Charles Alexander Allard (November 19, 1919August 11, 1991) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

surgeon, entrepreneur, and broadcaster, who set up the Canadian radio station

CHQT CHQT (880 kHz, ''Global News Radio 880 Edmonton'') is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Edmonton, Alberta. Owned by Corus Entertainment, the station broadcasts an all-news format. CHQT broadcasts with a power of 50,000 watts, using a no ...

and

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

's independent television station

CITV-TV CITV-DT (channel 13) is a television station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, part of the Global Television Network. The station is owned and operated by network parent Corus Entertainment, and maintains studios on Allard Way Northwest in the Pl ...

, and was also the founder of the Bank of Alberta,

Allarcom WIC Western International Communications Ltd. (or WIC) was a Canadian media company that operated from 1982 to 2000, with operations including broadcast and specialty television, radio, and satellite distribution via a majority interest in Can ...

, and the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

. He was also the fellow of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Canada The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (french: Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada) is a regulatory college which acts as a national, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to o ...

, chief of staff at the Edmonton General Hospital, and posthumously inducted in the CAB Hall of Fame in 1996.

Life

Charles Allard was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1919, and graduated from high school in Edmonton. He received his medical degree from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

in 1943, and went on to complete his postgraduate studies in surgery at the

Montreal General Hospital The Montreal General Hospital (MGH) (french: Hôpital Général de Montréal) is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada established in the years 1818-1820. The hospital received its charter in 1823. It is currently part of the McGill University ...

;

Lahey Clinic The Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, formerly known as the Lahey Clinic, is a physician-led nonprofit teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine based in Burlington, Massachusetts. The hospital was founded in Boston in 1923 by sur ...

, Boston;

Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal The Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) (french: Hôpital Royal Victoria), colloquially known as the "Royal Vic" or "The Vic", is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It forms the biggest base hospital of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), ...

; and

Children's Memorial Hospital of Montreal Montreal Children's Hospital (french: Hôpital de Montréal pour enfants) is a children's hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1904, it is affiliated with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University, Faculty of ...

. He was appointed the chief of staff of the Edmonton General Hospital. Allard passed away in Edmonton, in 1991 at the age of 72.

Enterprises

Allard has had a diverse range of entrepreneurial efforts spanning medicine, broadcasting, banking, and sports and entertainment. In 1965, Allard founded the Edmonton radio station CHQT, and western Canada's first independent TV station, CITV-TV, in 1973. He co-founded Paris Investments, which was later renamed Allarco Developments, and became one of the largest real-estate companies in Canada. He was the founder, chairman of the board, and director of Alberta Gas and Chemicals. Dr. Allard was the founder, chairman of the board, and director of International Jet Air. He was one of the founders of Bank of Alberta, which went on to become the

Canadian Western Bank Canadian Western Bank (CWB; french: Banque canadienne de l'Ouest), also operating as CWB Financial Group, is a Canadian bank based in Edmonton, Alberta. The bank serves clients both in Western Canada and in other provinces. The CWB Financial Gr ...

. He consolidated his media interests into

which was sold to

Western International Communications WIC Western International Communications Ltd. (or WIC) was a Canadian media company that operated from 1982 to 2000, with operations including broadcast and specialty television, radio, and satellite distribution via a majority interest in Can ...

in 1991. In 1971, he founded the hockey team, the

, then a participant in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

, with notable players that included

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

Honours and awards

Allard was the recipient of multiple honours, including: * Canadian Business Hall of Fame (inducted 1995) *

Canadian Association of Broadcasters The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) is a trade association representing the interests of commercial radio and television broadcasters in Canada. It is co-located with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council in Ottawa. It was first e ...

Broadcast Hall of Fame (inducted 1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allard, Charles 1919 births 1991 deaths 20th-century surgeons Businesspeople from Edmonton Canadian mass media owners Canadian surgeons Edmonton Oilers executives