Avie Bennett, (January 2, 1928 – June 2, 2017) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of First Plazas, a real estate development company that built retail

strip mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

s in Canada. Bennett also served as the tenth chancellor of

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

Work history

In 1985, he acquired the Canadian publishing company,

McClelland & Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann. ...

Inc. In 2000, he donated his shares, 75% of the company, to the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. In 1991, he purchased Hurtig Publishers, publisher of the

Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available ...

, and the children's book publisher

Tundra Books In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...

from May Cutler in 1995. He was also chairman and president of First Plazas Inc., (his commercial real estate company), The Canadian Publishers; chair of the Historica Foundation of Canada; and president of the International Readings at Harbourfront."Publisher, philanthropist, real estate developer Avie Bennett dead at 89"
''Toronto Star'', Alyshah Hasham June 3, 2017

Honours

Avie Bennett received a Doctor of University (D.U.) from the University of Ottawa in 1997 and a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) from the University of Toronto in 1995. In June 2004, Bennett was made a

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

(D.Litt.) at York University He was the tenth chancellor of

from 1998 to 2004. After leaving the position, he was chancellor emeritus and a member of the board of directors of the York University Foundation. In recognition of his support of York University, the Student Services Centre at York's Keele campus was renamed the Bennett Centre for Student Services in 2006. In 2003 he was appointed chair of The Historica Foundation of Canada. The

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Bev ...

appointed him an honorary chair of the board of trustees in 2004. In 1991 he was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

, promoted to Officer in 1997, and promoted to Companion in 2003. In 1996, he was awarded the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official Award, honour in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the A ...

. He has received honorary degrees from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

, the

and York University.

References

* * *

External links

Bennett
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

, Historica Canada, 2020 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Avie 1928 births 2017 deaths Canadian businesspeople Chancellors of York University Companions of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Businesspeople from Toronto