Born June 28, 1956, Montreal, Quebec. Died September 2005.
Madeline-Ann graduated from Marianapolis College and then attended McGill
University, Montreal where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in 1978 and her
Master's in Business Administration in 1981. She worked as an executive with
Via Rail prior to being an international business consultant. She served as
a director pm the Board of Couchiching Institute from 1986 through to 2005.
She also worked with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, Le Don des étoiles, the
Yung Women's Christian Association (YWCA), and Montreal Museum of Fine arts.
She was the founder and and president of the International Children's
Institute to help children cope with psychological trauma of war. .May 1,
2001 she was inducted into the Order of Canada for her humanitarian work.
She served as a member of the University Senate at McGill. The Madeline-Ann
Aksich Visual Arts Studio at Marianapolis College, Westmount, Quebec is
named in her honour. Source: Obituary. (2020)
Elizabeth Arden
Florence Nightingale Graham
née
Florence Nightingale Graham.Born December 31, 1878, Woodbridge, Ontario. Died October 18, 1966,
New York City, New York, U.S.A. Florence was one of five children.
She would studied nursing and worked as a secretary to help family finances.
Florence left Woodbridge for the bright lights
of New York City when she was 25 years old. Arriving in the big city
she landed a job as an assistant beautician named Eleanor Adair. Soon 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 used to save money on her salon
signage. Their business was located on Fifth Avenue. 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.
Back home in America she showed her feminist colours by marching for women's
rights. These suffragettes wore Arden's red lipstick as a sign of
solidarity. . By 1915 she was selling her products internationally and
in 1922 she opened a salon in Paris. In 1934 she opened a residential spa in Rome, Maine the 1st
destination beauty spa in the U.S.A. Her shops were the 1st to
offer in-store makeovers and her high-end spas offered a retreat from the
world where women could be pampered.
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 1945 she used some of her wealth to
invest in race horses. In 1946 she made the cover of Time magazine. 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. Graham. The musical War Paint
recreates the rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein.
(2020)
Mary Eleanor Nichols Bales
née Nichols.
Born March 19, 1942, Indiana, U.S.A. Died December 12, 2014, Hamilton,
Ontario. In 1969 Mary earned her B.A. at the University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. and moved to Canada to earn her M.A. in 1972
from the University of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ontario. In 1974 she chose the
career to be in Real Estate. She spent 21 years with Caldwell Banker
residential Real Estate. In 1980’s she lead a fundraising campaign for
Mary’s Place and served with the Board of the Kitchener Public Library, the
United Way Campaign, the YWCA and the Community Foundation. She served as a
member of the Board of Governors at the University of Waterloo and the
National Alumni Council of the University of Waterloo. She would be the
Zonta Club’s Woman of the Year. In 1994 she was top producer in Canada in a
network of 4,000 real estate agents. From 1998 through 2002 she was on the
Board of the Grand River Hospital and in 2002 she funded Heartwood Place
providing affordable housing for individuals and families. That same year
she was presented with the University of Waterloo Arts Alumni Achievement
Award, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and Oktoberfest Woman of the year and
Community Leader recognition from the Chamber of Commerce. In 2006 she
received the Meritorious Service Award from the Governor General of Canada. In 2007 she received the Realtor Merit Award from her local Real Estate
Association.
Source: Obituaries, Globe and Mail December 17,
2014.
Suggestion submitted by June Coxon, Ottawa,
Ontario.
(2020)
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.
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 Scotia. 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 prominentpeople 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
Jehane Benoit
SEE Writers - Authors
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.
Angélina Berthiaume Du Tremblay
Née Berthiaume. Born March 27, 1886 Montreal, Quebec. Died
July 17, 1976, Montreal, Quebec. Her father, Trefflé
Berthiaume (1848-1915), owned La Press newspaper in Montreal. On
September 21, 1907 Angélina
married Pamphile-Réal
Du Tremblay. After the death of her husband in 1955 she became president and
chief executive officer of La Presse for six years. In 1961 she
founded Le Nouveau journal, a daily newspaper. That same year she
established the Angélina Berthiaume Du Tremblay Foundation. In 1972 she
built La Résidence
Berthiaume-Du Tremblay for the care of seniors. In 1977 the Angélina
Berthiaume Prize was established to be presented annually to the winner of
La Plume d'argent literary competition at the Montreal Book Fair.
(2020)
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, Montreal, New
France, (now Quebec). Died February 26, 1764, Montreal, Quebec Thérése
married Francois Poulin de Francheville, a merchant trader, in 1718 and was
a widow in 1733. She owned the slave Marie-Joseph Angelique who was
convicted of setting her house on fire beginning the Montreal fire. 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. (2020)
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. (2020)
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 Sorel-Tracy, Canada West (now Quebec). Died June 14, 1932,
Levis, Quebec. 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 co-founder of 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.
(2020)
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.
Grace Sarah Hall Fletcher
SEE - Social Activists
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.
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.
Florence Nightingale Graham
SEE - Elizabeth Arden
'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 WhoLies Beneath Whitehorse Cemeteries. Online
accessed 2019.
Jeannine Guillevin-Wood
Born 1929. Died December 16, 2009, Montreal, Quebec. In 1965
upon thee death of her husband Francois-Xavier Gui8llevin she took
over the family business, F. X. Guillevin et Fils which would become
Guillevin International Inc. She ran this electrical distribution business
until 1995. She sat on numerous boards including Banque Laurentienne du
Canada, Bell Canada, Sun Life of Canada and Hydro-Québec. She was also a
patron of numerous organizations including La Musée des beaux-arts de
Montréal. She also served with the Business Council concerning national
issues. In 1976 she was named Businessman of the Month by Commerce magazine
and was Canadian Businesswoman of the Year. In 1984 she was awarded Le prix
Veuve Clicquot. In 1989 she was presented with the McGill University
Management Achievement Award and the following year she was listed as one of
12 persons of the decade by Le Journal de Montréal. In 1995 she was inducted
into the Order of Canada and by 1999 she was appointed to the Order National
du Québec. (2020)
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. (accessed May 2011) The
Children’s Media Conference;(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
WickenheiserThunderbird
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.
née Juchereau. Baptized
February 4, 1660, Quebec. Died December 28, 1702, Quebec. On December 17,
1680 she married Beauport Francois Viennay-Pachot (died 1698). In 1702 she
married for a second time to Captain Francois Dauphin de la Forest who
became stepfather to her 16 children. That same year she purchased the Ile
d' Orleans becoming the Comptesse de Saint Laurent. From 1704 through 1713
she was engaged in legal proceedings with respect to the land and she
finally gave up on orders directly from the King of France. She was a strong
business personality of New France that found it best to work through male
supporters. Source: DCB (2020)
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.
Ida Steinberg
née Roth. Born 1883, Hungary Died 1942, Montreal, Quebec. At 13 Ida's was
sent to live with an uncle after the death of her parents. At 18 she
married. In 1911 Ida Sternberg, the original family name, immigrated to Canada with her husband and
four children settling in Montreal. By 1917 she was a widow with six
children looking for a business to support the family. Ida opened a bakery
and with the help of her children was soon selling other food items many of
which she was selling for clients. She often accepted merchandise as payment
for goods and there were also purchases on credit as the area where the
business was located was one of the immigrant ghettos of the city. It would
be her five son who would set up a small store front and grow the business
into grocery store chain that would have outlets in three provinces, Quebec,
Ontario and New Brunswick. The business would grow and expand to department
stores, restaurants, and real estate. In 1992 the last Steinberg store was
sold to Loblaws. Montreal boasts of an Ida-Steinberg street.
(2020)
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 1999she
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.
