended Alehouse College in Toronto, earning her B. Ed. and started her high school teaching career. By 1981 she had made the career switch that would open a whole new world for her. She worked in book publishing with McGraw Hill- Ryerson, Carswell, and Methuen Publishers. Married in 1982, she would become a working mother of two children and switched to Little Brown Publishers. When an American firm took over Little Brown in 1998 she looked for a way to continue working where her passion was. McArthur and Company Publishers was born. She is a strong supporter of Canadian writers and the Company publishes a an impressive list of best-selling and award-winning authors of fiction and non-fiction and wears the lave of one of the top three Canadian owned publishers of Canadian fiction in the country. She was awarded the Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the year for start up 2001-2 and has been listed on the Chatelaine top 100 women Business Owners for several years. She served on the Book and Periodical Council for Canada in 1999 through 2002. She also chaired the first Book Lovers Ball in February 2006 for the Toronto Public Library Foundation. She has been recognized with the Consumers Choice Award for Business Woman of the Year in 2005. In November 2007 , the Woman’s Executive Network recognized her as one of the top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. Sources University of Western Ontario Alumni Gazette Spring 2008; Canadian Who’s Who (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006)

Sarah Mallabar/Malabar A widow with 4 young children, Sarah began a costume business in 1900 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She began mainly as a supplier of ball gowns. By 1906 she formally established S. Malabar Costume and Hair Goods. By the 1920’s she headed a viable costume business. In 1923 her son Henry expanded the business to Toronto, Ontario where he dropped one of the letter l in the name to form Malabar Limited. He wanted to avoid confusion with the Winnipeg business. By the 1950’s it was one of the leading costume houses in Canada. There was expansion to Ottawa with an Opera division and with the coming of the internet the company opened an online entity in 2003. Sources: The Beaver Dec. 1994-Jan 1995; Malabar Ltd. Web site (Accessed January 2015)

Maria M. Klawe

Born July 5, 1951 Toronto, Ontario. Maria earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta in 1973 and went on to graduate studies at the University of Toronto before returning to the University of Alberta to earn her PhD in 1977. May 12, 1980 she married Nicholas J. Pippenger and the couple had two children. The following year she earned the IBM Outstanding Innovation Award. Since 1996 she has explored the potential for computer and video games to teach mathematical concepts to be girl friendly using such games as Phoenix Quest. In 1997 she was honour by the Vancouver YWCA as the Woman of Distinction for the year in Science and Technology. In 2001 she was named as a “Wired Woman Pioneer”. In her academic world she became in 2003 Dean of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University in the U.S.A. returning to British Columbia to become Dean of Science at the University of British Columbia. Sources: Herstory; the Canadian Women’s Calendar 2000 (Silver anniversary edition) . Coteau Books, 1999 page 18 : Canadian Who’s Who 2006 Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005.

Eudora Jane Lochead Died February 2, 1937, North Vancouver. After her husband James, a logging contractor, left she took to making her own living by opening the first general store at Hastings Grove in 1911. Above the store she ran a 20 room boarding house and a dining room that could seat 60 people. When the rooms were full additional “guests” were accommodated in a large tent. Her place was the social centre of the area. She hosted special events at which she played the violin as part of the evening entertainment. Two cousins. Marion and Emma, and son William assisted. She opened a second store in an area she named Lochdale in 1913 She applied for and was able to add post office to this store in March 1, 1914. She was also poet her best-known work Would Life Be Worth Living was published in the newspaper. Source: The Vancouver Hall of Fame online

Ann Kirby Macaulay
Baptized November 11, 1770 Knaresborough, England. Died January 20, 1850. She married Robert Macaulay February 13, 1791 and the couple settled in Crown Point, in the Colony of New York. With the American Revolution this loyalist Family moved Upper Canada. By 1800 Ann was a widow with three sons. She became a successful overseer of her estate. She was a strong supporter of the Anglican Church and worked for relief of victims of disasters. At the age of 76, after the death of one of her daughters-in-law, she assumed responsibility for her four grandchildren. She was a strong community activist and businesswoman who primarily cared for her family. Suggested source: Dictionary of Canadian Biography (Toronto, University of Toronto Press)

