Bill Loewen
Encyclopedia
William H. "Bill" Loewen is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and political activist in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, Canada
.
Loewen was raised in Elkhorn
, Manitoba, and later moved to Winnipeg. His wife Shirley Loewen is a prominent figure in the Winnipeg arts community. His nephew John Loewen
is a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
. He was named to the Order of Canada
in 1999. In 2008 he was inducted into the Winnipeg Citizens Hall of Fame - Winnipeg Free Press 17 September 2008.
. He launched the payroll cheque company Comcheq Services in 1968 on an investment of $15,000, and turned the company into a national success. Comcheq's revenue was $24 million in 1990, and it had 453 workers. Loewen was named Manitoba Executive of the Year in May 1990.
He sold the company to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
in 1992, and expressed disappointment when the CIBC sold it to an American firm in 1998. He retained control of a division called TelPay
, and used this entity to secure a customer's electronic bill-paying contracts with many financial institutions including National Bank of Canada
in 1999. Telpay Inc. was named "innovator of the year" by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce in 2004, and received the Distinguished Treasury Award from the Treasury Management Association of Canada (TMAC) the following year. He spoke against bank mergers in 1998, arguing that Canadian banks were already too large and powerful.
Winnipeg Mayor Susan Thompson
appointed Loewen to head the Winnipeg Millennium Committee in 1997. In this capacity, he was responsible for planning events for the city's millennium festivities.
In November 2007 he was appointed to the Canadian Payments Association Bill Payment Task Force, a committee set up to respond to complaints that bill payment processing in Canada is too slow.
On November 9, 2010 he was presented with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba, "Winnipeg Free Press" 9 November 2010.
deal with the United States of America in 1988. He formed the Business Council for Fair Trade, and argued that the deal would undermine Canada's sovereignty. Testifying before a parliamentary committee, he said "You're proposing a deal under which I, as a businessman, can prosper - but I must become an American to do so." Loewen supported the Liberal Party of Canada
in the 1988 federal election
, and appeared at a Winnipeg campaign rally with party leader John Turner
. He later supported Lloyd Axworthy
's aborted bid to lead the Liberal Party in 1990, and opposed plans for a North American Free Trade Agreement
the following year.
The Liberal Party announced its support for NAFTA in 1991. Loewen subsequently left the party, and become president of the newly formed National Party of Canada
in 1992. This centre-left party supported economic nationalism, and was led by Mel Hurtig
. Loewen donated four million dollars for the party to run candidates in the 1993 federal election
, and was himself a candidate in the riding of Winnipeg South Centre
. He finished fifth against Axworthy, the Liberal candidate. The National Party did not win any seats.
The National Party suffered an internal split in 1994, with Hurtig and Loewen leading rival factions. Hurtig resigned as party leader at an acrimonious executive meeting in February 1994, but later retracted his resignation. Loewen's faction refused to recognize the retraction, and held that Kurt Loeb was the party's duly recognized interim leader. Hurtig and Loewen accused one another of undermining the party, and traded insults in the press.
The two factions went to Ontario court in March 1994, to determine which side would have access to the party's $480,000 election rebate provided by the federal government. The presiding judge determined in favour of Hurtig's faction. Loewen subsequently issued a short book entitled "National Party of Canada, The First 14 Months", in which he criticized Hurtig as an autocratic leader. Hurtig subsequently defeated Loeb in an official leadership convention, at which time Loewen called for the vote to be made unanimous to demonstrate party unity. The divisions continued, however, and Hurtig resigned the leadership permanently in August 1994. The party fell apart a few weeks later.
Party members subsequently launched several legal challenges to keep the National Party, and attempted to recover $610,000 in unaccounted funds. Neither attempt appears to have been successful. He remained an opponent of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Deal throughout the 1990s. In 1999, he appeared at a panel discussion led by Paul Hellyer
of the newly formed Canadian Action Party
.
following government cuts in the 1990s, and served as president and chairman of its Board of Directors at different times. Loewen was given the orchestra's "Golden Baton Award" in 1998. He wrote a piece commemorating the orchestra's fiftieth anniversary in 1999, and drew attention to new music from the young Manitoba composer Glenn Buhr.
