James C. Temerty, C.M.
James C. Temerty, C.M. is the founder and chairman and largest shareholder of Northland Power Inc. (TSX: NPI).
Mr. Temerty began his career at IBM, holding various marketing and senior management positions over the course of 15 years. After leaving IBM, Mr. Temerty owned and operated the world’s largest chain of Computerland franchises and also guided Softchoice Corporation to its position as a leading North American provider of technology solutions and services.
Capitalizing on his entrepreneurial spirit, skills and business experience, in 1987 Mr. Temerty established Northland Power, one of Canada’s first independent power producers. In 1997, the private company spun off its largest power plant into a public income trust fund, Northland Power Income Fund. In 2009, the income fund merged with the private corporation into the existing public corporation, Northland Power Inc.
Mr. Temerty’s successful entrepreneurial career has been recognized by the community in various ways, the most distinguished of which, was being was awarded the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Canada in 2010.
In addition to Mr. Temerty’s successful business ventures, he is a very active philanthropic member of his community locally, nationally and abroad. Mr. Temerty’s passion for giving back and helping others has been exhibited through his contributions of time, funding and guidance to the charitable and non-profit sector.
Mr. Temerty has served on various boards over the years, including the Royal Ontario Museum Board of Governors, Chair of the Royal Ontario Museum Board of Governors, Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Kyiv Mohyla Business School in Kyiv, board member of Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation, Co-chair of the Havergal Campaign, Director of the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation and Founding Chairman of the National Advisory Council for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, to name a few.
Mr. Temerty has supported numerous charitable causes, both directly and through his foundation, the Temerty Foundation, which he founded in 1997. Both Mr. Temerty and the Temerty Foundation have made significant contributions in support of healthcare, medical research, education, culture, and childrens’ health and well being. Amongst the many projects Mr. Temerty has supported through the Temerty Foundation are his instrumental roles in the opening of the world’s largest Breast Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Hospital, the opening of a treatment facility at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health which engages in research and provides alternative treatments for depression and other mental illnesses, and leading the Renaissance ROM $300M campaign which helped transform the Royal Ontario Museum and build a strong foundation for its future.
Mr. Temerty maintains and fosters strong connections with his Ukrainian heritage and is devoted to numerous causes in the Ukrainian Community across Canada and in Ukraine. In keeping with his connection to his Ukrainian heritage, Mr. Temerty founded the charitable organization, Ukrainian Jewish Encounter Initiative, whose mission is to deepen the understanding of the breadth, complexity, and diversity of Ukrainian-Jewish relations over the centuries, with a view to the future.
Mr. Temerty has been recognized for his generous philanthropic endeavours with many distinguished honours. In 2007, Mr. Temerty was awarded the Shevchenko Medal by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. In 2008, he was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada award in recognition of his contributions to society. Mr. Temerty received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 to honour him for his contributions to his country. In 2013, Mr. Temerty was the first recipient of the
Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Medal, an award established to recognize contributions to the cause of Ukrainian-Jewish Understanding and Cooperation. He was honoured in 2015 by Ukrainian President Poroshenko with Ukraine’s Order of Yaroslav the Wise which is the highest tribute Ukraine can confer to a foreign citizen who has not been a head of state. In 2015, Mr. Temerty and his wife were bestowed with Ryerson University’s highest award, a joint degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, in recognition of their successes and contributions to the community.
Mr. Temerty continues his philanthropic contributions to his community in his current role as a member of The Royal Conservatory of Music board of directors and his support of the Temerty Scholarship program to aid new talented musicians.