This summer we had both, when our trip to British Columbia brought us the Larch Hills Winery in the Salmon Arm area. Upon discovering at our hotel that the Okanagan’s northernmost vineyards were only a few minutes’ drive away, we headed out with GPS in hand.

A winding, switch-back road took us to the top of a mountain, where both a vineyard and a spectacular view awaited.

Larch Hills specializes (for obvious reasons) in cool-climate viticulture. We tasted several of the winemaker’s offerings, and found, to our surprise, that our favourite was made from a seldom-heard-of grape variety called Madeleine Angevine.

A French grape that produces wines with Germanic style, it impressed with a full-on floral nose that reminded us of a bouquet of flowers…and a nicely balanced body and flavor that complemented that impression.

Inspired by our discovery, we decided on our return to Regina to continue our summertime wine exploration by looking for other unfamiliar varieties.

There are many single-varietal wines that are relatively new to consumers, such as Chenin Blancs and Argentinian Malbecs, but we wanted to find varietals we’d never even heard of.

There’s no shortage of those. Worldwide, thousands of varieties of grapes are used to make wine. More than 60 varieties are grown in the Okanagan alone (though only about 20 of those receive the bulk of the attention).

Many unfamiliar wine grapes are varieties of Vitis labrusca or Vitis aestivalis, native to North America, rather than the Vitis vinifera of European fame. Concord grapes are an example of labrusca (and yes, Concord grapes are used to make wine). At a Missouri winery a few years ago we tasted Norton, a variety of Vitis aestivalis that is the cornerstone of that state’s wine industry (and the state’s official grape).  Other less-familiar grape varieties may be hybrids of better-known varietals, or a cross between European and North American ones.

One easy way to find unfamiliar varieties is to look at wines from emerging wine-exporting areas such as Uruguay or Hungary, whose local vinifera grapes are just showing up on store shelves.

Or you can just wander through the liquor store reading labels, looking for grape names you don’t recognize. Which is how we found our first two choices: a Greek Agiorgitiko and an Italian Negroamaro.

Agiorgitiko Boutari

Agiorgitiko is an important red grape in Greece, sometimes referred to “the noble red grape.” We found this wine to be earthy and leathery on the nose and very smooth in the mouth, with lots of berry and a bit of spice (although not Shiraz-level). It was also very reasonably priced for its quality. Boutari, founded in 1879, has wineries all over Greece, and seeks to preserve and promote Greek varietals, shipping them all over the world…much to our benefit!

Mezzomondo Negroamaro Salento

“Negroamaro” means “black bitter” in Latin. A grape hailing from the “heel” of Italy, it’s often blended. On its own, as we found it, it is well-rounded, without a lot of tannin, but perhaps better as an accompaniment to food than for sipping on its own.

Having taken a hit-or-miss approach for our first two unfamiliar wines, we next asked a couple of experts, who pointed us to two more wines, one from Italy, one from France.

Colli di Luni Vermentino

Vermentino, a white grape varietal grown on the island of Sardinia, off the coast of Italy, as well as in southern France, is being used for more and more New World wines. It was by far our favorite of our we’ve-never-heard-of-these-before quartet, light and fruity (peach and apricot), with an excellent balance of acid and sugar and delightful honey characteristics.

Domaine de Pellehaut

We hit the jackpot with this wine, which blends six wines (Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Gros Manseng, Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Folle Blanche), four of which were mostly unfamiliar to us.

Ugni Blanc is widely planted in France and, under the name St-Emilion, is the predominate grape in cognac. Gros Manseng is grown almost entirely in southwest France and is also most often part of a blend. As for Colombard, while its plantings are declining in France, it is increasing in popularity in California and South Africa.

On the nose, we detected pear; in the mouth, green apple, giving it a kind of “sharpness” on the palette.

“There are more wines in heaven and earth…than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” Shakespeare famously wrote.

Or would have, had he been a wine writer.

Margaret Anne and Edward Willett drink wine, buy wine, taste wine, write about wine, conduct wine tastings, belong to three different wine clubs, and have more corkscrews than they can count.

