Business women
Elizabeth Arden	(Real name Florence Nightingale Graham).  Born Woodbridge, Ontario December 31,  1884 Died 1966. She left Woodbridge Ontario for the bright lights of New York City when she was 25 years old.   After working as secretary at a cosmetic firm she decided that she would work in the cosmetic business herself. The rest is history.  Along with her rival, Helena Rubenstein, she made make-up acceptable to the average North American woman. You can see for yourself all the various products her company makes at most large department stores cosmetic sections.
Vicki Lynn Bardon	Born Halifax, Nova Scotia June 27, 1947. After studying at Acadia University in Nova Scotia she continued her studies at the the New York School of Interior Design. Returning to Canada she used her artistic skills and combined them with business acumen and founded the highly successful Shuttles and Seawinds of Nova Scotia Ltd in 1973. The stores sold designs with a Canadian maritime flavour and soon expanded to central Canada. For her work she has received the Design Canada Award in 1974, The Tommy Award from the American Painted Fabrics Council in 1978, and the Commemorative Medal of the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Federation 1992. She is married and is mother of three children.
Sonja Bata	née Wettstein Born Switzerland. She was of a well to do historical family in Switzerland and as a student she studied architecture. She was active in community activities , establishing the first Swiss Rotary Club and working for the Red Cross. In 1946 she married shoe business magnate Thomas Bata who brought her to Canada. She helped her business and life partner husband rebuild his family shoe business into one of the world's largest after the devastation of World War two. In 1979 she created the Bata Shoe Foundation for research and study of the history of footwear. In 1995 the Bata Shoe Museum was founded. They both worked on numerous foundations including the National Design Council of Canada and the World Wildlife Fund. Her knowledge of 5 languages is a help with all the travel for work, volunteerism and pleasure. They both received the Order of Canada and in 2003 the Retail Council of Canada gave both a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Susan Riva Bellan.	Born July 5, 1952. An import and retail executive she showed promise of achievement early in life with achievements in music at the Winnipeg Music Festival 1968. She would work early in the field of small business and enterprise and use her knowledge and experience to write a book, Small Business and the Big Banks. (1995) Combining an interest in world crafts where is the owner/manager of Frida Craft Stores. She is also a mother of a family of three.
Jalynn Riva Bennett	Born March 12, 1943. Earning her B.A. degree at the University of Toronto in 1965 but even with degree in hand she was only hired to answer the telephone at the Manufacturers Life Company in 1965. While the company held interviews for young men with B.A.'s to be professionals interviews for women were only for clerical positions. Since first breaking into the workforce, she has had a varied career that has included being a member of the Trent University Board of Directors, a Director at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, an executive at Sears Canada and Canwest Global Communications Inc. In 1989 she took on being president of Jalynn H. Bennett Associates. She was one of the 6 women to become the first women members of the exclusive men's only York Club and the first woman to be a member of the Toronto Club. March 4, 200 the National Post Newspaper declared her to be one of the Power of 50 : Canada's most influential women.
Martha Billes.	Born September 7, She studied sciences at the University of Toronto but had more of an interest in business. She has worked her way to become the Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Tire. She is also married and has one son. In 1996 she was the Entrepreneur of the Year. In 1997 she bought out her two brothers from the family business. She envisions future beyond her native Canada with perhaps expansion to China and South America. She received an honourary doctorate from Ryerson University in 2002.  Dr. Billes has striven for the creation of, and is the Chairman of, the Canadian Tire Foundation for Families, an organization that is dedicated to helping families in times of crisis. She is a trustee of the Calgary Emergency Women’s Shelter Endowment Fund and has also served as a member of Sunnybrook Medical Centre Foundation. She has served on the boards of several other public corporations. Dr. Billes is the Honourary Consul Emeritus, Southern Alberta region, for the Republic of Chile. A firm believer in encouraging entrepreneurship and in 1996 through 1998 she has been a Judge, Entrepreneur of the Year, Prairie Region; in 2001, Ontario Region; and in 1998, a National Judge, Entrepreneur of the Year. When she is not working, Dr. Billes enjoys theatre, gardening and bicycling. Not unexpectedly, she is an accomplished handyman.
