"CHR" 2003 Obituary

CHRETIEN  CHRIS  CHRISTENSEN  CHRISTIE  CHRISTMAS  CHRISTOFFERSEN  CHROM 

CHRÉTIEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-03-26 published
Lumber king of the Ottawa Valley
For 75 years, he dominated logging in the region and provided all the wood for Inco mineshafts
By Randy RAY Special to The Globe and Mail Wednesday, March 26, 2003 - Page R9
Ottawa -- Hector CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER never let his age stand in the way of a day's work. In 1928, at age 12, he was working full-time for his father's logging company in the Ottawa Valley near Pembroke, Ontario, and by 14 was running his own operation.
On a cold February morning 73 years later, Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER, who was known as Hec Sr., drove 150 kilometres to his family's lumber camp near Mattawa. He toured the site and chatted with his sons and two of his grandchildren who run the family owned business, before driving home in his pickup truck, accompanied by his spaniel. Three days later, on February 9, Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER suffered a heart attack and died at his Pembroke home. He was 87.
"To the day he died, he was an integral part of the company, said his son Hector CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER Jr.
During his 75-year association with the logging business, Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER operated lumber operations in the Ottawa Valley and as far north as Sturgeon Falls and Blind River, Ontario For a time, Hector CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER and Sons was one of the largest local employers.
Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER also built the Northwood Hotel near Pembroke and owned Northwood Stables, which bred, trained and raced pacers and trotters. At one point, he had 150 horses.
Born in Petawawa in February 1, 1916, his beginnings as an Ottawa Valley success story began in the early 1920s when a shortage of money in his family forced him to leave elementary school to work at his father Thomas's lumbering operation. Within two years, he bought a horse and started his own business, delivering logs to the Pembroke Splint Lumber Co.
In his first year in business, the red and white pines felled by Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER's company produced 400,000 board feet of lumber, double his father's production.
"He said his father's operation was nice and neat and tidy but that it wasn't making enough money, " said Hector Jr., who is a former Member of Parliament for the riding of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke and is now an adviser to Prime Minister Jean CHRÉTIEN.
In the 1930s and 40s, the diminutive Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER expanded the business and modernized his equipment. His operation prospered during the Second World War. In 1945, he married Molly SMITH, a nurse from the Ottawa Valley community of Pakenham. The couple raised 10 children on their 375-acre farm located between Pembroke and Petawawa.
His company continued to operate in Renfrew County until about 1950 when he moved north to the Sturgeon Falls area to launch a new operation that employed 160 workers and cut enough trees to yield 10 million board feet of lumber a year. Later, he opened a second near Elliot Lake, Ontario, employing an additional 140 employees and producing another 10 million board feet of lumber annually. For many years, his company provided all of the pine for the shafts at the Inco mines in Sudbury. Eventually, the company diversified into pulpwood and, in the 1980s, provided kits for building log homes.
In 1960, the family returned to Pembroke so that the children would have easier access to schools. Sadly, 11 years later, Molly CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER died, leaving her husband to raise their children. He never remarried.
"We used to tease him about that and he'd say: 'Are you crazy? I couldn't find a woman crazy enough to look after you kids, ' " Hector Jr. said.
During his years in the logging industry, Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER saw horses, broad axes and crosscut saws replaced by trucks, power saws, skidders and tree fellers that could cut and delimb trees in a matter of minutes. Over time, technology reduced crews from 200 to 30.
"The mechanization saddened him because he always felt the bush was kept cleaner with horses, and he felt good about employing so many people, " Hector Jr. said.
Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER Sr., a skilled log driver, was known as an innovator. Among his inventions was a device he nicknamed the "submarine." Using a winch, a generator and a floating wooden platform, it replaced dynamite as a way of breaking up logjams that blocked rivers. The submarine was soon adopted by competitors after premature detonations had killed log drivers.
Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER also had a passion for horses that stemmed from a love for the hard-working animals that for years had pulled his logs out of the bush.
He bought his first horse in 1951 for $100 and raced it at the Perth Fair where he got into an accident and broke his arm. He began breeding horses in 1955 and at one point had more than 150 racehorses. Among his most noted pacers was Barney Diplomat, which raced successfully for trainer Keith WAPLES in the mid 1950s and JJ's Metro, which won purses totalling $350,000.
His Northwood Stables and the Northwood Hotel were located across from each other on what is now County Road 17 west of Pembroke. His daughter Sandra and Hector Jr. drove horses for their father's stable.
Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER was a past president of the Quebec Harness Horseman's Association, was one of the longest serving directors of the Canadian Standardbred Horse Society and helped found the Ontario Harness Horse Association, which in 1961 began representing the interests of horse owners, drivers, trainers, grooms and their families on matters such as track conditions, pension plans, disability insurance and purses.
"Hec Sr. was one of the founding fathers of organized horsemen in Ontario who helped negotiate purses so that people could have a career in horse racing, said Jim WHELAN, president of the Ontario Harness Horse Association in Mississauga. "He was a pioneer.
A strong secondary interest after racing was fishing. When he was not working, Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER often disappeared to fish favourite lakes with a favourite dog.
Mr. HIGGINSON, who knew Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER for 35 years, said his friend had a soft spot for children who loved sports but couldn't afford the equipment.
"If a kid needed new skates, all of a sudden there would be a pair of skates for that child and nobody ever said where they came from. That side of him developed from what went on in his own family that was not well off at the start. Hec knew what it meant to be scratching out an existence -- he was interested in what was going on around him."
Mr. CLOUTIER/CLOUTHIER was predeceased by his wife, four sisters and seven brothers. He leaves five sons and five daughters. Sons Tom, Willy and Jimmy, plus grandchildren Clyde and Shannon, run the family logging company.

