An inspiring leader and philanthropist, Mr. James Temerty, C.M., has dedicated his career to renewable energy, technological advancements, and community engagement. He was born in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, and he began a new life in Canada in 1950.
A serial entrepreneur with over forty years of business experience, Mr. Temerty has had many successful business ventures. Those ventures include Computerland franchises, Softchoice Corporation and most recently, Northland Power Inc., a major Canadian independent power company and market leader in renewable energy with wind, solar and thermal electric power facilities across the globe, in Canada, Europe, Latin America, South America and Asia Pacific.
A pillar of responsible society, Mr. Temerty has made significant philanthropic contributions in Canada, in Ukraine, and globally. His philanthropy has included support for education, healthcare, culture, vulnerable populations, and community-building initiatives, among many other worthwhile endeavors. In September 2020, the Temerty Foundation gifted $250 million to the University of Toronto, naming the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and recognized as the single largest one-time philanthropic donation in Canadian history. In March 2022, the foundation’s gift of $10 million to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, was the largest single donation to Type I Diabetes research in Canada. A member of many boards, Mr. Temerty was also chair of the Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) Board of Governors and the driving force behind the Renaissance Campaign that raised $400 million to transform the ROM.
In 2008, Mr. Temerty founded and funded the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter (UJE), a multinational initiative involving Ukrainians of Christian and Jewish heritages in Ukraine, Israel, and the diasporas. The goal of the UJE 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’s entrepreneurial career and philanthropic endeavors have been recognized with many distinguished honours. In 2008, he was awarded the prestigious Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to society. In 2010, he was awarded the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Canada. Mr. Temerty received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 to honour him for his contributions to his country. In 2015, he received Ukraine’s Order of Yaroslav the Wise from the President of Ukraine, which is the highest tribute Ukraine can confer to a foreign citizen who has not been a head of state.