Our readers recommend…

Dr. Alice Goodfellow

E&E Black Pepper Shiraz

We first tried E&E Black Pepper Shiraz at the International Wine and Food Festival at the Banff Springs Hotel. When we discovered that the Still was sold out at the on-site wine store we decided to try the Sparkling. It was our first sparkling red and it remains our favourite. Various vintages continue to deliver a complex dark red/purple wine full of ripe blackberry, coffee, dark chocolate and spice. It’s a splurge wine, but well worth it.

Dr. Alice Goodfellow is a retired paediatrician who practiced in Regina during the 1950s and early 1960s. She is a long-time wine enthusiast, belonging to a number of local wine societies.

Robert Ursan

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Valdadige

Some people think that Pinot Grigio wines are too mass-produced and a little tasteless. (I’ve heard them described as the vodka of wines.) And then you taste something as wonderful as the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Valdadige, and everything changes. This is a great crisp wine, with excellent tang and lovely hints of citrus and quince. (Which, oddly, rhymes.) It’s a little pricier than most Pinot Grigio, but the flavour and complement it brings to so many foods makes this well worth it. I love Italian wine. I love big bold flavours. For a white wine, this is perfect.

Robert Ursan, a composer, performer, music teacher and director, is Music Director for Do It With Class Young People’s Theatre Co. and co-Artistic Director of The Golden Apple Theatre.

Gerry Bezaire

Vina Maipo Gran Devocion Carmenere/Syrah 2008

“Great Devotion” is what I tasted when I happened upon this blend from Chile. The soft tannins of the Carmenere embrace the peppery spice of the Syrah to produce a full, round, deep, dark, sensuous glass for your sipping pleasure. This wine is bold enough to pair nicely with the most savory of foods, red meats and lively cheeses, yet friendly enough to drink on its own.  I’m not sure what percentage of each grape is used, but they got it right; and priced under $20, it’s a bargain.

Gerry Bezaire is a New Home Specialist employed by Boychuk Homes in Saskatoon and a food and wine enthusiast.

The feature is called “A fantastic life” and begins thusly:

Edward Willett has a few things on his plate these days.

In fact, he could probably use a few more plates.

Known in these pages as the editor of Fine Lifestyles Regina, and sister magazines Fine Lifestyles Saskatoon, Fine Homes Regina and Fine Weddings Regina,Willett is also a writer of science books, children’s fiction and biographies, and a nationally recognized science fiction novelist. In the weeks leading up to publication of this edition, he was also completing a manuscript that was due to his publisher, working on the rewrite of another novel, and trying to make progress on a third book in which a publisher had shown interest.

Oh, and did we mention he is also an actor and singer?

“I’m on the fly all the time,” Willett says during a recent interview that is interrupted at least four times by his ringing cell phone. “I get up in the morning and think, ‘Okay, what do I have to do today?’”

As a freelance editor, writer and performing artist, Willett has worked 17 years for the privilege of being so busy. In 1993, he walked away from a full-time position as communications officer for the Saskatchewan Science Centre.

“I had an offer from Prairie Opera in Saskatoon to do a two-month school tour,” Willett recalls. “So I knew I had two months of paying work coming.

“That seemed like enough,” he adds with a laugh. “I was perhaps a little braver than I realized.”

Read the whole thing.

Here are the covers again:

Fine Lifestyles Regina includes a feature about me, written by Mark Claxton, and although I’m not exactly shy about promoting myself, I do feel I should emphasize it wasn’t my idea: publisher Randy Liberet suggested it, and who was I to argue?

Once everything’s online, I’ll link to that and the other articles I wrote for the magazines (although it appears the feature on Saskatoon’s Persephone Theatre got cut at the last minute for some reason, and will run in the next issue).

Case in point: my editorship of Fine Lifestyles Regina, Fine Lifestyles Saskatoon, Fine Weddings Regina and Fine Homes Regina.

I wrote for the first two issues of Fine Lifestyles Regina, but just a story in each. The offer to edit came along in the summer of 2009, and since then I’ve overseen the writing of five issues of FLR, and two each of FLS, FWR and FHR. But when I started editing, there was only one magazine: with the others coming on-stream, and more in the works, the publishers decided they needed a fulltime editor, and I’ve mentioned more than once I’m not particularly interested (as in, not really at all) in a regular fulltime job after 17 years as a fulltime freelancer. And so the current issues will be the last I’m editing. The new editor is Thom Barker, and I think he’s going to do a great job.