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CHRÉTIEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-08-20 published
Trudeau-era cabinet minister John MUNRO dies, aged 72
By Jeff GRAY/GREY With reports from Campbell CLARK and Canadian Press Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - Page A2
Former Trudeau cabinet minister John MUNRO, whose federal political career ended with a lengthy legal fight, died yesterday of a heart attack in his Hamilton home. He was 72.
Former colleagues remembered Mr. MUNRO, the member from Hamilton-East from 1962 to 1984, as a politician who fought hard for working people around the cabinet table, where he held several key portfolios.
"I think he was a feisty, progressive person of conviction, and was, I guess, part of a somewhat diminishing breed called a real Liberal," said Lloyd AXWORTHY, who served in cabinet with Mr. MUNRO in the early 1980s.
Mr. MUNRO, a Hamilton lawyer, was re-elected eight times and was a cabinet minister for most of the years between 1968 and 1984, handling health and welfare, labour and Indian affairs. As minister of welfare, he brought in the Guaranteed Income Supplement, which helped lift many senior citizens out of poverty.
But in 1989, after he left government, an Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation accused him of corruption during his time as a minister. The charges were eventually thrown out, but Mr. MUNRO, hobbled by an estimated $1-million in legal bills, launched a civil suit to get the government to cover his costs. He eventually received about $1.4-million in a settlement.
Prime▼ Minister▼ Jean▼ CHRÉTIEN, who was elected to Parliament a year after Mr. MUNRO, remembered him as a hard-working minister.
"We were very good Friends, and I'm terribly sorry that he passed away, and I would like to offer my condolences to his family," Mr. CHRÉTIEN told reporters. "He was a very good member of Parliament, and he was a very good minister and a guy who worked very, very hard in all the files that was given to him."
Heritage Minister Sheila COPPS, the minister from Hamilton and daughter of the city's former mayor, said Mr. MUNRO gave her some political lessons when she served as a poll captain for his election in 1968.
"He was a great Canadian; he was a great parliamentarian, and also someone who will be sorely missed in Hamilton. He was well loved, and had politics in his blood."
Tom AXWORTHY, who was prime minister Pierre TRUDEAU's principal secretary, said Mr. MUNRO was a key figure in Mr. TRUDEAU's cabinet.
"He was a man who always had a great heart. He had tremendous empathy for the disadvantaged," he said.
Mr. TRUDEAU looked to Mr. MUNRO to fight for his social liberal positions at cabinet meetings, his former aide said. "When we had those kind of debates, he would kind of look over to MUNRO when he wanted to hear the liberal perspective on the issue."
The▼ complex political scandal left Mr. MUNRO fighting for his reputation, instead of Liberal policies.
"That was a sad and distracting end to what had been a pretty good career," Tom AXWORTHY said.
"He'd spent his whole life fighting battles for the little guy, and then he ended fighting all kinds of battles against allegations and so on."
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police filed more 37 charges against Mr. MUNRO -- corruption, breach of trust, fraud, conspiracy and theft -- going back to his time as minister of Indian affairs. At the centre of the case was the allegation that part of a $1.5-million grant to the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) actually went toward Mr. MUNRO's usuccessful 1984 Liberal leadership bid.
The 1991 trial lasted several months, but the judge tossed out the charges before even hearing evidence from the defence.
Things did start to turn around. In mid-1998, Hamilton's airport, which he fought hard to expand, was named after him.
"In a time when Canada, I think, needs liberal voices, we've lost a great one," Tom AXWORTHY said.

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CHRÉTIEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-08-30 published
A man of uncommon passion and drive
Despite hints of scandal, the scrappy former Liberal member of parliament, who spent a lifetime fighting for social safety nets, earned a reputation as a tireless crusader for the working people
By Ron CSILLAG Special to the Globe and Mail; With a report from staff Saturday, August 30, 2003 - Page F8
He died with his boots on.
John MUNRO, a Trudeau era Liberal warhorse once described as a rumpled fighter who had gone too many rounds, had just put the finishing touches to a barn-burning speech, to be delivered to a Rotary Club, on the evils of concentration of media ownership when he suffered at heart attack at his desk in his Hamilton home on August 19. He was 72.
It was almost just as well that he went suddenly, his daughter, Anne, said in a eulogy, for her father could not stand suffering. Rather, he would not abide it. Suffering had no place in Canada, he reasoned, which is why his name is so closely associated with such social safety nets as medicare, the Canada Pension Plan and improvements to Old Age Security.
More than 500 well-wishers, including old political pals, steel-workers, artists, business people and labourers, packed the James Street Baptist Church last Saturday to laud Hamilton's favourite son, a scrappy lawyer who earned a reputation as a tireless crusader for working people, despite the recurring taint of scandal.
As the Member of Parliament for Hamilton East from 1962 to 1984 and through five cabinet posts, he was proudly on the left of the Liberal Party, alongside people such as Allan MacEACHEN, Judy LAMARSH, Lloyd AXWORTHY, Eugene WHELAN -- and probably Pierre TRUDEAU himself -- fighting for medicare, against capital punishment and in favour of a guaranteed annual income. As minister of national health and welfare, he didn't win the battle for a guaranteed annual income, but he did get the Guaranteed Income Supplement that has made life easier for many seniors. He was also known and often ridiculed -- for being a chain-smoking health minister.
Prime▲▼ Minister▲▼ Jean▲▼ CHRÉTIEN, who entered Parliament a year after Mr. MUNRO, mourned the death of his former cabinet colleague. "We were very good Friends, and I'm terribly sorry that he passed away. He was a very good member of Parliament, and he was a very good minister and a guy who worked very, very hard in all the files that were given to him."
The▲ political bug bit early. At 18, Mr. MUNRO ran for president of the Tribune Society at Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton. Mark NEMIGAN, a lifelong friend, remembers his resourcefulness: "He went to a local bus stop and festooned all the park benches with banners reading, 'Vote for John.' It worked too. He had uncommon drive and passion, even then."
Born in Hamilton on March 26, 1931, to lawyer John Anderson MUNRO and Katherine CARR, a housewife, John Carr MUNRO became a municipal alderman at the age of 23 while attending law school at Osgoode Hall in Toronto.
"I have no idea how he did that," Mr. NEMIGAN says. "The guy didn't sleep."
Mr. MUNRO took his first run at federal politics in the seat of Hamilton West in 1957, but was beaten by Ellen FAIRCLOUGH, who went on to become Canada's first female cabinet minister. In 1962, he switched ridings, and won the seat he would hold for the next 22 years.
With the election of Mr. TRUDEAU in 1968, a string of cabinet positions followed for Mr. MUNRO: minister without portfolio, amateur sport, health and welfare, labour and Indian affairs and northern development, the last earning him the hard-won respect of aboriginal groups.
In the 1968 general election, an aggressive young poll captain named Sheila COPPS worked on Mr. MUNRO's re-election bid. She would go on to replace him in the seat in 1984.
Tom AXWORTHY, who was Mr. TRUDEAU's principal secretary, recalled that the prime minister often turned to Mr. MUNRO for support on progressive positions at the cabinet table: "When we had those kind of debates, he would kind of look over to MUNRO when he wanted to hear the liberal perspective on the issue."
Mr. MUNRO's support for the decriminalization of marijuana led to a perk in December, 1969: A 90-minute chat about drugs with John LENNON and Yoko ONO, fresh from the duo's "bed-in" at Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Documents unearthed this spring by a researcher for an Ottawa Beatles Web site revealed that Mr. LENNON joked that while Mr. TRUDEAU and Mr. MUNRO, then health minister, were members of the "establishment," they were both "hip."
"Mr. MUNRO's speech [on the decriminalization of marijuana] was the only political speech I ever heard about that had anything to do with reality that came through to me," Mr. LENNON is quoted as saying in the 12,000-word document.
Contacted by a reporter in May, Mr. MUNRO recalled that the incident, and his stand on cannabis, didn't go over well. "Yeah, I was in a little hot water at the time," he laughed. "Everybody thought I wanted to give the country to the junkies."
Mr. LENNON and Ms. ONO made a distinct impression, he said. "The more I think about it, the more I remember he and his wife were very polite and committed people."
In 1974, the water became considerably hotter when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided Mr. MUNRO's campaign headquarters during a probe into kickbacks and bid rigging on Hamilton Harbour dredging contracts.
Around the same time, Mr. MUNRO was criticized for accepting a $500 campaign donation from a union whose leaders were under investigation.
In 1978, he was forced to resign from the cabinet when it was revealed that he had talked to a judge by telephone to give a character reference for a constituent on the day of the person's sentencing for assault. But he bounced back with a tenacity that Mr. TRUDEAU was said to have admired and in 1980 won reappointment to the cabinet.
Mr. MUNRO's stamp on Hamilton was legendary, from the reclamation of land that gave the city Confederation Park, to the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, to the fundraising of more than $50-million for the local airport, renamed in his honour in 1998. "Without a doubt, he was the feistiest, most stubborn person I knew in public life," former mayor Bob MORROW remarked. "I don't think we will ever meet his equal of scaring up funds for Hamilton."
When Mr. TRUDEAU retired in 1984, Mr. MUNRO ran for the Liberal leadership and prime minister. He finished a poor fifth in a field of six. There began what his daughter called the "decade from hell," starting with a four-year Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigation so vigorous, the Mounties even considered using a helicopter to track Mr. MUNRO because the officers assigned to tail him couldn't keep up with his car.
That investigation killed a re-election bid in 1988 and scuttled his marriage to Lilly Oddie MUNRO, a minister in the former Ontario Liberal government. It eventually produced 37 flimsy charges of breach of trust, conspiracy, corruption, fraud and theft stemming from his years as Indian affairs minister. After a trial that dragged on for most of 1991, the judge threw out nearly all the charges without even calling for defence evidence. The Crown later withdrew the rest.
Mr. MUNRO welcomed the verdict as "complete exoneration" but was left with legal bills estimated at nearly $1-million and a reputation in ruins. Swimming in debt (he had to rely on Ontario Legal Aid), he filed a civil suit in 1992, claiming malicious prosecution and maintaining he had been targeted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to embarrass him. He attempted a political comeback in 1993, only to have Mr. CHRÉTIEN refuse to sign his nomination papers. Mr. MUNRO responded by filing an unsuccessful court challenge seeking to strip Mr. CHRÉTIEN of his power to appoint candidates.
Mr. MUNRO, who had returned to an immigration law practice in Hamilton, felt betrayed by the government's refusal to pay his legal bills, and it took an emotional toll.
"I'm not mad at the world," he said in 1996. "I realized this could totally destroy me if I didn't live a day at a time. You have to impose discipline, or you're finished. The motivation to carry on is voided. There's nothing to look forward to except endless grief."
He finally won nearly $1.4-million in compensation from Ottawa in 1999, but most of the money went to pay taxes, legal bills and other expenses. He could have avoided problems by declaring bankruptcy, but insisted on clearing his debts.
"He was no saint, but he was dedicated and hardworking," said his daughter Susan. "He was deeply hurt."
Mr. MUNRO had no interest in the personal trappings of wealth, she said, adding that he had a weakness only for Chevy Chevettes and homemade muffins. Good thing too, for a proposal for bankruptcy he filed in 1995 showed a monthly living balance of $476.
His last political gasp came in 2000 when he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Hamilton. Asked in 1996 about writing his memoirs, he said: "I'm not ready. There's no last chapter yet."
Mr. MUNRO leaves his third wife, Barbara, and four children.