Viola Rita MacMillan née Huggard. Born April 23, 1903 Dee Bank, Ontario. Died August 26, 1993. She worked as a maid and a telephone operator in order to pay for school. In 1923 she married George Macmillan. She worked part time as a stenographer and in the good weather she and George were prospecting for gold in northern Ontario. She would strike it riche in Hislop Township near Timmons, Ontario. She was now a prospector and a mine manager. During World War ll she became the first woman president of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. She would hold this position for twenty years . During her time as president the association grew from a membership of 100 to 4,000. By the Mid 1960’s the mines were slowing in production, some to a point of closing. Cobalt with its sliver, Kirkland Lake and Timmins with their gold were experiencing what might be called “tired mine” syndrome. However Aerial surveying pinpointed huge deposits of copper, zinc and other base metals and groups like Texas Gulf lead the new rush of mining. Texas Gulf is in 2013 known as Kidd Creek Mine and is still an active mine site. The mid 1960’s mining rush also brought trouble for Viola as she held back a report on one of her mine sites and let the excitement and the rumor mill create an increase in cost for her mining shares. Once released the report proved to be negative and Viola was arrested and charged with wash trading. In 19677 the Queen Bee, as she was called was acquitted of fraud charges after serving only 6 weeks of her nine month prison sentence. Viols returned to tramping in the bush prospecting and promoting mining continuing well into her eighties. In 1991 she was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame and in 1993 she received the Order of Canada. The Viola R. MacMillan Award is given for company or mine development. Source: Canadian Mining Hall of Fame Online Accessed January 2013; Great Northern Characters by Michael Barnes (General Store Publishing House, 1995.

Barbara Jean McInnis Born September 29, 1943 Edmonton, Alberta. She and her family relocated to Ottawa in 1948 to accommodate her military father’s work. She married her high school sweetheart, Glenn McInnis September 28, 1963. The couple has 2 daughters. She graduated Carleton University with a degree in philosophy in 1970. She served as president of the board of the Ottawa school of art and volunteered with the United Way. In 1987 Barbara began working for the newly founded Community Foundation of Ottawa as a volunteer and later as a paid staff member. By 1991 she served as President and Chief Executive Officer. Barbara was awarded the Order of Canada in 2008 for her contributions as a leader and catalyst for the development of community-based philanthropy in her city, across Canada and around the world. She served as President of the Ottawa Estate Planning Council and of the Ottawa School of Art, Board member of the United Way and as Governor of Carleton University.

Judy Madden Judy earned her her undergraduate degree in Consumer Information in 1972 from the University of Guelph, Ontario. During her time at the University of Guelph she hosted a two hour weekly radio program. After graduating she began working with the CBC as a reporter. At this time CBC did not hire women announcers but she persisted and she became one of the 1st female announcers on CBC Radio. She would host CBC Radio's World Report for 30 years brining world news each morning to Canadians. In 1990 she produced the 1st public reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and then expended the readings to an annual even across Canada. These events raise funds to benefit local foodbanks, shelters and hospitals across the country. The Governor General recognized this service with the Meritorious Service Medal. In 2003 her achievements were recognized from the University of Guelph's Mac-FACS Alumni Association with the Centenary Award. She was made a Senior Fellow of Renison College, University of Waterloo and received the Harvest's Golden Fork Award. In 2012 Judy co-founded Soundparortraits which are recordings of people's lives in an audio scrapbook as a celebration of an individual's life story creating lastin memories for people to share with family and friends. In 2017 she was honoured at the University of Guelph Alumni Association Awards of Excellence Gala. (2019)

Marguerite_Magdelaine LaFramboise
Pioneer fur trader and businesswoman

née Marcot. Born February 1780. Died April 4, 1846. Born to a fur trader father and the daughter of an Ottawa Chief she was raised to learn the life of a fur trader. On October 11, 1804 she married Joseph LaFramboise but the marriage only lasted a couple of years when in 1806 she became a widow. She became on of the leading fur traders of the Upper Lakes Region. She would retire in 1822 as a wealthy woman devoting herself to education of young people and to her Church. At one time she even was hostess to the famed traveler and author, Alex deTocqueville. Source: Online Dictionary of Canadian Biography (accessed June 2008) .

Amanda Lynn Mayhew
Born September 3, 1974 Manitouwadge, Ontario. As a youth she had a thyroid condition that resulted in looking like a bean pole and then her condition switched and resulted in excessive weight gain. To combat her health issues she become motivated not only to keep fit herself but to help others to keep fit and healthy. She turned to establishing a web site to answer all the questions she was receiving. With a few years she founded Fytness Fanatk magazine that runs with no commercial advertising and uses real people and real stories. Her career as an editor of the magazine run concurrent with her career as a successful model. She lives with her husband and three sons in Waterloo, Ontario.

