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A Contributions Chronicle
From sponsoring hockey and ballet to supporting research and education, Imperial has been contributing to the Canadian community for more than a century by Catherine Teasdale |
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IT WASN'T EASY TO FIND, but it's there: a reference in the Imperial Oil archives to the company's first corporate donation, a grant given in 1894 to help Sir Wilfred Grenfell establish a "seamen’s mission" to serve fishing communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Providing medical services, schooling and care for orphans, the Grenfell mission not only helped improve the lives of seafaring families in the region, but marked the beginning of a tradition of giving at Imperial that has continued through the years. Tracing the story of Imperial's contributions is a fascinating endeavour, for it is in many ways a reflection of an evolving Canada. As the needs and priorities of the nation changed with the times, so too did Imperial's contributions. In yellowed ledgers, fading photographs, handwritten correspondence, board minutes spanning more than a century, and various other items, the story unfolds. A letter from 1923 thanks the company for helping the northern Ontario town of Cochrane during a typhoid epidemic by providing nurses and fresh milk. A plaque commemorates a trust fund set up by Imperial employees in the early days of the Depression to be "devoted to humanitarian purposes" beyond the company. Bob Taylor-Vaisey, Imperial's archivist, recalls other company contributions that speak of different stages in our collective past. In 1953, when the country's attention was focused on enriching the cultural life of Canada, now that the Second World War was long over, Imperial provided funds, for example, to help establish the Stratford Festival. A decade later, when the environment was emerging as a key public issue, the company supported the founding of the National-Provincial Parks Association. Over the years, Imperial has contributed to thousands of charitable and non-profit initiatives in almost every area of Canadian life. "Supporting Canadian communities, helping them to meet important needs, has helped define Imperial," says Barbara Hejduk, president of the Imperial Oil Foundation. "The company has had the privilege of being involved in the development of so many tremendous undertakings that have played a role in shaping and enriching Canadian life. And it's not just the corporation itself that has provided support, but also employees and annuitants, through thousands of hours of volunteer work as well as through financial contributions." Last year, of Imperial's $2.7 million contribution to the United Way, Hejduk points out, $1.7 million was contributed directly by employees and annuitants, many of whom also volunteer with organizations supported by the United Way. The following is a sample of Imperial's giving over the years. The Halifax Explosion On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbour, causing a devastating explosion that killed more than 1,900 people and destroyed more than 1,600 homes. At the time, Imperial was building a refinery in nearby Dartmouth, and 800 company workers were living in temporary camps near the building site. Many rushed to the city to help in the rescue effort. A number of the camps were turned into temporary hospitals; more than 150 injured or homeless people were cared for. The company also provided an immediate $10,000 to support the relief work. Sarnia Road Construction In 1918, Imperial constructed a paved road for the city of Sarnia, Ont. At the time, mud roads were the norm but were proving a challenge for the automobile. City residents came out en masse to the opening ceremony, where the mayor announced that Sarnia now had "a stretch of pavement that is second to none on the continent of America." |
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| Imperial Oil Hour of Fine Music In 1928, at a time when families gathered around the radio to listen to favourite programs, the company began sponsoring The Imperial Oil Hour of Fine Music, a series of 26 hour-long concerts of classical music that were broadcast across the country over a network of radio stations from Montreal to Vancouver. To perform the concerts, the company formed a symphony orchestra, which featured many of the country's most accomplished musicians. The Sarnia Imperials While Imperial and hockey are inextricably linked, the company has historical ties to football. In 1929, the corporation began funding the Sarnia Imperials football team, which included 23 employees from the Sarnia refinery. The team won the Grey Cup in both 1934 and 1936. Employee Trust Fund Imperial celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1930, at a time when the country was in the grips of the Great Depression. To commemorate the anniversary, employees contributed $37,000 to establish a trust fund to be "employed for philanthropic purposes outside the company." For 22 years, interest from the fund was used to support various worthwhile causes selected by employees. The fund was liquidated in 1952 and shared by charities in each province. Depression Relief In August 1931, the company began a program to provide help to "ex-employees who, owing to curtailment of operations, were without work." Many of the former employees had worked in Alberta's Turner Valley and found themselves without work once the oil boom there ended. As part of the relief effort, food hampers were distributed – each included, among other things, 28 pounds of beef or pork and up to 100 pounds of potatoes. |
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Imperial Oil Hockey Broadcasts By the time the Second World War started, the Imperial-sponsored Hockey Night in Canada radio broadcasts were a staple of Canadian life. To bring a touch of home to Canadian troops stationed in England, the company sponsored the making of special recordings of the hockey broadcasts, which were transmitted to England and played over Britain's BBC network the day after the actual game. Farm News A quarterly publication that provided information on such topics as eliminating waste, maintaining proper drainage and preventing soil erosion, Farm News was established by Imperial in 1946 to encourage better land-use practices among farmers. The publication was to run for 16 years. Canadian Film It was after the Second World War that the Canadian film industry began to come into its own, and Imperial played a part, sponsoring a number of films, including The Loon's Necklace in 1952. This now classic Canadian film, along with Newfoundland Scene and Seasons, which were also sponsored by Imperial, won Film of the Year honours at the annual Canadian Film Awards. Sarnia Tornado On May 21, 1953, a tornado hit the city of Sarnia, causing $5 million in damage to business and residential areas. Imperial made its facilities available to assist the stricken city and provided free gasoline to those operating repair equipment. Employees worked day and night, helping in the relief effort. They also helped out financially, contributing $10,000 through the Joint Industrial Council. University Research Awards Fifty years ago, Imperial introduced the University Research Awards (URA) program, which provides annual grants to support research in areas of interest to the company at Canadian universities. Over the years, hundreds of research projects at universities across the country have been supported through the URA program. Place des Arts Montreal's Place des Arts officially opened in 1963 with an inaugural concert by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Zubin Mehta and Wilfrid Pelletier. Imperial contributed $20,000 toward the construction of the new arts complex, which is now home to a number of internationally known groups, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and l'Opéra de Montréal. |