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CHRETIEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-10-08 published
Israel ASPER: A timeline
Wednesday, October 8, 2003 - Page B6
1930s
Born Israel Harold ASPER in 1932 in Minnedosa, Manitoba, the son of musicians Leon and Cecilla.
Even in his youth, Mr. ASPER was a newspaper junkie. As a Grade 10 student he started a newspaper on his own.
1940s
After the Second World War the ASPERs built a small chain of theatres in rural Manitoba and Winnipeg. Izzy was an usher at one of the theatres.
Married Ruth (Babs) BERNSTEIN, who he met in high school in Winnipeg. Like the ASPERs, the BERNSTEINs were immigrants from Eastern Europe.
1950s
Attended the University of Manitoba. Called to the Bar of Manitoba in 1957.
son David, born in 1958, is now CanWest Global executive vice-president.
1960s
Daughter Gail, born in 1960 is now CanWest Global's corporate secretary.
son Leonard, born in 1964, is president and chief executive officer of CanWest Global.
1970s
Member of Legislative Assembly and Leader of the Liberal party in Manitoba from 1970-1975.
Began his broadcasting career when he bought North Dakota's KCND in 1974, moved it to Winnipeg and changed the call letters to CKND.
Buys 45 per cent of troubled Global Ontario network in 1974.
1980s
In 1988 he gains licences for new television stations in Regina and Saskatoon.
Buys television stations in Vancouver and Halifax-Saint John.
In 1988, Mr. ASPER and associates buy out partners in the Ontario Global system.
In 1989, CanWest takes over 100 per cent of Global and becomes CanWest Global Communications.
1990s
CanWest lists on the New York Stock Exchange in 1991.
In 2000, Mr. ASPER moves into print with $3.2-billion purchase of Southam newspaper group from Hollinger Inc.
2000s
The newspaper deal sparked heavy criticism as Mr. ASPER was accused of editorial interference at the papers.
Last year, CanWest fired Ottawa Citizen publisher Russell MILLS after the paper published an editorial critical of Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN.
Jazz was always Mr. ASPER's passion - his brother gave him a Rhapsody in Blue recording as a bar mitzvah present. In 2002, CanWest opened a Winnipeg jazz FM station.
Died yesterday at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg at 71.