Doreen McKenzie-Sanders Born January 17, 1921 Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. . Died November 11, 2017. Soon after Doreen was born the family relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1942 Doreen married Bill Wood, a military pilot, and the couple had one son. The marriage dissoved at the end of World War ll. Doreen after a time as a single mother met Richard 'Dick' Sanders, mayor of St. Thomas, Ontario and the couple married and soon had a son. Looking for something to 'get out of the house' Doreen looked to the close by University of Western Ontario in London. Doreen graduated from journalism from the University of Western Ontario. She began her career writing for the Vancouver Daily Province and the The Financial Post, Toronto. She was the 1st woman elected president for the Business Press Editors Association and the 1st woman on the board of the Canadian Business Press Association. Doreen also worked with the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, London over the years on projects relating to the School's publications. She authored Learning to Lead, the 1st edition of the history of the Ivey School of business in 1995. She also scripted the introduction to the 2013 update of the book. From 1963 through 1988 Doreen was publisher and editor of the The Business Quarterly, Canada's leading management publication. In the beginning, in 1963, she used only her initial instead of Doreen on the masthead of the journals as there were few if any women in the field. She also edited the Ivey School's newsletter Women in Management. Doreen taught at Western and Radcliffe College at Harvard University. In 1987 she was inducted into the Order of Canada. Doreen retired to Vancouver, British Columbia in 2001 and co-founded a not-for-profit organization Women in the Lead aimed at having more qualified women on corporate boards. In 2006 she received the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. Ivey School of Business named the MBA Women in Management Club in her honour. Source: Cam Buckan Ivey School of Business November 17, 2017

Annie Midlige SEE - Pioneers

Lois Elizabeth Mitchell née Boulding. Born June 22, 1939 Vancouver, British Columbia. Lois graduated from the University of British Columbia. She married Doug Mitchell and the couple would raise a family of four children. She worked as a teacher in British Columbia before the couple settled in Calgary, Alberta. She is the founder of and a senior partner at Rainmaker Global Business Development, a marketing and consulting firm and the president of Amherst Consultants. She has served on boards of UBS Bank Canada, Mitacs and Canadian World Youth, the Canadian Women's Hockey Association, Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the International Institute for Olympic, Paralympic and Sport Pedagogy, the Special Olympic Foundation, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hockey Canada Foundation and was founding member of Crime Stoppers Calgary. She is also a co-founder of Global Business Forum. In 1998 she was the YMCA Woman of Distinction. She established the Hayley Wickenheiser Thunderbird Ice Hockey Endowment in 2007 to support the University of British Columbia Women’s Ice Hockey team. In 2008 she was named Calgary's Citizen of the Year. In 2012 she and her husband formed The Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award. That same year she became a Member of the Order of Canada and was presented with the Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal. May 20, 2015 she was appointed as the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta and was installed in the office in June. (2019)

Ann Francis Oakes
Born Dundas, Ontario. Died Ancaster, Ontario March 6, 2010. She began her career working in Eaton’s Department Stores. She was marketing manager of the Eaton Centre along the way and as Manager of the Jackson Square store in Hamilton, Ontario, she became the first woman on the board of T. Eaton Co. Ltd. In the 1970”s she married John Leonard McLaine and the couple had one son. Leaving the Eaton Hamilton Store she moved to Palm Beach in the Late 1970’s where she orchestrated construction of the Esplanade Shopping Centre. Moving back to Toronto, she became vice president of Burton-Marsteller. She was also assistant general manager responsible for the opening of the Rideau Centre shopping complex in downtown Ottawa. She organized an impressive list of dignitaries to the opening in Ottawa including Prime Minister Trudeau and the Premier of Ontario. Her work efforts garnered her the top Shopping Center Management Award in North America and awards from the International Council of Shopping Centers. In 2005 she went back to school in the Masters’ Program at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute so that she could give back to her community to help improve mental health delivery to Canadians. In 2009 Therapy through the Arts, a registered charity to promote work in schools was born with Ann as a founding director. Source: Obituary Toronto Star March 2010. Online. Accessed June 2011. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa, Ontario.