Loewen resigned from the board in June 1999, to express his displeasure over recent policy decisions. He subsequently accused the WSO leadership of financial mismanagement. He rejoined the executive in the mid-2000s, and was listed as WSO Treasurer in January 2005.
Loewen has provided extensive funding to the Pantages Playhouse Theatre, and donated one million dollars to the Manitoba Choral Association in 1998. In 1999 and 2000, he led a successful movement to turn Winnipeg's former Bank of Commerce building into a multi-use non-profit centre. The building was reopened to the public in 2002. Loewen has also been a benefactor of "Project Loophole", a group which sought to ensure that a prominent wealthy Canadian family paid its fair share of taxes. He himself rejected suggestions that Canada's richest citizens are overtaxed.
Loewen assisted Bud Ulrich in his efforts to start a Canadian Professional Hockey League in 1995.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Loewen was raised in Elkhorn
Elkhorn, Manitoba
Elkhorn is a village in southwestern Manitoba, Canada.Incorporated on January 2, 1906, it is located approximately 105 kilometers west of Brandon. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Wallace.-History:...
, Manitoba, and later moved to Winnipeg. His wife Shirley Loewen is a prominent figure in the Winnipeg arts community. His nephew John Loewen
John Loewen
John Loewen is a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1999 to 2005 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons in 2006 and 2008 as a Liberal...
is a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
. He was named to the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1999. In 2008 he was inducted into the Winnipeg Citizens Hall of Fame - Winnipeg Free Press 17 September 2008.
Businessman
Loewen is a chartered accountantChartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
. He launched the payroll cheque company Comcheq Services in 1968 on an investment of $15,000, and turned the company into a national success. Comcheq's revenue was $24 million in 1990, and it had 453 workers. Loewen was named Manitoba Executive of the Year in May 1990.
He sold the company to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is one of Canada's chartered banks, fifth largest by deposits. The bank is headquartered at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario. CIBC's Institution Number is 010, and its SWIFT code is CIBCCATT....
in 1992, and expressed disappointment when the CIBC sold it to an American firm in 1998. He retained control of a division called TelPay
TelPay
TelPay Incorporated is Canada's largest independent electronic payment processor, serving hundreds of financial institutions and thousands of businesses and consumers. Last year, TelPay moved 21 million payments worth $12 billion...
, and used this entity to secure a customer's electronic bill-paying contracts with many financial institutions including National Bank of Canada
National Bank of Canada
National Bank of Canada is the 6th largest bank and 8th largest financial institution in Canada. The bank's headquarters are in Montreal, Quebec....
in 1999. Telpay Inc. was named "innovator of the year" by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce in 2004, and received the Distinguished Treasury Award from the Treasury Management Association of Canada (TMAC) the following year. He spoke against bank mergers in 1998, arguing that Canadian banks were already too large and powerful.
Winnipeg Mayor Susan Thompson
Susan Thompson
Susan Ann Thompson was the 40th mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was the first female to serve as mayor of Winnipeg and served two terms as mayor and held this post from 1992 to 1998.Thompson graduated with a BA from the University of Winnipeg in 1971...
appointed Loewen to head the Winnipeg Millennium Committee in 1997. In this capacity, he was responsible for planning events for the city's millennium festivities.
In November 2007 he was appointed to the Canadian Payments Association Bill Payment Task Force, a committee set up to respond to complaints that bill payment processing in Canada is too slow.
On November 9, 2010 he was presented with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba, "Winnipeg Free Press" 9 November 2010.
Political activism
Loewen was a vocal opponent of Canada's proposed free tradeFree trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
deal with the United States of America in 1988. He formed the Business Council for Fair Trade, and argued that the deal would undermine Canada's sovereignty. Testifying before a parliamentary committee, he said "You're proposing a deal under which I, as a businessman, can prosper - but I must become an American to do so." Loewen supported the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the 1988 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
, and appeared at a Winnipeg campaign rally with party leader John Turner
John Turner
John Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
. He later supported Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM is a prominent Canadian politician, statesman and University President from Manitoba. He is best known for having served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien...
