Building Communities Through Public Service

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The Coril Group and its predecessor companies have a long and storied history of contributing to the development and on-going vibrancy of the communities associated with their various offices and operations. Over the years, those contributions have taken many forms, ranging from both direct and in-kind donations to those same communities, to sponsorships of local institutions, or even to volunteer support for local kids sports teams. There is, however, at least one type of indirect contribution made by people associated with our Group to society, generally, that has arguably gone largely unnoticed. Those contributions take the form of former employees of our Group who have elected to leave our Group, either permanently or temporarily, to pursue public service. Most significantly, this would include employees who chose to bravely and unselfishly serve our great country through military service. It would also include, however, those who chose to leave our Group to pursue elected office or senior positions in government.

One among the many who, consciously or unconsciously, used his time with our Group as a stepping stone to public service was The Honourable E. Peter Lougheed, who served in our Group in a legal capacity from 1956 – 1961. He would later recall to others that his training in that role ultimately proved invaluable to his service as Alberta’s 10th Premier from 1971 to 1985.

In a similar vein was the service within our Group of Lieutenant General, The Honourable Stan Waters, who served in senior leadership roles in the Group from 1975 to 1989. Shortly after retiring from the Group, he became, in 1990, Canada’s first elected official to be appointed as a Senator (representing Alberta) in Canada’s parliament.

It is also worth noting that the transfer of skills acquired within our Group to public office was not just a one-way exchange. As evidence, one need look no further than the appointment of The Honorable Mr. Jim Prentice to the Board of Coril Holdings Ltd., first in 2012 and again in 2016. Those appointments followed, respectively, the completion of more than six years (2004 – 2010) of distinguished service as a Federal Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister, and his subsequent service as Alberta’s 16th Premier.

These remarkable individuals represent just three of many accomplished Canadian public servants who attributed at least some of their personal and professional development to their service in our Group of Companies. No less important, although perhaps lower profile, are the countless other talented men and women of our Group who ultimately went on to serve in elected office at the Municipal, Provincial and Federal levels of Government across the great, and proudly democratic, nation we are all blessed to call home.

Kevin B – Coril Holdings Ltd.