Gail Asper

Gail Sheryl Asper OC OM (born 1960) is a Canadian heiress, philanthropist, and corporate lawyer.[1] Daughter of the media magnate Izzy Asper, she serves as the president and a trustee of the Asper Foundation.

Gail Asper

OC OM
Born
Gail Sheryl Asper

(1960-05-28) 28 May 1960
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Manitoba
Occupations
TitlePresident of the Asper Foundation (since 2003)
Political party
Spouse
Michael Paterson
​
(m. 1984)​
Parents
Relatives

She is known for bringing to Winnipeg, Manitoba, the $351-million Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR)—the first national museum in Canada to be established outside of the capital region, and whose image now adorns Canada's $10 bill as of 2018. The Asper Foundation itself is the private charitable organization that spearheaded the establishment of the CMHR.[2] On 26 August 2008, the Harper government appointed Asper to the board of trustees of the CMHR.[3]

She was associated with the Liberal Party of Canada and the Manitoba Liberal Party.[4] In 2021 she contributed $3,000 to the campaign of Manitoba conservative Heather Stefanson.[5]

Early life and family

Gail Sheryl Asper was born on 28 May 1960 in Winnipeg, Manitoba,[4] to the entrepreneur and philanthropist Izzy Asper and Babs Asper.[3][6] As Jewish Canadians, Asper was taught of Jewish history and Israel from her parents, who were strong believers in such. In 1974, a year after the Yom Kippur War, Gail visited Jerusalem and its Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, which she said had a great impact on her.[7]

Asper attended Kelvin High School,[4] where she graduated in 1978.[8] She then attended the University of Manitoba, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1984.[4] She married Michael Paterson in 1984,[4] with whom she had two sons.[6]

Career

In 1984, Asper articled with Halifax-based law firm Cox, Downie & Goodfellow.[4] The following year, she was called to the Nova Scotia bar,[9][10] and subsequently practiced corporate and commercial law as an associate lawyer in Halifax with Goldberg & Thompson until 1989.

In 1989, she joined her father's firm, CanWest Global Communications Corp., as in-house counsel and later as corporate secretary.[11] In 1990, she was called to the Manitoba bar.[10] In 2002, she became President of the Asper Foundation, a private charitable foundation established by her parents.[3][6]

Following the death of her father in 2003, Asper, her siblings, and the Asper Foundation adopted responsibility for development of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which her father had only announced to the public months prior. At this time, then-Prime Minister Jean Chrétien had already committed $100 million towards the project with Israel Asper. To go forward with developing the museum in 2004, Gail Asper formed an advisory council of such people as former Prime Ministers Chrétien and Brian Mulroney, Scotiabank CEO Rick Waugh, actor Ben Kingsley, and journalist Michaëlle Jean (later the Governor General of Canada), among others.[2] On 26 August 2008, Asper was appointed to the board of trustees of the CMHR by the Stephen Harper government.[3][8]

In 2018, Asper, along with her family and husband Michael Paterson, announced that they would match $1,000,000 of donations to IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA), an internationally unique freshwater laboratory in northwestern Ontario where Paterson worked as a research scientist.[12][13] Also that year, Manitoba Opera created The Gail Asper Award to honour "exemplary leadership of those outstanding individuals who translate vision into reality and in doing so, make the world a better place."[14]

The 2019 Canadian film Stand! credited Asper as an executive producer, marking her first credit on a motion picture.[15]

Asper's work has included championing the Jewish-Canadian community and supporting the state of Israel. She, with the Asper Foundation, established a $400-million Jewish history museum in Tel Aviv, the World's Jewish Museum, intended to celebrate Jewish history and success as opposed to entirely focusing on the Holocaust.[7]

In 2021, Asper opposed a city initiative to limit vehicular traffic on Winnipeg's Wellington Crescent in favour of pedestrians and cyclists, citing a personal enjoyment of car rides through the wealthy neighbourhood.[16][17]

Board memberships

Asper serves and has served on the boards of numerous corporate and not-for-profit groups.[6]

  • From 1991 to 2010, she was a member of the board of directors of Canwest Global Communications Corp.
  • From 1998 to 2008, she was a member of the board of Great-West Lifeco, and its subsidiaries.
  • She co-chaired the $11-million endowment campaign of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (RMTC), which followed a $6-million capital campaign also co-chaired by Asper. She also served on the board and as President of the RMTC.
  • In 2002, she was the campaign chair for that year's Winnipeg United Way Campaign and was a President of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Winnipeg.
  • In 2005, Asper joined the board of directors of the National Arts Centre Foundation, being its chair from 2013 to 2017. Today (as of 2021), she serves on its finance committee.
  • She served as chair of Winnipeg's Combined Jewish Appeal campaign of Winnipeg for two years
  • For numerous years, she served on the board of directors of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg
  • From 2003 to 2015, she led the $150-million national capital campaign for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights's private-sector campaign, and currently (as of 2021) sits on the boards of the CMHR and the Friends of the CMHR.
  • She currently (as of 2021) serves on the executive of the board of governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Accolades and recognition

Asper has received various community service and humanitarian awards:

References
  1. Sarner, Robert (7 April 2018). "Canadian Heiress Throws Millions into Massive Tel Aviv-Based Jewish Hall of Fame". The Times of Israel. Jerusalem. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  2. MacKenzie, Lindsay (7 December 2020). "'I Just Work for Her': CEO Gail Asper, Coal and Canary Founder Talk Challenges Facing Female Business Leaders". CBC News. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  3. "Gail Asper". University of Winnipeg. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  4. Lumley, Elizabeth, ed. (1997). Canadian Who's Who. Vol. 32. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8020-4996-4. ISSN 0068-9963. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  5. "Heather Stefanson's campaign donor list a who's who of Winnipeg's business elite". CBC. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  6. "Gail Asper, O.C., O.M., LL.D., President and Trustee". Winnipeg, Manitoba: Asper Foundation. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  7. Asper, Gail (Spring 2019). "Gail Asper". UM Today: The Magazine. Interviewed by Barnard, David. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  8. "Gail Asper". Kelvin History. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  9. "Gail Asper". Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Barristers' Society. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  10. "Gail S. Asper". Canadian Law List. Toronto. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  11. Edge, Marc (2007). Asper Nation: Canada's Most Dangerous Media Company (PDF). Vancouver: New Star Books. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-55420-032-0. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  12. "Dr. Michael Paterson, Gail Asper and Family to Match $1,000,000 of Donations to IISD Experimental Lakes Area" (Press release). Winnipeg, Manitoba: International Institute for Sustainable Development. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  13. "Ontario's Unique Experimental Lakes Area Receives Matching Donation of up to $1M". CBC News. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  14. "The Gail Asper Award". Winnipeg, Manitoba: Manitoba Opera. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  15. Gail Asper at IMDb
  16. "Letters to the City of Winnipeg Regarding Closure of Wellington Crescent to Pedestrians". City of Winnipeg. 10 June 2021.
  17. Rutgers, Julia-Simone (11 June 2021). "'Open Streets' Drive Wellington Crescent Residents Crazy". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  18. "Gail Asper". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  19. "Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba".
  20. "Ms. Gail Asper". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  21. "Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada" (Press release). Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  22. "Alumni win Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award". UM Alumni. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
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