's aborted bid to lead the Liberal Party in 1990, and opposed plans for a North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
the following year.
The Liberal Party announced its support for NAFTA in 1991. Loewen subsequently left the party, and become president of the newly formed National Party of Canada
National Party of Canada
The National Party of Canada was a short-lived Canadian political party that contested the 1993 federal election. The party should not be confused by an earlier and unrelated National Party that was founded in 1979.-Formation:...
in 1992. This centre-left party supported economic nationalism, and was led by Mel Hurtig
Mel Hurtig
Mel Hurtig, is a Canadian publisher, author, political activist and former political candidate.He was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He is the former president of the Edmonton Art Gallery.-Businessman and Publisher:...
. Loewen donated four million dollars for the party to run candidates in the 1993 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, and was himself a candidate in the riding of Winnipeg South Centre
Winnipeg South Centre
Winnipeg South Centre is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1979 and since 1988.-Geography:...
. He finished fifth against Axworthy, the Liberal candidate. The National Party did not win any seats.
The National Party suffered an internal split in 1994, with Hurtig and Loewen leading rival factions. Hurtig resigned as party leader at an acrimonious executive meeting in February 1994, but later retracted his resignation. Loewen's faction refused to recognize the retraction, and held that Kurt Loeb was the party's duly recognized interim leader. Hurtig and Loewen accused one another of undermining the party, and traded insults in the press.
The two factions went to Ontario court in March 1994, to determine which side would have access to the party's $480,000 election rebate provided by the federal government. The presiding judge determined in favour of Hurtig's faction. Loewen subsequently issued a short book entitled "National Party of Canada, The First 14 Months", in which he criticized Hurtig as an autocratic leader. Hurtig subsequently defeated Loeb in an official leadership convention, at which time Loewen called for the vote to be made unanimous to demonstrate party unity. The divisions continued, however, and Hurtig resigned the leadership permanently in August 1994. The party fell apart a few weeks later.
Party members subsequently launched several legal challenges to keep the National Party, and attempted to recover $610,000 in unaccounted funds. Neither attempt appears to have been successful. He remained an opponent of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Deal throughout the 1990s. In 1999, he appeared at a panel discussion led by Paul Hellyer
Paul Hellyer
Paul Theodore Hellyer, PC is a Canadian engineer, politician, writer and commentator who has had a long and varied career. He is the longest serving current member of the Privy Council, just ahead of Prince Philip.-Early life:...
of the newly formed Canadian Action Party
Canadian Action Party
The Canadian Action Party is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1997. It promotes Canadian nationalism, monetary and electoral reform, and opposes neoliberal globalization and free trade agreements.- Background :The Canadian Action Party was founded by Paul T...
.
Philanthropist
Loewen is a prominent financial supporter of the Winnipeg Arts Community. He donated $100,000 to the Winnipeg Symphony OrchestraWinnipeg Symphony Orchestra
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its primary concert venue is the Centennial Concert Hall, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba.-History:...
following government cuts in the 1990s, and served as president and chairman of its Board of Directors at different times. Loewen was given the orchestra's "Golden Baton Award" in 1998. He wrote a piece commemorating the orchestra's fiftieth anniversary in 1999, and drew attention to new music from the young Manitoba composer Glenn Buhr.
Loewen resigned from the board in June 1999, to express his displeasure over recent policy decisions. He subsequently accused the WSO leadership of financial mismanagement. He rejoined the executive in the mid-2000s, and was listed as WSO Treasurer in January 2005.
Loewen has provided extensive funding to the Pantages Playhouse Theatre, and donated one million dollars to the Manitoba Choral Association in 1998. In 1999 and 2000, he led a successful movement to turn Winnipeg's former Bank of Commerce building into a multi-use non-profit centre. The building was reopened to the public in 2002. Loewen has also been a benefactor of "Project Loophole", a group which sought to ensure that a prominent wealthy Canadian family paid its fair share of taxes. He himself rejected suggestions that Canada's richest citizens are overtaxed.
Loewen assisted Bud Ulrich in his efforts to start a Canadian Professional Hockey League in 1995.