Susannah Oland Born England Born 1798(?) Died 1886. Susannah and her husband John immigrated to Canada from England in the 1860’s.She first brewed her brown October ale in her back yard in Nova Scotia in 1867. By the 1870’s Susannah found herself a single parent with 6 children to care for. She renamed her small brewing business to S. Oland and Sons to hide the fact that a woman was in charge of the company. She proceeded to build the company into the dominant brewer of beer in the Maritimes. She used her own personal recipe for her beer, a recipe which is still the base for the beer produced in the company that is the owner of the Oland beer label today. Moose Head Beer is enjoyed across Canada.

Louise Paquette Born Sudbury, Ontario. Louise worked as manager of Public Affairs for Gulp Canada before she returned to her roots in northern Ontario. In 1996 she became Director General of FEDNOR a federal government granting body in northern Ontario. One of her FEDNOR programs includes UPARA which has helped close to 600 women start ad expand local businesses across northern Ontario. She worked to raise 9,000,000 dollars for the Laurentian Hospital Foundation. In 2007 she was declared Woman of the Decade by the Influential Women of Northern Ontario. In 2010 she accepted the position as Chief Executive Officer for the North East [Ontario] Local Health Integration Network. Source: Woman of the Decade Award : Louise Paquette. International Women of Northern Ontario. 2007.

Catherine Parker-Austin née Dunn. Born April 14, 1841 Dublin, Ireland. Died October 28, 1890 Vancouver, British Columbia. By 1860 she was in England where she met Samuel Parker (d 1873) and where their 1st two daughters were born. The family immigrated to British Columbia and ran a store in Douglas where another daughter and son were born. Moving to Barkerville during the Cariboo gold rush in June 1867 they opened the Broadway House with a grand ball. The coupe became involved in the Cariboo Dramatic Association where they sang and performed in dramatic presentations. After the fire of 1868 destroyed their hotel the Association gave a benefit for Mrs. Parker. A new large 10 bedroom boarding house was built. In 1872 the saloon and boarding house was auctioned off and the couple followed the gold rush opening the Stanley Hotel on Lightening Creek. Widowed early 1873, Catherine married John Austin on August 3, 1873 and the couple soon had a daughter. By 1875 Catherine was Madame to four ladies of entertainment known as ‘Hurdies’. The family relocated one more to Richfield to run the Austin Hotel and by 1891 they took over the Barkerville Hotel. Later that decade they moved to Vancouver. In 2009 the Barkerville Theatre Royal presented Firestorm, a play featuring a pregnant Catherine Austin during the fire of 1868.

Isabelle Cohen Ketchum Percival née Ketchum. Born 1903. Died May 1998. Isabelle enjoyed being at work with her father, Zebulon after school. On the death of her father when she was just 18 she took over the presidency of the family business, Ketchum Manufacturing Company. The company had been started by her father in 1913 as a metal stamping business and moved on to livestock identification tags marketed around the world. Isabelle remained President for over 60 years. During both World War l and World War ll she adapted and retooled to help with the war efforts. The war company made bullet gun triggers and detonator covers for the army, while continuing to make identification tags for soldiers and army dogs. Isabelle’s two nephews, Brian and Peter Gilman continued the company in the 1980’s before Isabelle sold to Claude and Gail Lalonde in 1993. Isabelle was a dedicated member of the Zonta Club of Ottawa. Source: Valerie Knowles, Capitol Lives.

Janice G. Rennie Born June 29, 1957. She describes herself as a self employed financial consultant. She won numerous scholarships and awards for her university studies. She won the Commerce Cup from her peers and in 1980 she won the Provincial gold medal and the national silver medal from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. She is also giving of her time and talents to her community having worked with the YMCA and the United Way campaigns. She is married and mother of two children.