M.A. "Jill" Bodkin	née Madsen Born Belleville, Ontario June 18, 1943. She studied foreign languages at the University of Alberta and enjoys speaking English, Russian, French and Spanish and is considering learning Mandarin. She helped to negotiate Canada's historic auto pact with the United States, played a pivotal role in EXPO 86 and founded the British Columbia Securities Commission and was the first woman deputy minister (Consumer and Corporate Affairs) , responsible for financial institutions. She currently heads up Golden Heron Enterprises as CEO. In 2004 she was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the Association of Women in Finance.
Micheline Charest	Born United Kingdom 1953. Died April 14, 2004. She and her partner Ronald Weinberg were the founders of Cinar Films Inc. in 1976 and it became, an award-winning animation company producing such popular children's Television shows as Arthur and Caillou. At one time the Hollywood Reporter named her to the top twenty most-powerful women in Hollywood. In 1993 she was awarded the Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year. and in 1994 she was the Outstanding Achievement Award winner for Women in Television and Film. In 2000 there were sever financial problems and the two were ousted from the company and fined 1,000,000 dollars each while baring them from managing any Canadian company for five years. She died during recovery from complications experienced during recovery from some plastic surgery.
Erminie J Cohen.	Born July 26, 1926. For some 50 years she has been  respected businesswoman  of the Saint John business community. In 1991 she received a Certificate of Appreciation for distinguished service to the community from the United Nations Association. She is married and has three adult children. She was the first woman to be elected president of her synagogue. As a result of her work she was elected National Vice President of the Hadassah WIZO Organization of Canada.  She was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1993.
Thérèse de Couagne	Born January 18, 1697.  Died February 26, 1764. She married Francois Poulin de Francheville in 1718 and was a widow in 1733. She became interested in business after her husband's death.  She would be known as an astute business woman and played an active role in New France economy.  She was the owner of the slave Marie Joseph Angelique. It was this slave who while trying to cover her escape would set fire to the widow's house in 1734 and the fire would get out of control burning much of the settlement.
Sarah Debbois.	Born December 29, 1733. She married successful merchant, George Debbois and raised a family. As loyalists or people who had left the colonies in the United States because they were still loyal to the British monarchy, her family relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia. When her husband died in 1799 she assumed supervision of his business. She was somewhat of a novelty in Halifax society and the business survived difficult times. She provided a solid foundation for the business which continued as a family business into the 19th century.
Rita Deverell	Born 1945. She started in television when she helped create a successful children's show, All in a Tube in 1972. Her career has encompassed being an on-air journalist, a producer, a university professor , a social activist and visionary television pioneer. In 1988 she was one of the founders of the world's firs multi-faith and multicultural enterprises of its kind...VISION TV. She has mentored the careers of visible minorities and aboriginal hopefuls. She assures positive portrayal of women of all ages on VISION TV. Her work has been diversified from Obsidian Theatre to the Couchiching Conference of Public Affairs. In 1993 she was included in Maclean's Roll of Outstanding Canadians. She has received the Canadian Black Achievement Award and is a member of both the Broadcast Hall of Fame and the Order of Canada.
Denise Donlon	Born 1956. She entered broadcasting in 1985 when she joined MuchMusic. In 1997 she had worked her way up the corporate ladder to Vice president and general manager of MuchMusic. She was instrumental in taking the company to an international audience. In 2000 she accepted a position as President of Sony Music Canada. She has won two Gemini Awards, the Peter Gzowski Award of Merit, 3 times she has received Canadian Music Week's Broadcast Executive Award and she has received the Outstanding Achievement Award from Women in Films and television. Shift Magazine 1998 listed her as one of the top 25 most important people in New Music. In 2002 she was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and in 2005 she was appointed a Member in the Order of Canada.