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CHRÉTIEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-10-08 published
Shock, sadness over ASPER
Former movie ticket taker rose to prominence as one of Canada's biggest media moguls
By Richard BLACKWELL Media Reporter Wednesday, October 8, 2003 - Page B1
Canada's business, media and political elite expressed shock and sadness at the death of Izzy ASPER, the colourful Winnipeg media mogul who died yesterday at the age of 71.
Mr. ASPER built CanWest Global Communications Corp. into a national television and newspaper powerhouse, and more recently spent some of his fortune on charitable and philanthropic causes.
Israel ASPER, known to everyone as Izzy, was admitted to St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg at 9: 30 yesterday morning, and died soon after, surrounded by his wife and children.
CanWest spokesman Geoffrey ELLIOT/ELLIOTT said he had no information on the cause of Mr. ASPER's death, although it was "obviously sudden."
The funeral is set for tomorrow.
Mr. ASPER smoked heavily for years and had a serious heart attack at age 50.
A tax lawyer who for a time was leader of the Liberal Party in Manitoba, Mr. ASPER built CanWest Global from a single television station in Winnipeg into its current status as one of Canada's biggest media empires.
Colleagues and Friends praised him for his business successes and community work.
Conrad BLACK, who sold Mr. ASPER the Southam newspaper chain in 2000 to cement CanWest's position as Canada's leading media company, described him in an interview yesterday as "a charming informal character [with] never a hint of self-importance despite his great success." And that success was legendary, Lord BLACK said.
"The man started out taking tickets in a cinema in Minnedosa, and he, as of this morning, was the premier figure in the Canadian media. That's quite a career."
Lord BLACK noted that Mr. ASPER "had a reputation, in some circles, for being very litigious [but] I always found him a joy to deal with."
"We never had any difficultly reaching an agreement, and you never had to worry for an instant that the agreement would be followed up by him to the letter. "
Prime▲ Minister▲ Jean▲ CHRÉTIEN issued a statement in which he called Mr. ASPER "a great personal friend and one of the finest and most able individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing."
Ivan FECAN, president and chief executive officer of Bell Globemedia and Chief Executive Officer of CTV Inc., described Mr. ASPER as "a great entrepreneur, a brilliant competitor, and a true original."
Onex Corp. chief executive officer Gerald SCHWARTZ, who was a protégé of Mr. ASPER's and helped found the CanWest empire, said he "left a legacy of pride for his family, a television network for all Canadians, and a business empire for his colleagues. His leadership in the Canadian Jewish community is a loss that will not easily be overcome."
Mr. ELLIOT/ELLIOTT, who has worked with Mr. ASPER for the past four years, described him as "a visionary, but at the same time he was very human and very approachable."
Mr. ASPER's death raises questions about the future of CanWest Global, the conglomerate that owns Southam newspapers, the National Post, the Global television network, specialty television channels, and broadcasting operations in New Zealand, Australia and Ireland.
While Mr. ASPER was chairman of CanWest, he had given up the chief executive officer responsibilities to his son Leonard ASPER in 1999, and retired from day-to-day management responsibilities earlier this year.
His main preoccupations were two charitable foundations, the ASPER Foundation and the CanWest Global Foundation.
Still, Mr. ASPER was seen as the driving force behind the company's strategy, right up to the end.
Some people close to the company said yesterday that Mr. ASPER exercised so much strategic control, even in retirement, that the company could be plunged into turmoil. Operations could be restructured, and new partnerships and financings put in place.
CanWest's Mr. ELLIOT/ELLIOTT said a succession plan has been in effect for "quite some time," and there are unlikely to be any significant changes in the strategy of the company because of Mr. ASPER's death.
"There's a strong depth of long-term management at CanWest at the corporate level," he said.
The CanWest world
Canada
Publishing
-National Post
-CanWest Publications (Incl. 16 daily newspapers and 50 other publications)
Media Marketing and Sales
-CanWest Media Sales
-Integrated Business Solutions
Entertainment - Production and Distribution
-Fireworks Entertainment (film and television production)
Television Broadcasting
-Global Television Network (Incl. 11 television stations across Canada)
-independent stations (Incl. Hamilton, Montreal and Vancouver Island)
-Canadian Broadcasting Corporation affiliate stations (Incl. Kelowna and Red Deer)
-Specialty Television (Incl. Prime TV, Fox Sportsworld Canada, Mystery -45% Xtreme Sports, Men television - 49% Deja View, Lonestar)
Radio Broadcasting
-CJZZ FM Winnipeg
Production Services
-Apple Box Productions (commercial production)
-StudioPost Film Labs (post-production services)
-CanWest Studios (sound stage)
-WIC Mobile Production (live event mobile units)
New Media
-CanWest Interactive
-canada.com Interent Portal
-Financial Post Data Group
-Informart
International
Entertainment - Production and Distribution
-Fireworks Pictures (U.S., feature film distribution)
-Fireworks Television (U.S., television production)
-Fireworks International (Britain, International television distributor)
-CanWest Entertainment
International Distribution
(Republic of Ireland)
New Media
-Internet Broadcasting Systems (U.S. - 18%)
-LifeServ Corp. (U.S. - 25%)
Television Broadcasting
-Five stations in: New Zealand (2); Australia 57.5%; Northern Ireland 29.9%; Republic of Ireland 45%
Radio Broadcasting - New Zealand
-More FM (five stations)
-Channel Z (three stations)
-The Breeze (Wellington)
-4 National FM Networks
Out-of-Home Advertising - Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam
-Eye Corp. (100% owned by Network Ten)

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CHRIS o@ca.on.manitoulin.howland.little_current.manitoulin_expositor 2003-11-19 published
CHRIS CLARK - October 1973 to November 1999
I Remember
The day he was born
His colic in the night
His first taste of cereal
His ability to climb out of his bed
His sneaking up through the bottom of the bed to a warmer place
His first steps
His love of being out of doors
His love for his grandparents
His Friendship with his Cousin Rob
His love of playing in the sand with his Tonka trucks
His way of creating solar calculators from battery ones
The day we brought home his sister
His love of his dog
His first day of school
His love of Lego and building
The lost screw drivers run over by the lawn mower
The missing cars and back road adventure
This car smells like a swamp
Spin marks on the grass
A broken foundation, "It had no brakes, Dad"
Green garage doors that used to be white
Lost tools, "Dad you never had one"
Lost drills, How can it hide in a wall?
Too loud music vibrating china out onto the floor
I remember his good Friends and how they stayed 'til he left
I do remember and I won't forget.
Dad

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CHRISTENSEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-11-01 published
CHRISTENSEN, Janice (Jan) Victoria
Died quietly at home in Sechelt, British Columbia, on Saturday, October 25, 2003. Jan is survived by her three children, Anna, Peter and Erik CHRISTENSEN, their spouses, eight grandchildren and many dear Friends. No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Sechelt Public Library's Adopt-a-Book program would be much appreciated. Send to P.O. Box 2104, 5797 Cowrie Street, Sechelt, British Columbia, V0N 3A0.

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CHRISTENSEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-13 published
HERTZBERG, Deborah (née HARRISON)
Born March 30th, 1927, Kelowna, British Columbia. Died Victoria, British Columbia December 6th, 2003. Survived by her children Anne CHRISTENSEN, Ian and Peter (Susan M'GONIGLE), grandchildren Maggie, Adrian and Hillary HERTZBERG. Siblings: Bob (Marian) HARRISON, Lethbridge, Alberta. Elizabeth (Fred) HERRNDORF, Nepean, Ontario. Predeceased by her brother Peter (Lorna) HARRISON. Navy wife of John, Toy Shop Lady of Oak Bay, tearoom proprietor and author of 'Cooking Above the Treetops' at Kilima, B&B hostess in Metchosin and Sooke. Gathering of family and Friends at Royal Jubilee Hospital Begbie Hall, Victoria, British Columbia. December 27 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, consider planting something special, donating to Sleeping Children around the World (www.scaw.org), or contributing to her memorial bench. Arrangements through First Memorial, 4725 Falaise DriveVictoria, British Columbia V8Y 1B4.

