Donald J. Smith

Donald James Smith (23 March 1924 – 16 July 2013) was a Canadian entrepreneur who co-founded the construction company EllisDon and served as its president and chief executive officer. He was also active in philanthropy and fundraising for the Ontario Liberal Party.

Early life Smith was born on March 23, 1924 in Provost, Alberta, to Donald Bennett Smith and Florence Marie Ellis.

At age 10, Smith received a toy movie projector and began hosting screenings of Charlie Chaplin films in his basement for local neighborhood children, charging five cents per screening. During his teenage years, he worked as a paperboy for the Toronto Star. Elizabeth was a graduate of the University of Toronto with a degree in philosophy. She later worked in charitable organizations and became involved in municipal and provincial politics. In 1971, EllisDon implemented a corporate safety program aimed at improving job-site safety.

EllisDon later completed several major projects in Canada, including the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the stadium then known as SkyDome (now Rogers Centre), which opened in 1989.

Smith retired from EllisDon in 1996 and was succeeded as president and chief executive officer by his son, Geoff Smith. Smith was also involved in fundraising efforts for the organization.

In 2008, Smith and his daughter Lynne Cram organized the Horizons Campaign to support the M.A.P. Program (My Action Plan for Education), which assists youth from Grade 4 through post-secondary education in pursuing academic goals.

Awards Smith received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews in recognition of his opposition to discrimination in private clubs in London, Ontario.