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| Canadian Wildlife Federation In 1963, Imperial provided $3,000 to help establish the Canadian Wildlife Federation, which is dedicated to protecting "Canada’s wild species and spaces." Today, the organization is among the country's largest nonprofit, non-governmental conservation groups. Saturday Night In October 1974, Saturday Night magazine suspended publication. Unless it could raise $300,000, Canada's oldest magazine (founded in 1887) would have to fold. Imperial donated $100,000 to help save the magazine, which was back on the newsstands the following spring and continues to be published today. Nature Conservancy of Canada It was in 1969 that Imperial made its first contribution to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which works to acquire land in order to protect sensitive ecosystems. The contribution helped the conservancy acquire the Cavan swamp and bog, a wetland near Peterborough, Ont. In 2004, Imperial committed to contribute $140,000 to the organization over four years to support the educational component of a project aimed at conserving 100 islands in the St. Lawrence River. Shaw Festival By the 1970s, the Shaw Festival, which had been founded in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., in 1962, had outgrown its first venue, the 385-seat Town Hall theatre. A $25,000 contribution from Imperial supported the construction of the Festival Theatre, which opened in 1973 and was able to accommodate not only larger audiences but large-scale productions. Amateur Swimming Imperial became an Olympic trailblazer in 1978, when it announced it would provide $3 million in sponsorship funds for amateur swimming in Canada. This sponsorship played a significant role in helping Canada's Olympic swim team, which included Alex Baumann, Victor Davis and Anne Ottenbrite, reach its potential and win 10 medals (including four gold) at the 1984 Olympics. Newcomers To mark its 100th anniversary in 1980, Imperial commissioned a television series, a book and a ballet, all of which shared the title Newcomers and celebrated Canada's immigrant past. The National Ballet of Canada created and presented the ballet version. Imperial has continued to support the National Ballet through the years, today through Esso Kids Tours and Open Houses. Esso Medals and Certificates of Achievement Believing that Canada's favourite sport could help develop positive personal qualities, Imperial introduced the Esso Medals and Certificates of Achievement program in 1981. The medals and certificates honour minor league players throughout Canada for sportsmanship, dedication and improvement as well as achievement. Over the years, more than two million medals and certificates have been given out. |
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The Learning Partnership With the aim of channelling widespread business support for public education into focused programs for schools, The Learning Partnership was founded in 1993 by 25 Canadian business, education and community leaders, including Robert Peterson, a former chairman of Imperial. The organization currently sponsors a dozen programs, ranging from Words on Work, which brings successful professional women into schools to talk to students about education and life choices, to the Imperial-sponsored I3 (Investigate! Invent! Innovate!), through which grade 7 and 8 students design and create a working model of a device that has useful application. Safe Communities Foundation A national organization "dedicated to making Canada the safest country in which to live, learn, work and play," the Safe Communities Foundation was established in 1996. Imperial has been supporting the organization since its early days, and currently Jim Levins, former director of safety, health and environment for Imperial, is chair of the Safe Communities Foundation. |
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Canadian Hockey Association In 1998, Imperial began its sponsorship of the Canadian Hockey Association (now Hockey Canada) and through it Canada's national men's and women's hockey teams, which won gold medals at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. The company continues to support Hockey Canada and the country's national hockey teams today. Ice Storm In January 1998, a devastating ice storm struck southwestern Quebec and parts of eastern Ontario, leaving many areas without power for days. Emergency shelters were set up, and volunteers jumped into action. To support their efforts, Imperial provided $30,000 in Esso gift certificates to be given out by local mayors to volunteers using their own vehicles to help in the relief effort. The company also provided $10,000 to the Red Cross to support relief efforts in eastern Ontario. SARS When SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) broke out in Toronto in 2003, visitors stayed away and businesses suffered. In May, after the initial outbreak was over, Imperial launched the weekend-long Celebrate Toronto campaign to help bring visitors to the city and revitalize business. The price of regular unleaded gasoline was reduced to 49.9 cents a litre for the weekend at all participating Esso service centres, and five cents for every litre sold (a total of $250,000) was contributed to the Ontario Hospital Association to fund research into improved protective wear for health-care workers. |
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| Imperial Oil Centre for Oil Sands Research In 2004, the company announced its largest-ever contribution, a $10 million grant to the University of Alberta to establish a new research facility called the Imperial Oil Centre for Oil Sands Innovation. The mandate of the centre, which is administered by the university's faculty of engineers, is to find more efficient, economically viable and environmentally responsible ways to develop Canada's oil-sands resources, one of the largest crude oil deposits in the world. |
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Photography: Robert Lear |
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