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CHRISTIE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-01-10 published
The castle lights are growing dim
Canadian television icon made his mark as star of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
By John McKAY Canadian Press Friday, January 10, 2003, Page R11
Billy VAN, the diminutive, manic comic actor who starred in Canadian Broadcasting Corporation-Television's Nightcap in the 1960s and The Hilarious House of Frightenstein in the seventies, died Wednesday. He was 68.
Mr. VAN, who had been battling cancer for about a year and had a triple heart bypass in 1998, died at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital, said his former wife, Claudia CONVERSE.
While a familiar fixture on Canadian television for decades, he also worked in the United States on variety shows such as The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The Ray Stevens Show and The Bobby Vinton Show.
Mr. VAN even gained fame for the Colt .45 beer commercials he made for 15 years and for which he won a Clio Award.
But he invariably returned to Toronto in shows like The Party Game, Bizarre with John Byner, The Hudson Brothers Razzle DAzzle Show and Bits and Bytes.
His wife, Susan, said that while he had opportunities in the U.S., Mr. VAN had no regrets about staying in Canada.
"He was quite happy when he came back," she said. "He had the taste of the life down there and [said] 'Okay, that's fine, I'd rather be at home.' "
Ms. CONVERSE agreed that Mr. VAN had been happy with his career and had worked non-stop until his heart bypass.
"I don't know of many Canadians that stay in Canada who get their full recognition," she said. "When he went to the States, definitely. But there isn't a star system in Canada so it's kind of difficult."
Mr. VAN -- then Billy VAN EVERA -- went into show business at the age of 12 and back in the 1950s, he and his four musically inclined brothers formed a singing group that toured Canada and Europe. Most also went on to adult careers in show business.
After his heart surgery, Mr. VAN was semi-retired but continued to do voiceover work for commercials and animated programs. His last major on-screen role was as Les the trainer in the television hockey movie Net Worth in 1995.
Mr. VAN and long-time colleagues Dave BROADFOOT and Jack DUFFY made appearances in recent years to support the fledgling Canadian Comedy Awards.
"I'm all for that enthusiasm," Mr. VAN said about the awards launch in 2000.
"Billy was one of my closest Friends," said Mr. DUFFY, who added that he called Mr. VAN several times a week after he became ill.
"We were sort of buddies under the skin. We got to know each other really well at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and then we worked on Party Game together for a number of years. He was a close friend and I will miss him very much."
Mr. DUFFY said a lot of doors opened for Mr. VAN when he did The Sonny and Cher Show,but he was happy to come home to his native Toronto, where he was born in 1934.
"He came back and we were glad to have him back."
Entertainer Dinah CHRISTIE, with whom Mr. VAN worked on The Party Game for a decade, called him a brave and glorious person.
"He would take on anything and was . . . a totally gracious guy," she said. "I'm just going to miss him like we all are going to miss him. He soldiered through this bloody cancer thing so wonderfully. I knew he was just trying to get through Christmas."
Ms. CHRISTIE said Mr. VAN had some hideous experiences in the U.S. He had seen a man shot to death next to him in a New York hotel, and had his Los Angeles home broken into twice.
"He never felt safe there. And he was such a Canadian that he always felt safe here."
Mr. VAN's picture is on the Canadian Comedy Wall of Fame at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Broadcast Centre in Toronto, along with those of Al WAXMAN, Wayne and Shuster and Don HARRON.
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein starred Vincent PRICE, with Mr. VAN as host and a variety of characters, including The Count, a vampire who preferred pizza to blood and who wore tennis shoes as well as a cape. The hour-long episodes were taped at Hamilton's CHCH-Television and are still seen in syndication around the world.
Nightcap was a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation satirical show that predated Saturday Night Live by a dozen years. Its cast included Al HAMEL and Guido BASSO and his orchestra.
Mr. VAN leaves his wife, Susan, and two daughters from previous marriages, Tracy and Robyn.
A private funeral will be held in Toronto on Monday.
Billy VAN, actor and entertainer; born in Toronto in 1934; died in Toronto on January 8, 2003.

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CHRISTIE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-02-21 published
CHRISTIE, Mary Louise (née HUMPHREY)
Died peacefully of natural causes on February 19, 2003, at the age of 84. She was predeceased by her husband John Donald CHRISTIE (1967,) and her mother Stella HUMPHREY (CHARTERS) (1977.) She was born in Toronto but after her marriage to Jack, considered herself to be a Westerner. She will be greatly missed by a small Corp of dear Friends in Winnipeg and her cousins in Ontario. Donations to the charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family.

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CHRISTIE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-04-11 published
Hockey News co-founder had winning formula
By James CHRISTIE Friday, April▼ 11, 2003 - Page S10
Toronto -- No one was going to get rich from The Hockey News, Ken McKENZIE freely admitted. The wealth he shared was in the information it contained for fans and those in the hockey industry.
McKENZIE who died Wednesday at Trillium Hospital in Mississauga, was co-founder 1947 -- along with Will CÔTÉ -- of the publication that came to be known as hockey's Bible. He was 79.
His son, John McKENZIE, said Ken died suddenly when he went into septic shock following surgery for colon cancer.
Ken McKENZIE and CÔTÉ birthed a magazine that was a landmark in the Canadian periodicals industry -- a sport publication that survived when so many failed and folded. It evolved from a house organ for the National Hockey League -- McKENZIE was originally an National Hockey League publicist -- into an encyclopedic, authoritative publication. The content matured from reprints of stories by hockey beat writers in six National Hockey League towns to exclusive columns by The Hockey News's own editors and writers such as Steve DRYDEN and Bob McKENZIE (no relation,) who could challenge the National Hockey League and international hockey establishment. Ken McKENZIE was presented with the Elmer Ferguson Award for his pioneering role on the magazine's 50th anniversary in 1997 and inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"He loved hockey and sports of all kinds," said John McKENZIE, a correspondent with American Broadcasting Company News in New York. "He had this idea when he was in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He got up on a table in the mess hall and called his buddies around and said 'If I started a hockey paper, would you guys buy it?'
"They all cheered. He started with only $383 and The Hockey News was born."
Ken McKENZIE cited the figure as precisely $383.81 in a 50th anniversary story in The Globe and Mail. He was famed for keeping a close eye on finances down to the penny.
Along with editing associate Charlie HALPIN, McKENZIE operated the paper on a shoestring with a handful of employees. Newspaper beat writers in each team's city were paid only a few dollars.
"When I paid those guys, it was 10 bucks, later on 50 bucks, whatever, it was the going rate," McKENZIE said. "It was always cheap. You weren't going to get rich in this business.... I'd say to a guy, 'You may be big in Calgary or Edmonton or Vancouver, but if you write for this paper, they'll know you all across Canada.' A lot of guys liked that."
As the National Hockey League's publicity director from the 1940s into the late 1960s, McKENZIE developed press and radio guides and had access to teams' statistics and mailing lists. He and CÔTÉ used those to convince almost 4,000 fans to send in $2 each ($3 in the United States) as advance subscription payments to finance the first issue. The circulation was 20,000 by the end of its first year.
The Hockey News under McKENZIE maintained its comfortable relationship with the National Hockey League. McKENZIE bought out COTE's interest in the mid-1960s, then eventually sold 80 per cent of the magazine to New York's WCC Publishing in 1973 for a reported $4-million and the balance in the 1980s. The headquarters moved from Montreal to Toronto and McKENZIE stayed as publisher intil 1981.
He wanted to continue writing and working, rather than retire, and after leaving the hockey paper, he and HALPIN bought into Ontario Golf News. McKENZIE was still associated with the golf paper at his death, said Ontario Golf advertising executive Ted VANCE.
"I know it was first viewed as a house organ, but go through his stuff in the early years and it wasn't strictly milquetoast, said DRYDEN, The Hockey News editor from 1991 to 2002. "He may have had favourites and protected some people. As National Hockey League publicist, he could not be a vociferous critic. But long before the sale of The Hockey News, it was getting an edge to it. In the end, it was a helluva idea."
Added Bob McKENZIE: " Whatever anyone says, it's a good legacy to have started The Hockey News and to see where it's at today." Parent corporation Tanscontinental Publishing said The Hockey News has a paid circulation of more than 100,000.
Ken McKENZIE is survived by his wife Lorraine of Mississauga, four children -- John McKENZIE and Jane Mckenzie KOPEC of New York, Kim McKENZIE in Oakville, Ontario, and Nancy Mckenzie PONTURO in Redding, Connecticut., -- and five grandchildren. His funeral will be 11 a.m., Monday April 14, at St. Luke's Anglican Church on Dixie Road, Mississauga.

