System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Izzy Asper, Media mogul/Philanthropist
August 11, 1932 - October 07, 2003
Entrepreneur and visionary, I.H. "Izzy" Asper, Executive Chairman, CanWest Global Communications, has died at the age of 71 years. He was admitted to St. Boniface Hospital Tuesday morning.
With him were his wife Babs, his sons David and Leonard, and his daughter Gail.
No cause of death was stated.
His children often worried about his health.
He underwent bypass surgery 20 years ago and in recent years his family leaned on him to lose weight and eat better.
He entered broadcasting in 1974 when CanWest was awarded a license to operate CKND-TV in Winnipeg.
The company has since grown to embrace The Global Television System in Ontario; STV, Regina; STV, Saskatoon; UTV, Vancouver; CIHF-TV1, Halifax/Dartmouth and CIHF-TV2, Saint John, as well as TV operations in Australia and New Zealand.
Global has become the key building block of today's CanWest Global Communications Corp., his vehicle in the $3.2-billion takeover of the Southam newspapers in 2000, the media-convergence thrust that made Mr. Asper a household name.
Prior to becoming actively involved in broadcasting, he spent several years in the legal profession in Manitoba and Canada.
A law graduate of the University of Manitoba, he was called to the Bar in 1957, and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1975.
From 1970 to 1975, he was the Leader of the Liberal Party in Manitoba, and was elected twice to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.
He had served on the Boards of several leading companies as Chairman of the Board, and has participated in a wide variety of community services and charitable and philanthropic undertakings.
Over the years, he has been the recipient of several awards - notably among them, in 1992, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon Award for Broadcast Excellence; in 1979 the University of Manitoba Alumni Jubilee Award for the "Outstanding 25-Year Graduate"; in 1993 the B'Nai Birth International Award of merit.
In 1993 he established "The Asper Foundation", of which he serves as President - a Canadian charitable organization for philanthropic donations.
He was inducted into the CAB Broadcast Hall of Fame in 1995.
He was also known as a philanthropist, giving millions of dollars to universities and hospitals.
