Westjet Founder Clive Beddoe to help Alberta’s economy take flight

Tom Braid

Published

5 years ago

4 minute read

Clive Beddoe (74), grew up in Leatherhead, England and immigrated to Canada in 1970.

As vid licenced pilot himself in 1996, Beddoe became shareholder and the first Chairman of the Board of Directors for plucky start-up WestJet airlines, He also held the President and Chief Executive Officer roles.

Beddoe is President for Hanover Group of Companies and Chair of the Board at SQI Diagnostics Inc. and is Chairman of their Human Resources Committee. and was the owner of Western Concord Manufacturing.

In 2000, Mr. Beddoe, along with WestJet’s other founders were named the Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the Year for Canada, as well as EY’s international Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Monaco.

In 2004, he received the prestigious Canadian Business Leader Award from the University of Alberta Faculty of Business and the Business Advisory Council, in 2008 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from the University of Calgary, and was also recognised by the University of Victoria’s School of Business as its Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year.

in 2009 he was entered into the Canada’s Marketing Hall of Legends by the Toronto Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). That same year he received an Honorary degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.

In 2012 Beddoe was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of fame. In 2013 he was named as a Calgary Business Hall of Fame Laureate, and in 2014 he entered the Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.

Beddoe as a young pilot

In 2018, he was honoured with Waterstone’ Lifetime Achievement as Most Admired Canadian CEO’s, in 2019 the travel icon was entered into the Canadian Travel Hall of Fame and in 2020 he was given BCIT’s Honorary Doctorate of Technology Recipient.

Beddoe is an avid sailor

As avid sailor and always loving a challenge, Beddoe participated in the 2006 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, ARC’s annual race across the Atlantic Ocean.

Beddeo is married to Ruth, they have two children, Sean and Kailey and a number of grandkids. Passion is at the core of the Beddeo family, Ruth and Clive have decades of hands-on volunteering, fundraising and Philanthropy for Boys and Girls Club of Canada.

Clive Beddoe (centre), WestJet founder unveils the name of the company’s latest addition, a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Westjet named the plane after him. Photo Courtesy/@KPAE_Spotter

Here are the members of the council. You’ll see more of Tom’s stories about this group as the week progresses.

Jack Mintz, chair
Clive Beddoe – former chair, president and CEO, WestJet
Robert Blakely
Brent Belzberg – founder and senior managing partner, TorQuest Partners
Bob Dhillon – founder, president and CEO, Mainstreet Equity Corporation
Chris Fowler – president and CEO, Canadian Western Bank
Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper – Canada’s 22nd prime minister
Peter Kiss – owner and president, Morgan Construction and Environmental
Zainul Mawji – president, Telus Home Solutions
Nancy Southern – chair and CEO, ATCO Ltd.
Kevin Uebelein – CEO, AIMCo
Mac Van Wielingen – founder, ARC Financial

Dr. Jack M. Mintz heads up Alberta Economic Recovery Council

Up Next

Tory MP Pierre Poilievre explains why the Conservatives would not give consent to Liberal COVID-19 relief bill

Don't Miss

COVID-19 swinging a wrecking ball through the arts community

Tom Braid

www.todayville.com/edmonton/

Follow Author

Edmonton company releases a world first NFT project

Arts / 5 years ago

Universal Pictures to release #Yeg produced Doc, Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo

Agriculture / 5 years ago

Canada’s food supply chain is strong but will world-wide pressures effect It?

Alberta

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Media Roundtable from Washington

Published on January 21, 2025

Todayville

From the YouTube channel of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

Members of the media join Premier Danielle Smith for a round table on January 21, 2025.

Alberta

Is There Any Canadian Province More Proud of their Premier Today…

Published on January 21, 2025

Todayville

Prior to Trumps inauguration event and announcement was made that Trump would not be imposing the 25% tariffs…

Which means, Canada seriously dodged a bullet here.

And while the Liberals will most likely frame this as, their success in showing, Bad Orange Man, that they’re tough and ready to burn down what is left of our economy, throwing Alberta under the bus, first…through a nuclear option…

Premier Smith rode this challenge out like the true champion we knew that she would be.

It’s hard to say if this was a legality matter in the grander scheme…or if the 25% tariffs would have truly been as big of an impact on the US…

One thing is clear, however…

Smith was ready to go to the tables with the Trump administration and opt for diplomacy over threats…which should be what we expect from our leaders.

And should these 25% tariffs have gone through…I’m more than sure a Plan B would have been brought out in civil conversations, over screeching rhetoric.

“She’s treasonous”, they screeched.

“She’s supporting her friends in Oil and Gas”, they relent.

“She should put Canada first”, they echo…

And let’s just address these…

Is Walmart beholden to Campbells soup? Fruit of the Loom? Kraft?

Or does Walmart sell products that helps keep their doors open?

Walmart is not beholden to any product…just like Premier Smith isn’t. We have 26% of our GDP – the largest portion – owed to Alberta O&G, something that we have a limited trade partner with, due to the Liberal – Anti-Alberta/Anti-O&G/Anti-Pipeline attitude that wants to spend us further in debt with unreliable and expensive “Renewables”.

What does Alberta get from renewables?

A higher cost for energy, in an affordability crisis, created by the same people who continue to push them…sounds like a terrible deal, for Albertans, and something a true leader would Not Favor.

When Walmart sits down to hash out a deal with Heinz, are they committing treason because they haven’t shown their allegiance to their own, ‘Great Value’ brand Ketchup?

No…other provinces have their own industries and resources, which they are free to continue developing independent of the federal government, as is suitable and supportive of their own economies…Alberta isn’t competing with them, nor Canada as a whole.

Alberta through industry and resource, actually supports Canada through a grand imbalance on “Equalization Payments”…

As do we through paying 50% more into the Canada Pension Plan, than we actually get out of the Canada Pension Plan…to the tune of a $334 Billion Dollars.

And as for this “Team Canada”, horseshit…

The title Premier of Alberta, should hold some clues as to who Premier Smith should be advocating for…as she is the Premier of Alberta and Not the Prime Minister, nor leader in the Liberal Party that has created this fiasco, to begin with.

Rail, as they may…other provinces can’t cast a vote in her support, either way…

None of the other provinces, through Members of Parliament, nor through Premiers, came to support Alberta and our economy through a number of Federal Bills that railed on our provincial resources…

Worse yet…these hypocrites cash cheques from our province, while telling us how to diversify our economy…to which I’d state one thing unequivocally…

If we wanted to be a Have Not Province…like you are…we’ll come and ask you for your advice.

Until then…

I’ll hold my Alberta Flag Higher than my Canadian…

And be proud today, of having the only Premier in the country of Canada, worthy of any praise today!