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CHRISTIE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-04-21 published
The soul of Canadian basketball
The coach who led national teams to Olympics, world championships, was a well-loved motivator on and off the court
By James CHRISTIE Monday, April▲ 21, 2003 - Page R5
Jack DONOHUE knew how to win. His underdog Canadian basketball teams won games against National Basketball Association-bound superstars -- and Mr. DONOHUE won every heart he touched.
The former national basketball coach and famed motivator was arguably the most beloved figure in Canadian amateur and Olympic sport. Mr. DONOHUE died Wednesday in Ottawa after a battle with cancer. He was 71.
With his trademark New York Irish accent and gift for telling inspirational and humorous stories, Mr. DONOHUE was the soul of basketball in Canada for almost two decades and led the national team to three Olympic Games and three world championship tournaments.
His great players included a high schooler in New York named Lew ALCINDOR (later Kareem ABDUL- JABBAR;) Canadian centres Bill WENNINGTON and Mike SMREK, who went on to get National Basketball Association championship rings with Chicago and Los Angeles respectively Leo RAUTINS, a first-round draft pick of Philadelphia 76ers in 1983; guards Eli PASQUALE and Jay TRIANO, who is now assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors.
"For all he's done for basketball in this country -- not just with the national team, but with clinics and all his public speaking he should get the Order of Canada," Mr. TRIANO said.
Under Mr. DONOHUE, Canadian teams stayed among the top six in the world for 18 years. Canada finished fourth at the 1976 Montreal and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and claimed gold at the 1983 World University Games in Edmonton. In the process they beat a team of U.S. college talents that included future National Basketball Association stars Charles BARKLEY, Karl MALONE, Kevin WILLIS, Ed PINCKNEY and Johnny DAWKINS. The monumental win over the United States came in the semi-final. The gold medal match was just as much a stunner, as Canada beat a Yugoslavian team built with members of the world championship squad.
Globe and Mail columnist Trent FRAYNE recorded how the loquacious Mr. DONOHUE had steered the Canucks to the improbable triumph, making them believe in themselves:
"You've got to appreciate how much talent you have," Jack would say, hunkering down beside a centre or a guard or, every now and then, an unwary newshound (Jack is ready for anybody). "You are unique. Think about that: there's nobody else in the world like you. If you want to be happy, try to make other people happy. Hey, if you want to be loved, you must love others. The way to improve is to do something you have never done. Don't be afraid of your emotions. Let 'em all hang out. Emotions are your generator. The intellect is the governor...."
And now, in the seventh month of July, it has all come about just as Jack promised. On Saturday night in Edmonton, his players, Jack's Guys, hoisted him upon their shoulders, and, for once, Jack's jaw was still. Blue eyes blinking rapidly behind silver-rimmed spectacles, white hair tousled, Jack put the scissors to that final strand and held the net aloft.
Coaching was a passion, not so much for the trophies, but for the human victories, personal challenges and little triumphs.
"I remember my father coming home tired and dirty every night. That's not for me. I love what I'm doing, so it doesn't seem like work and never will," he said.
Since retiring as national coach in 1988, Mr. DONOHUE has been the darling of the motivational speakers' circuit. In that regard, Mr. DONOHUE never quit being The Coach. He urged captains of industry to get the most out of themselves and build teamwork among employees as he did his players.
Often, Mr. DONOHUE told them to find opportunity even in the midst of problems: "It's all a matter of attitude. A guy leaves the house wearing his new, expensive suit for the first time, trips and falls in a puddle. He can get up and curse; or he can get up and check his pockets to see if he caught any fish, " he said in an interview with The Globe and Mail before the Los Angeles Olympics.
Mr. DONOHUE, who was born June 4, 1931, received a bachelor's degree in economics at New York's Fordham University and a master of arts in health education before serving with the U.S. Army in the Korean War. He began teaching in American high schools in 1954 and eventually wound up at New York's Power Memorial Academy, where he coached Mr. ABDUL- JABBAR and amassed a 163-30 record.
He later moved up to Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts., before taking the reins of the Canadian program -- at first coaching both the men's and women's teams. Mr. DONOHUE was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. He is also in the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, and was awarded a Canada 125 medal by the Governor-General.
When the National Basketball Association expanded north into Canada in 1995, Mr. DONOHUE became director of international public relations and director of Canadian player development for the Vancouver Grizzlies.
One of Mr. DONOHUE's proudest times in basketball came when Mr. TRIANO followed in his path as a national coach. At the 2000 Olympics, Canada -- with Steve NASH and Todd MacCULLOCH -- finished with a 5-2 record, defeating mighty Yugoslavia once again, as it had in 1983.
"We talked about everything from how to guard guys on the perimeter to dying. I think he's at peace with it," Mr. TRIANO said of his mentor at a recent Raptor practice.
"He taught with humour," Mr. TRIANO said of Mr. DONOHUE's coaching style. "We learned a lot because we were laughing all the time."
A colourful broadcaster, naming names -- at least pronouncing them correctly -- wasn't one of Mr. DONOHUE's many strengths. He didn't earn the nickname "Jack Dontknowho" for no reason, Mr. TRIANO said. "It was always, 'that guy,' or 'you over there,'" he said. "I've seen him struggle to introduce his kids because he couldn't remember their names. He always told me he liked doing colour for the European teams, because no one knew if he wasn't saying their names right."
He travelled the world, but the dearest sight for Mr. DONOHUE was always his own front door, in Kanata, Ontario, where he spent his last days. Behind that door were wife Mary Jane, his six kids and his grandchildren.
"We're asking you to hug your families, extra special, and we're asking you to enjoy life, because we sure did and we still are," Mary Jane DONOHUE said this week.
Somewhere, the busy coach found time for all he needed to do. He used to keep a block on his desk reminding him that there are 86,400 seconds in a day, time enough if he organized himself. Family was a priority. At least five minutes of Mr. DONOHUE's day had to be reserved for hugging his kids. He was a believer in family and in human contact. In his coaching years, when he returned from a road journey, there would be a lineup awaiting him at home, the kids taking their turns to make up for the lost minutes of hugging during his absence.
"I met him at a dance he didn't go to," Mary Jane DONOHUE said in the pre-Los Angeles Games article. "My girlfriend and I went and he had several Friends who were very up on it. But Jack said he'd rather go to a movie and would meet them later. He came through the door as my girlfriend and I were walking out.
"He asked why we were leaving so soon, and said there were two gentlemen he wanted us to meet. He introduced my friend to one of his, then I asked who the other gentleman was supposed to be. Guess who?"
Mary Jane DONOHUE felt trust instantly. "I could have gone across the country with him that night and felt safe. If he's for you, he's for you all the way."