Charlotte Francoise Juchereau de Saint Denis
Comptesse de Saint-Laurent.
Baptized February 4, 1660. Died December 28, 1702. In 1702 she purchased the Ile d'Orleans becoming the Comptesse. She was a strong business personality of New France. She was also the mother of 16 children. Check out her story in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

Marie Saint Pierre Born August 25,1961 Montreal, Quebec. Marie graduated from Collège Brébeuf with a diploma in arts and communications in 1981 and then graduated with a diploma in fashion design from Collège LaSalle, Montreal in 1987. Her enjoyment of designing clothes has lead her to establishing her own company Marie Saint Pierre Design Inc. in 1987. That year she became the 1st Canadian to stage a show at Collections In 1989 Saint-Pierre became the first Québec designer to participate at the Fashion Coterie of New York. Three years later she presented her collection in Singapore breaking into the international fashion scene. Within a few years her work won recognition and awards from the industry including Vidal-Sasson-sponsored Buyer’s Designer of the Year in 1995 when she became the 1st Canadian to stage a show at Collections Créateurs in Paris, France and was awarded Designer of the Year by Elle Québec. The next year she introduced her line in the the United States. She has been subject of numerous newspaper and TV interviews and has been cited as “Canada’s most promising designer” by the Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto. Watch the labels of clothing you buy…it might just be from… She has created a wedding line and branched out to include jewellery, bags, scarves, seasonal accessories, home accessories and a fragrance line. . She has created Sous Zero in 2004 which is a fund to provide woman and children in need with winter clothing. In 2006, Saint Pierre launched her Behind the Scenes Fashion Collection, a limited edition line of Bratz dolls made for children. She has been induced as a Chevalier in the National Order of Quebec. (2019)

Eleni Skalbania Born April 14, 1943, Santorini, Greece. Died September 22, 2013, Toronto, Ontario. She and her husband Angelos Marinakis emigrated to Canada with their 2 children. She and her second husband Nelson Skalbania began investing in the Devonshire Hotel and then Hotel Georgia in Vancouver. In 1984 she launched her won boutique, the Wedwood Hotel and Spa. In 1996 she earned the Independent Hotelier of the Year Award. . She worked with and donated funds to the British Columbia Cancer Foundation. Source: Obituary, The Globe and Mail Oct. 2, 2013. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa, Ontario.

Rose Marie Reid
Fashion designer & entrepreneur

née Yancey. Born September 12, 1906 Cardston, Alberta. Died November 18, 1978 Provo, Utah, U.S.A. November 30, 1935 she married Jack Crossman Reid. The couple had three children. This mother and homemaker was asked by her husband in the 1930’s to make him a new swim suit that was not itchy like the regular woolen suits of the day. Rose Marie cut an outfit from an old water resistant coat and provided a lace for a snug fit. Everyone wanted one! Mr. Reid soon approached a local department store and the reluctant Rose Marie began a lifetime entrepreneurial journey. Her swimwear designing business opened in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1936 under the name Reid’s Holiday Togs. Her marriage turned abusive and she divorced Jack in April 1946 and relocated her family to California. September 20, 1946 Rose Marie launched her American business and lived in her factory until she was able to purchase a home in 1949. She entered the fashion world of women’s bathing suits changing women’s swim gear on an international scale. She was the 1st designer to incorporate foundation garments into her swimsuits. Hollywood embraced her designs and it is said the Marilyn Monroe credited Reid’s designs for her success as a pin up girl. In 1958, she was awarded the Sporting Look of the Year Award by Sports Illustrated and in 1955 she was named one of the Ten Women of the Year by the Los Angeles Times. While she didn't win, she was also nominated for Designer of the Year in 1956 by Sports Illustrated. Rose Marie kept personally in touch with the designing of her swim suit lines until the business was taken over in 1968. By then the bikini was taking on the ladies swimsuit fashion and the small two piece suits were not of her liking. Rose Marie was the 1st woman in the U.S.A. to log 500,000 flight miles while visiting her sales offices across the country and overseas. Her legacy of changing the fashions for several decades still remains and her name line still continues to sell among modest bathers. Rose Marie also helped with many fundraising efforts for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including fundraising for the construction of church buildings and the Los Angeles California Temple in 1954. She was also a very generous benefactor to Brigham Young University and served on the National Advisory Council. Source: Julie Gedeon, Succeeding in swimwear, The Beaver August/September 2007pg. 13; Carole Reid Bar, Rose Marie Reid: an Extraordinary Life Story ( American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 1995; www.vintagevixen.com/articlesDesigners/vintageRoseMarieReid.asp (accessed May 21, 2008)

Claire Samson Born April 12, 1955. She studied for her Masters of Business at the University of Montreal. Communications and broadcasting were the area of her career choice She has worked for Telemedia Communications, Société Radio Canada and Tele-metropole. In February 1995 she became Executive Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer for TQS (Télévision Quatre-Saisons) in Quebec and retuned to Radio Canada as Director Genera of Programs in 1999. She was also President of the Quebec Association of Television and Film Producers. A person in demand by her profession!! In 2004 she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.

