Mr. Telfer will perform the ceremonial coin toss at midfield to kick off the annual football classic between the uOttawa Gee Gees and Carleton Ravens at TD Place at noon, on Saturday. The hulking 22-pound coin will further highlight his philanthropy to the university, for which he has donated $30 million overall since 2007.
“I'm thrilled to do it and flattered to be asked because I know how it's such an important event between the universities,” he says. “And if it brings a little publicity to the game or to the schools or to the fundraising, that’s fantastic.”
Telfer, who earned his Master of Business Administration (’76) at uOttawa, is known for his strategic business success in the mining and resource sector as the Chairman of Goldcorp, Inc., a Vancouver-based gold mining company. The University of Ottawa renamed its School of Management after him following his $25 million donation in 2007.
The visionary entrepreneur, whose latest gift will be used to enhance the Telfer student experience, has relished the reward of giving back.
“That donation has one of the most important things I did in my whole life because it’s allowed me to meet so many people and learn so much,” he added. “It's helped the school and it's just been an incredibly positive experience all the way around. I can't say enough good about it.”
But when he’s on the turf at TD Place with 25,000 fans all around him, how exactly does he plan to flip this massive coin, which also measures 7-inches in diameter?
“When you pick it up, you’re shocked at how heavy it is,” he says. “Even my wife was asking me how I’m going to do it. We haven’t really figured that out yet, to be honest,” he concluded with a laugh.
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