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CHRISTIE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-11-18 published
Black pride of Canadian track and field
First Canadian-born black athlete to win an Olympic medal was member of relay team at 1932 Los Angeles Games but could find work only as a railway porter
By James CHRISTIE, Tuesday, November 18, 2003 - Page R9
Ray LEWIS's event in Olympic track and field was officially the 400-metre sprint, a flat race. His enduring place in Canadian sport history, however, was earned for hurdling a barrier.
Mr. LEWIS, who died in his native Hamilton at age 94 on the weekend, was the first Canadian born black athlete to stand upon the Olympic medals podium. He won a bronze medal as a member of the Canadian 4 x 400-metre relay at the Los Angeles Games in 1932.
At a time where racial discrimination was the way of the world, Mr. LEWIS didn't get to live a hero's life. Viewed today as a pathfinder for talented black athletes, in the 1930s Mr. LEWIS had to all but quit his athletics training because of the demands of his job as a railway porter with the Canadian Pacific Railways. He spent 22 years on the trains making 250 trips from Toronto to Vancouver. To try and stay fit, Mr. LEWIS would train by running alongside the rails when the train stopped on the prairies.
"He deserved so much more than he ever received," said Donovan BAILEY, who won two gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the 100 metres and 4 x 100-metre relay. "I benefited from his going before.
"I had the honour and good fortune of having lunch with Ray LEWIS and talking with him. I couldn't imagine what it was like in his day. It was so different. Ultimately, he's one who inspired me."
Raymond Gray LEWIS was a Hamiltonian, cradle to grave. James WORRALL, honorary member of the International Olympic Committee and Canada's Olympic flag bearer in 1936, recalled the family roots in the area went back to the 1840s when his great grandparents escaped slavery in the United States and settled near Otterville, Ontario
The youngest child of Cornelius LEWIS and Emma GREEN, Ray LEWIS was born October 8, 1910, at 30 Clyde St. He began running races for fun at age 9 when he entered as contest at a local picnic. He began formal training in track and field at Central Collegiate where the autocratic John Richard (Cap) CORNELIUS was his coach. In 1929, he established a Canadian high-school track-and-field record of four championships in one day, taking the dashes at 100, 200, and 440 yards as they were measured then, and anchoring the one-mile relay. In 1928 and 1929, Mr. LEWIS was part of the Central relay team that won the United States national schoolboy title.
He briefly attended Marquette University in Milwaukee but returned to Canada during the Depression and joined the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Besides his Olympic medal performance with teammates Phil EDWARDS, Alex WILSON and Jimmy BALL, Mr. LEWIS was also a Canadian champion several times and competed in the inaugural British Empire Games in 1930 in Hamilton and the 1934 Empire Games in London. where he won a silver medal in the mile relay. Mr. EDWARDS was actually the first black athlete to win an Olympic medal for Canada in 1932, getting the 800-metre honour about a half-hour before the relay with Mr. LEWIS. Mr. EDWARDS, however, was native of British Guyana, while Ray LEWIS was a local.
Mr. LEWIS, who in 2001 was awarded the Order of Canada, had a life-long attachment to the Empire Games, later renamed the Commonwealth Games. He was an adviser to the bidders who recently sought the 2010 Games for Hamilton and vowed that if the Games were coming back, he'd be there to greet them at the official opening at age 100. The Hamilton bid lost out last week to one from New Delhi, India. He lit the torch during the opening ceremonies at the International Children's Games in Hamilton July 1, 2000.
Mr. LEWIS wrote an autobiography entitled Shadow Running in which he detailed his life "as porter and Olympian." He was featured in a 2002 TVOntario documentary series on racism, Journey to Justice. "It [racism] felt worse here, because it wasn't supposed to happen here," he recalled in the video.
Whereas white athletes had an opportunity for coaching jobs after their careers, Mr. LEWIS did not. His position as a porter was one of the few jobs open to men of his race.
"The first time I met him, the Canadian team was on its way to Fort William, Ontario, for the Canadian championships in 1933. They travelled by Pullman and Ray was the porter. He couldn't get the time off to compete. But he did make the 1934 Empire Games team and was presented to the Prince of Wales, something that was a point of honour for him. He felt it was something to rub into all those people who had kept him off teams and out of places because he was black," Mr. WORRALL said.
Mr. LEWIS married Vivienne JONES in 1941, and they adopted two children, sons Larry and Tony.

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CHRISTIE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-12-01 published
'Curtain up, laugh, laugh, laugh, curtain down'
Versatile comic actor appeared in a string of hit revues, as well as at the Shaw and Stratford festivals, in London and on Broadway
By Allison LAWLOR, Special to The Globe and Mail Monday, December 1, 2003 - Page R7
At the mere mention of his name some people would just start giggling. In fact, wherever the wonderfully comic actor Tom KNEEBONE went there was laughter. He loved not only to make other people laugh but also to let out his own deep laugh, which Friends say seemed to start in his gut and make its way up through his body, gathering force as it went.
"Tom could make me laugh longer and harder than anyone else," said Gary KRAWFORD, a long-time friend who first worked with him in the mid-1960s. "He was without a doubt the funniest man I've ever met in my life."
Mr. KNEEBONE, who has been described by some critics as one of the world's top cabaret performers, died in a Toronto hospital on November 15 after suffering a heart attack and other complications. He was 71.
The versatile performer appeared for many years at the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival of Canada, where during the 1976 season he played Puck opposite Jessica TANDY in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He also performed at London's Old Vic, the Charlottetown Festival and on Broadway. He was a guest with the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada, a company he greatly admired.
Toronto audiences may remember him best for the string of hit revues he performed with Dinah CHRISTIE, which included Ding Dong at the Dell, The Apple Tree and Oh Coward! "I was absolutely in awe of the man," Ms. CHRISTIE said, recalling the first time they performed together 38 years ago.
They developed an enduring partnership that resulted in appearances across the country performing everywhere from cabarets to big concert halls with symphony orchestras. In Toronto, they performed together at Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. Over the years, working with Mr. KNEEBONE became like "working with kith and kin," Ms. CHRISTIE said.
"We made each other laugh," she said, adding that they worked so well together because they were complete opposites.
While Mr. KNEEBONE was happy living and working in the big city, Ms. CHRISTIE feels more at home on her farm in rural Ontario with her animals and open space.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, on May 12, 1932, Mr. KNEEBONE later moved to England to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After graduation, he went with the company on a 1963 North American tour. When the tour folded in New York, Mr. KNEEBONE went out looking for work. He travelled to Toronto and joined the Crest Theatre Company, where he got a job performing in a production of She Stoops to Conquer. He later starred with the Canadian comic actor Barbara HAMILTON in the hit revue That Hamilton Woman. The road was paved for him after that and, as he was quoted as saying, it was 40 years of "curtain up, laugh, laugh, laugh, curtain down."
Over the years, several critics remarked on Mr. KNEEBONE's unique facial features. Walter KERR in The New York Times once wrote: "His eyes are all right, but I think his nose is crossed."
In Time magazine, comparisons were made between Mr. KNEEBONE, Pinocchio and Charlie Brown. "With leprechaun whimsy, and a pace as assured as the Dominion Observatory Time Signal, his major weapon is a wonderfully mobile face that he seems never to have grown accustomed to. Small wonder," the writer wrote. "His features might have been drawn by a child. Eyes like silver dollars, a nose that wobbles to a Pinocchio point, and a mouth tight and tiny as Charlie Brown's when he is sad."
The moment the sun came up in the morning, Mr. KNEEBONE was up and out of bed, opening his curtains and declaring: "Let's get on with the show," his friend Doug McCULLOUGH recalled. "You cannot take the theatre out of Tom," Mr. McCULLOUGH said. "Tom was always on stage."
Mr. KNEEBONE was never without a story to tell, whether it was a tale about the crazy person who gravitated to him on a Toronto subway or a character he met while performing in a small town. "Everything had a theatrical dimension," Mr. McCULLOUGH said.
In recent years, Mr. KNEEBONE turned his attention toward writing and directing plays for the Smile Theatre Company. Once again he and his long-time friend Ms. CHRISTIE were collaborators. Together they brought professional theatre to senior citizens' homes, long-term care facilities and hospitals. Mr. KNEEBONE had been the company's artistic director since 1987.
Known for his extensive research, he spent hours combing through books and old musical recordings at libraries and theatrical museums collecting information to use in his productions. He charmed all the librarians at Toronto's public libraries, Ms. CHRISTIE said.
He loved the process of gathering Canada's little-known stories, whether it was the tale of a war bride or the country's first black doctor, and then bringing them to audiences. He also saw it as a way to give something not only to people whose health prevented them from getting to the theatre, but to the country that has accepted him so warmly when he arrived.
Despite his writing and directing, he never stopped performing. Just weeks before he died, Mr. KNEEBONE and Ms. CHRISTIE performed some of Noël Coward material together for a benefit.
"He was one of the masters of Noël Coward," Mr. Krawford said.
In addition to his stage work, Mr. KNEEBONE performed in film and television, including the movies The Luck of Ginger Coffey and The Housekeeper.
A proud Canadian, Mr. KNEEBONE was honoured by his adopted country with the Order of Ontario, and was named a Member of the Order of Canada in October, 2002.
He leaves his cousin, Robert GIBSON, in Australia.