Jagdish Kaur Singh
Born July 12, 1912, Mesopor, Punjab, India. Died August 5, 1991, Chilliwack, British Columbia. She arrived in Canada on Nov. 19, 1929, settling in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Her husband, a Sikh priest, Giani Harnam Singh , ran a pioneer lumber business and helped found the Akali Singh Sikh Temple. After his death in 1956, she started and served as president of G.H. Singh & Sons Trucking. a gravel truck business in Chilliwack . She was also Director of Dhillon Holdings and owner of several dairy farms and land holdings in Chilliwack and Langley area. A staunch supporter of Sikhism, she donated to charities worldwide. Source: Vancouver Hall of Fame online (accessed November 2012.

Eleni Skalbania Eleni and her husband, Angelos Marinakis immigrated to Canada with their two children. She married a second time to Nelson Skalbania. At one point she began investing in the Devonshire Hotel and then in Hotel Georgia in Vancouver. In 1984 she launched her won boutique, the Wedgewood Hotel and Spa. In 1996 she earned the Independent Hotelier of the Year Award. She worked with and donated funds to the British Columbia Cancer Foundation. Source: Obituary. The Globe and Mail, October 2, 2013. Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa Ontario.

Sophie Strub Born Kharkov, Ukraine Died 1949. The family immigrated to Canada in 1921 but by the end of the decade the country was immersed in the Great Depression. Butcher Michael Stub traded a barrel of his wife Sophie's homemade pickles with a local grocer for food for his family. The grocer wanted more!!! A family business Strub Brothers Ltd. was born. Today the family empire works out of Brantford, Ontario and still uses Sophie's recipe!!!

Barbara G. Stymiest Born June 13, 1956 Barbara graduated from Richard Ivey School of Business in 1978. She became the youngest partner in the accounting firm of Ernst& Young when she was 30. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario called her a trailblazer for women in business. . This businesswoman held the Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Nesbit Burns Inc. from 1992 to 1999. It was during this time that she was the 1st woman in North America to be Governor of a Stock Exchange. In 1999 she became President of the Toronto Stock Exchange! In 2000 she was on the top 10 list of Canadian businesswomen presented by the National Post. She was named one of Fortune's 50 most powerful women in business three times. In 2010 she carried the Olympic torch in the relay leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. She is married to James M. Kidd.

Agathe de Repentigny née de Sainte Pére. Born February 25, 1657, Montreal New France now Quebec) Died 1777/1748, Quebec, New France. It is thought that as member of the colonial establishment she probably attended Marguerite Bourgeoys’ school. After her mother’s death in 1672 the teen Agathe took over the role of parent to her 10 brothers and sisters. On November 28, 1685 she married Pierre Legardeur de Repentigny (1657-1736)). The couple had eight children who were raised along with Agathe’s brothers and sisters. She proved to be an astute businesswoman who signed contracts and made profits in the fur trade. She also bought and sold land, and loaned money. She soon settled the outstanding debts of her husband and his brother. Her interests would turn to the experimental textile business she there was a shortage of linen and wool in the colony of New France. She also initiated the local production of maple syrup. She worked with nettles and bark fibers, cottonweed and even the wooly hair of buffalo. She worked with captured British weavers who taught their craft to the local workers until they were exchanged as prisoners. She sent samples of her textiles along with maple sugar candy to the King of France. In return for her royal gift she was given an annual Royal Gratuity. She generally maintained a low profile. In 1736 she was at the Hospital General of Quebec to be close to two of her daughters who were nuns.

Eira Margaret Thomas
Geologist & Entrepreneur

Born Calgary, Alberta. Eira enjoyed geology and earned her B Sc at the University of Toronto in 1990. In 1994 she was chief geologist for Aber Resources Ltd when she discovered what proved to be the highest grade cluster of diamond pipes the world has ever seen. This discovery led to the founding in the Northwest Territories of the Diavik Diamond Mine, estimated to be a 10 billion dollar mine. By the turn of the century she was Director of Strongbow Exploration Inc. Chief Executive Officer of Stornoway Diamond Corporation and until 2006 she served as Director of Aber Diamond Corporation. Her mining firm, Sternway Ventures, has diamond rights to more than 7,000,000 Arctic acres. Her dream is to find diamonds and develop a mine as the first Canadian owner and diamond operator. Sources: Ottawa Citizen January 17, 2004 p. B3; Canadian Who’s Who 2005 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005) p 1306.