Marie-Geneviève Drapeau	(née Noel) Born Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly, Quebec January 13,1766. Died November 17, 1829. She married Joseph Drapeau in 1782 but became a widow with his death in 1810.  As a wife she had no rights nor power but as a widow she had the same rights as an adult male. This was a law entitled Coutume de Paris. She took over the family businesses and rented out houses, businesses and lands. The monies were invested in real estate. She was a well known and respected business personality of her day. Upon her death her estate was divided evenly among her 6 daughters who ably continued the family businesses.
Celia Duthie	Born Vancouver, British Columbia. She studied English literature at the University of British Columbia. She began her working career as a social worker and wrote poetry for release. Eventually she returned home to the family business, Duthie Books Ltd. She automated the business and increased the total number of book stores in Vancouver to 10 outlets. The company also publishes The New Reader, a quarterly journal of book Reviews which has run for over 20 years
Flora McCrae Eaton	Born Omemee, Ontario 1881. Died July 9, 1970. As a young woman she trained as a nurse. In 1901 she married Sir John Craig Eaton and turned her energies to philanthropic works. She would dedicate herself to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Institute for the Blind and children's welfare. As a businesswoman she was a director of the T. Eaton Co. and Vice-President and director of the Eaton Knitting Co. This busy mother of four sons also found time to pen a autobiography, Memory's Wall (Toronto 1956) which was to be a legacy for her grandchildren.
Marie Anne Fornel	Born August 26, 1704. Died November 16, 1793.She was a woman of the merchant class. She and her husband would have 14 children but only seven would survive infancy. In this era of New France it was typical for a woman to continue in the family business after the death of a husband. When she became a widow in 1745 she took over the family business interests to assure the support of her family. She showed a strong business sense entering the pottery business when the war cause a shortage of shipments from France. She was successful in several ventures including real estate and she expanded her affairs throughout the community and even into Labrador.
Julie Frost	Died October 3, 2002. She worked in radio in Red Deer Alberta, and Dawson Creek, British Columbia before moving and settling in Saskatchewan. In 1957 she and her husband, Bill founded C J F B - TV in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. She was more than 'just' owner and general manager and is described as a true pioneer of independent broadcasting. The station signed over to CBC only in May 0f 2002. She was also extremely committed to her community. She created the Kinsmen Telethon in Saskatchewan. Now called, Telemiracle, it is recognized nationally for the tens of millions of dollars that it has raised for individuals with disabilities.
Lois Hole	Born Buchanan, Saskatchewan 1929. Died January 7, 2005. She moved to Edmonton in her early teens. It was here that she would meet her husband Ted and in 1952 they purchased their farm. By 1960 they had diversified into a vegetable and mixed garden business and by 1979 the incorporated as Hole's Greenhouses and Gardens Ltd. Their business would grow into one of the largest retail greenhouse operations in western Canada. An advocate of education she was a member of the Governing Council of Athebasaca University. She also worked on the Farm Credit Corporation, was honourary chair for the 27th Canadian Congress on Criminal Justice and for the Children's Millennium Fund. She also served as a board member of the Canadian Heritage Garden Foundation, the Child and Adolescent Services Association and the Quality of Life Commission. In 1999 Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed her as Alberta's 15th Lieutenant Governor. She is the second woman to hold this position. In her spare time, Mrs. Hole managed to publish several books on gardening as well as being a regular contributor to several newspapers across Canada. This in-between being an  in demand and popular  lecturer throughout North America. She was also appointed to the Order of Canada.