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CHRISTMAS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-05-29 published
CHRISTMAS, Patricia
Died peacefully, at Sandringham Hospital, Victoria, British Columbia, on Sunday, May 18, 2003. She is survived by her son Robin and her life partner, Art FISHER. Born Patricia Ethel POITIER in London, United Kingdom July 13, 1920, she came to Canada in 1948 with her husband actor Eric CHRISTMAS and two sons, Robin and Stephen. She enjoyed a life-long love of the theatre and successfully toured as part of a two- woman show in the fifties. She held court at 15 Beech Avenue in Toronto for many years, serving as a beacon for a generation of artists and young people. Her sharp wit and joie de vivre will be sorely missed.

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CHRISTOFFERSEN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-07-09 published
Per Trond CHRISTOFFERSEN
Born in Trondheim, Norway in 1924, died at home in Tsawwassen, British Columbia Wednesday, July 2, 2003 after a short illness, aged 79. Beloved husband of Susan and father of Christine (Mukesh) JOEL and Vivian HARVEY. Grandfather of Indiana, Sean and Thomas Christopher and Sophie. A good, kind, gentle, and compassionate man who loved life and greeted each day with joy. Per only saw the best in people. A prominent and talented Structural Engineer, Per was a founding partner of Read Jones Christoffersen. He joined the firm in 1951, served as President and Chairman, and remained passionately involved in the practice until his final months. The world is a poorer place with his passing, and he will forever be held dear in our hearts. A Memorial Service to celebrate Per's life will be held at Saint Mary's Kerrisdale Church, 2490 West 37th Avenue, Vancouver, on Wednesday, July 16, 2003 at 2 p.m. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made in Per's memory to the Delta Hospital Foundation.

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CHROM o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-01-03 published
Virtuoso possessed 'nerves of steel'
Ontario trumpeter and music professor renowned for his recordings and his mentoring
By Sol CHROM Friday, January 3, 2003, Page R11
He could make his trumpet sing like an angel, but he was not above taking a hacksaw to it. When Erik SCHULTZ died of cancer last month at the age of 50, Canadian music lost a virtuoso player, a teacher and mentor, a prolific recording and performing artist, and a man renowned among colleagues as a consummate professional.
A member of the music faculty at the University of Western Ontario, Prof. SCHULTZ also made several concert tours of Europe and founded an independent recording label for Canadian musicians. He held positions with Canadian orchestras in Calgary, Hamilton, London, Ontario, Toronto, and Windsor, Ontario He also established an international reputation with an extensive repertoire of recordings of his own, specializing in music of the Baroque period.
Prof. SCHULTZ's musicianship and professionalism were noted by numerous colleagues, both in academia and in the performing arts. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcaster Keith HORNER, who worked on several recordings and radio programs with him, recalled his "bright, clear, ringing tone." Mr. HORNER praised Prof. SCHULTZ for his expertise with the piccolo trumpet, which he described as a very difficult instrument to master.
"It requires nerves of steel," he said. "With Erik, you didn't hear the work in it. He made it sound effortless -- and that was all smoke and mirrors, because it takes a great deal of physical effort."
Prof. SCHULTZ may have been known best for a series of albums he recorded with organist Jan OVERDUIN. The recordings were made in Kitchener, Ontario, and in Germany, and were issued both on vinyl and on compact disc. The two musicians first teamed up in Europe, where they were both touring in the mid-1980s, setting the stage for a collaboration that lasted until Prof. SCHULTZ's death.
In an interview from Waterloo, Ontario, Prof. OVERDUIN recalled his colleague as an enthusiastic participant in all kinds of musical events, both amateur and professional. "He would just transform the whole experience," Prof. OVERDUIN said. "There were times when I just stood in awe -- he'd be communicating with the audience on a level that was just beyond us."
Prof. OVERDUIN also cited his friend's commitment to musicianship, often displayed under rather trying circumstances. On one European tour, a delayed flight to Portugal saw them arrive in Lisbon with very little time to prepare for a concert. The difficulty was heightened by the fact that both musicians had gotten quite sick and had to find a doctor in Lisbon who could prescribe antibiotics.
And many performances in Europe, Prof. OVERDUIN said, were staged in old churches wherein the temperature or tuning of the organ posed their own special challenges. Since the organs couldn't be moved or modified, Prof. SCHULTZ would have to make adjustments to the pitch of his trumpet. Frequently this would require him to carry extra mouthpieces or lengths of tubing, but even that wasn't always enough.
"One day he had to get a hacksaw and physically saw out a piece of the trumpet," Prof. OVERDUIN recalled. "These were historic organs -- I would have a wonderful time, but it could be difficult too. [Sometimes] they would have weird historical temperaments, but he would adjust immediately."
Prof. SCHULTZ's commitment to music extended beyond his own career, however. In 1993, he and his father started IBS Recordings, a label for independent Canadian artists, eventually releasing more than three dozen titles. Flutist Fiona WILKINSON, one of Prof. SCHULTZ's colleagues at University of Western Ontario, recorded for the label as a member of the Aeolian Winds, and praised him for his generosity. Having established his own international recording career with the German label EBS, she said, he used IBS to support and nurture the initial careers of Canadian musicians. "He would interview and audition artists and take on projects that he felt deserved to be known."
"He positioned it as a discovery label," Mr. HORNER said. "He was ambitious -- he was looking for a recording studio so that he could have some control over sound quality."
Prof. WILKINSON also praised Prof. SCHULTZ for his collegiality. He raised the bar for the people he worked with, she said, acting as a role model for students and colleagues. "He had incredibly high standards. Everything he touched had to meet them."
But Prof. WILKINSON also remembered Prof. SCHULTZ for his sense of humour, and the real-world experience he brought to his teaching and academic work. "He knew what it was like to be 'out there,' " she said, "and he brought that back to the students."
Even with his illness, Prof. SCHULTZ never lost his enthusiasm for performing.
"He lost his voice, and couldn't talk on the phone, but he could still play," Prof. OVERDUIN recalled, noting that Prof. SCHULTZ still played at convocations last June. "It hurts me to think we'll never play again."
Erik SCHULTZ leaves his wife Kelly, his children Daniel, David and Nicole, and two sisters.
Erik SCHULTZ, musician and teacher; born in Hamilton, Ontario, August 29, 1952; died in London, Ontario, December 1, 2002.

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