Rose-Anna Vachon Born 1870 (?). Died December 2, 1948. It was Rose Anna who convinced her husband to borrow money and purchase a bakery just outside of Quebec City. It was her donuts, sweet-buns, shortbreads, cakes and pies made in her own wood burning stove in her home kitchen that kept clients coming back for more. In 1932 she made a delicious chocolate cake with a cream filling and named it after two of her sons...Joe-Louis! By 1937 the business had expanded throughout their home province as well as Ontario and the Maritimes. After the death of her husband in 1938 , it was Rose-Anna who expanded the business even farther. In 1945 she stepped down from the business and turned it over to her four sons. Her home, wood stove and all, in Sainte Marie de Beauce is now a museum. Canada Post issued a commemorative Millennium postage stamp featuring Rose-Anna and her husband in 2000.

Michelle Valberg
Born January 8. Michelle studied fine arts at the University of Ottawa and took photography at Algonquin College, Ottawa She has become renowned for her unique portraiture and spectacular landscapes. She has also written two books: Look beyond…the faces and stories of people with HIV/AIDS and Dare to dream…a celebration of Canadian women. The funds raised by these books have been donated to Charity. An entrepreneur she owns and operates a gallery and studio as well as a publishing and special events business called Dare to Dream. She is active on Boards and Committees for local charities. She has received the Woman of Distinction Award from the Ottawa YM/YWCA in 200, Ottawa’s Business woman of the year award, 2004, and the St. Joe’s Women Stellar Quality of Life Award as well as being Algonquin College Alumnus of the Year. In 2005 the Ottawa Business Journal listed her in the Top 40 under 40 achievers. Sources: Ottawa Citizen October 18, 2005 p. D3 also Correspondences with Michelle Valberg.

Shirley Westeinde She studied to become a Public Health Nurse and worked for the Victoria Order of Nurses. She took time off from her career to stay at home and raise her family and also studied business administration. She became interested and involved with the construction industry. In 1994 she joined the board of the Canadian Construction Association. In March 2004, she became the first woman to Chair the Canadian Construction Association.

Leila Wightman
née Schnurr. Born January 29, 1899 Mildmay, Ontario. Died November 22, 1976 Clifford, Ontario. .On October 14, 1925 Leila married Benjamin Wightman of Wightman Communications in Clifford, Ontario. His Father, Robert Wightman, had been a frustrated farmer whom Bell Telephone could not serve. Robert set up his own company in 1908 so he and his neighbors, could have a telephone. Leila acted as lead operator and office administrator for the telephone company after her marriage to Benjamin. At the same time the couple brought up a family of four children. In 1947 Benjamin died and Leila decided to keep the company going. This made her the 1st woman telephone company owner. In 1953 she instituted the superior 4-diget dial service while the much larger Bell Telephone Company systems which were still cranking the old magneto telephones. The new system was the most modern of its day and heralded the arrival of 24 hour service telephone service. Leila had set the company on the path to modernization that kept the company going. Leila was inducted as member of the Telecommunications Hall of Fame in 2006.
Sources: Telecommunications Hall of Fame http://telecomehall.ca (Accessed October 2011) ; also family provided vital information.

Frances Wright SEE - Social Activists

Hana ZalZal
Born 1864 Egypt. When she was 2 years old her family immigrated to Canada. She earned a civil engineering degree at the University of Toronto and a Masters of Business Administration at York University, Toronto. She worked as several jobs including being a financial analyst before she decided to follow her passion for makeup. She founded Cargo Cosmetics and first launched it through Eaton’s Department Stores in 1996. Since then she has found that advertising is best when it is done by word of mouth. She asked some of the Hollywood stars who used Cargo products to tell others. They did just that. Cargo Cosmetics was launched in Europe and Australia and is a multi-national business. She has been recognized by the New York Fashion Groups as an International Rising Star. In 2004 she was honoured in the list of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and Brand Packaging Magazine presented her with the Brand Innovator of the Yeas in 2006. Source: Herstory: The Canadian Women’s Calendar 2006. Saskatoon: Coteau Books, 2005.

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