Jon Grant, one of Peterborough’s most eminent citizens who became a folk hero among environmentalists, has passed away.
The retired businessman, environmentalist, volunteer, and philanthropist died Wednesday (November 27) at the age of 89.
Grant was one of the first business leaders in Canada to embrace the concept of environmentally conscious decision-making and earned a reputation during his career for speaking out against workplace practices and environmental waste.
After graduating from Western University’s Ivey Business School in 1970, Grant worked as a marketing official for a variety of food companies, including Weston Foods Ltd. and Nabisco Ltd. of Toronto.
According to a 2002 story in the Globe and Mail, Grant gave a speech to a group of marketing executives in 1970 in which he criticized businesses that had “near-sighted” and “timid” workplace practices, citing a company that forced a computer expert to work at night because officials were uncomfortable with his long hair, earrings, and unusual clothes.
In 1976, Grant was appointed CEO of Quaker Oats of Canada in Peterborough, a position he held until he retired in 1994. He was known for his commitment to improving the company’s environmental practices, including by reducing packaging waste by 75 per cent and by introducing office recycling programs.
During and after his time at Quaker Oats, Grant served on a number of corporate and public boards, and remained active in environmental and conservation work. As chair of the Ontario Round Table on the Environment and Economy in the early 1990s, Grant helped to convince corporate Canada that sustainable development and environmental stewardship lead to more profitable business plans.
He also chaired the Nature Conservancy, the Ontario Biodiversity Council, and Canada Lands, was a founding supporter of the Georgian Bay Land Trust, was vice-chair of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a director of Pollution Probe, a trustee of the World Wildlife Fund of Canada, and was a commissioner of the Canadian Polar Commission, working to ensure that the interests of Indigenous peoples remained at the forefront of efforts to protect the delicate Arctic ecosystem.
A lover of the outdoors, Grant was an avid mountain hiker and canoeist who paddled many of Canada’s northern rivers with his wife and “best friend” Shelagh Grant, an award-winning author and historian who was part of the original team involved in the founding of The Canadian Canoe Museum and a long-time volunteer.
The couple continued to support the museum over the years, with Jon serving on the museum’s board of directors, until Shelagh died in 2020 at the age of 82. In 2022, the Grant family donated $250,000 towards the new museum in her honour.
In addition to his environmental and conservation work, Grant had a 17-year tenure as a director of CCL Industries (including 10 as chair) and was a member of several corporate boards, for many of which he held the position of chair, including Scott Paper, Laurentian Bank, Atlas Cold Storage, and Agricore United (as vice-chair).
He was chair of Trent University’s board of governors and governor emeritus, was a chair of the Bagnani Trust, was a founder and trustee of the T.H.B Symons Trust, and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1991.
In 2002, Grant was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and received the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals in 2002 and 2012. As fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, Jon and Shelagh were jointly awarded the Bernier Medal in 2017.
“Jon and Shelagh both travelled the world for business, Jon’s environmental activities, and Shelagh’s Arctic lectures, but they always came back home, whether in Peterborough, their Island retreat at Pointe au Baril in Georgian Bay, or their Tremblant log cabin nestled in the trees of the Rivière Diable,” reads an obituary from the Grant family.
“After Shelagh’s passing, Jon and his dear friend Beth McMaster [the founding chair of Showplace Performance Centre’s board of directors] thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company when attending the theatre, during frequent dinners out, and at special events.”
Grant is survived by his three children, Susan Grant (Bob Fitzgerald), Debbie Aben (Mike), and David Grant (Cécile Gambin), and his six grandchildren, Chelsea and Alex, Michael and Sean, and Sébastien and Luc.
The family will be holding a private funeral and, in the new year, will be hosting a celebration of life at The Canadian Canoe Museum. Those interested in attending the celebration of life should email the Grant family at jongrantmemorial@gmail.com for more information.
In lieu of flowers, the Grant family encourages donations to Hospice Peterborough.