Susannah Oland	Born England Born 1798(?) Died 1886. Susannah and her husband John immigrated to Canada from England in the 1860’s.She first brewed her brown October ale in her back yard in Nova Scotia in 1867.  By the 1870’s Susannah found herself a single parent with 6 children to care for. She renamed her small brewing business to S. Oland and Sons to hide the fact that a woman was in charge of the company. She proceeded to build the company into the dominant brewer of beer in the Maritimes. She used her own personal recipe for her beer, a recipe which is still the base for the beer produced in the company that is the owner of the Oland beer label today. Moose Head Beer is  enjoyed across Canada.
Janice G. Rennie	Born June 29, 1957. She describes herself as a self employed financial consultant. She won numerous scholarships and awards for her university studies. She won the Commerce Cup from her peers and in 1980 she won the Provincial gold medal and the national silver medal from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. She is also giving of her time and talents to her community having worked with the YMCA and the United Way campaigns. She is married and mother of two children.
Charlotte Francoise Juchereau de Saint Denis	Comptesse de Saint-Laurent. Baptized February 4, 1660. Died December 28, 1702. In 1702 she purchased the Ile d'Orleans becoming the Comptesse. She was a strong business personality of New France. She was also the mother of 16 children. Check out her story in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Marie Saint Pierre.	Born August 25, 1961.  Her enjoyment of designing cloths has lead her to establishing her own company Marie Saint Pierre Design Inc. in 1987. Within a few years her work won recognition and awards from the industry including Vidal-Sasson-sponsored Buyer’s Designer of the Year in 1995. She has been subject of numerous newspaper and TV interviews and has been cited as “Canada’s most promising designer” (Globe and Mail). Watch the labels of clothing you buy…it might just be from…
Claire Samson	Born April 12, 1955. She studied for her Masters of Business at the University of Montreal. Communications and broadcasting were the area of her career choice She has worked for Telemedia Communications, Société Radio Canada and Tele-metropole. In February 1995 she became Executive Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer for TQS (Télévision Quatre-Saisons) in Quebec and retuned to Radio Canada as Director Genera of Programs in 1999. She was also President of the Quebec Association of Television and Film Producers. A person in demand by her profession!! In 2004 she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
Sophie Strub	Born Kharkov, Ukraine  Died 1949. The family immigrated to Canada in 1921 but by the end of the decade the country was immersed in the Great Depression. Butcher Michael Stub traded a barrel of his wife Sophie's homemade pickles with a local grocer for food for his family. The grocer wanted more!!! A family business Strub Brothers Ltd. was born. Today the family empire works out of Brantford, Ontario and still uses Sophie's recipe!!!
Barbara G. Stymiest	Born June 13, 1956. This businesswoman held the Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Nesbit Burns Inc. from 1992 to 1999. It was during this time that she was the first woman to be Governor of the Toronto Stock Exchange. In 1999 she became President of the Toronto Stock Exchange! In 2000 she was on the top 10 list of Canadian businesswomen presented by the National Post.
Rose-Anna Vachon	Born 1870 (?). Died December 2, 1948. It was Rose Anna who convinced her husband to borrow money and purchase a bakery just outside of Quebec City. It was her donuts, sweet-buns, shortbreads, cakes and pies made in her own wood burning stove in her home kitchen that kept clients coming back for more. In 1932 she made a delicious chocolate cake with a cream filling and named it after two of her sons...Jos -Louis! By 1937 the business had expanded throughout their home province as well as Ontario and the Maritimes. After the death of her husband in 1938 , it was Rose-Anna who expanded the business even farther. In 1945 she stepped down from the business and turned it over to her four sons. Her home, wood stove and all, in Sainte Marie de Beauce is now a museum. Canada Post issued a commemorative Millennium postage stamp featuring Rose-Anna and her husband in 2000.
Shirley Westeinde.	She studied to become a Public Health Nurse and worked for the Victoria Order of Nurses. She took time off from her career to stay at home and raise her family and also studied business administration. She became interested and involved with the construction industry. In 1994 she joined the board of the Canadian Construction Association. In March 2004, she became the first woman to Chair the Canadian Construction Association.