I’m not severing my connection with the magazines, since I’ll continue to do as much writing for them as I’m offered, and The Willetts on Wine, the wine column I started with my wife, will run at least in the winter issue and I hope beyond that (though no guarantees). But my brief tenure as their editors is officially over.

On the other hand, the day after the new editor was officially announced, I got confirmation that I’ll be taking on another but very different and substantial bit of work on a book. Like I said, the freelance life is one of ups and downs…I’ll post more information on that later, when it’s all official.

***

It’s Canada Day as we write this, and we’re feeling patriotic. Today’s Rider game is even a classic East-versus-West match tailor-made to resonate with the Canadian psyche.

This is a wine column, not a sports column, but that East-versus-West dynamic can be found in the world of Canadian wines, as well…and here in Saskatchewan, we’re right in the middle of it.

Grapes and wine make an early appearance in Canadian history. What we call Newfoundland Leif Ericsson named Vineland way back in 1001 A.D., after the grapes reportedly discovered by his foster father, a German (and therefore very familiar with viticulture), who wandered away from camp one day and returned, delighted, with the fruit in hand.

Half a millennium later, on his second visit to New France in 1535, Jacques Cartier found wild grapes growing in abundance on a large island in the St. Lawrence, first named Île de Bascuz (after Bacchus, the god of wine), later renamed Île d’Orléans. Five kilometres east of Quebec City, the island was home to one of the first French settlements.

A couple of centuries later, retired German soldier Johann Schiller, who had wine-making experience in the Rhine valley, started growing and fermenting early American hybrids in what is now Mississauga. Today he is the acknowledged father of the Canadian wine industry and the famous Niagara Peninsula wine region.

The Okanagan didn’t get into the act for another half a century. In the 1860s, the Oblate Fathers began growing grapes at their mission just south of Kelowna. The farmers that came later, though, were mostly interested in fruit orchards; there wasn’t a commercial grape-growing venture in the region until 1907 (in Salmon Arm) and the first commercial winery, Calona, didn’t open until the 1930s.

Both the Niagara Peninsula and the Okanagan are at the same range of latitude as the Old World’s major wine-producing regions. Ontario spans an area that is the same as Southern France’s Languedoc, Spain’s Rioja and Italy’s Chianti Classico regions. The mitigating effect of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie allow for the growing of wine-quality grapes, reflecting light to shore and storing summer’s heat as the land cools during the winter months.

In contrast, in British Columbia there is much lower humidity, producing desert extremes of heat and cold day by day; there are also more hours of sunlight than in southern Ontario, a plus for ripening grapes. (Although most of the wine available to us in Saskatchewan comes from the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, wines are also produced in the Fraser Valley, on Vancouver Island and in the newest designated area, the Gulf Islands.)

B.C.’s wine industry, somewhat younger than Ontario’s, originally used more French hybrid grapes as opposed to native North American varieties (although this has now dramatically changed).

When you look for Canadian wines in Saskatchewan’s SLGA stores, you’ll notice that the Ontario selection is rather thin. The shelves are full of the inexpensive large-bottle wines and the easy-to-reach-for insert-name-of-your-favourite-golf-or-TV-star brands, but look past those and the flashy ice wines and you’ll find that the Niagara wineries that led the estate winery revitalisation of Canada’s industry, Inniskillin, Pelee Island and Henry of Pelham, are mostly/only represented by their entry-level wines, which really isn’t fair to these great producers—or the public!

In the new private stores we do see the well-established Cave Springs, known for its Riesling and Chardonnay (and its famous restaurant, On the Twenty). An exciting alternative choice is Tawse, a family-owned winery that’s a relative newcomer on the Niagara scene, founded in 2001. Give their Misek Vineyard and Echoes Rieslings a try.

Look to the west, though, and the selection expands. From B.C. you can find not only entry-level wines (such as the very good entry-level-priced Pinot Noir from Ganton and Larson’s Prospect Winery, which we have served on a number of occasions) but more mid- and premium-priced wines.

So which way should you turn for Canadian wine—east, or west? What to drink and taste?

Our answer is always, simply, “Whatever is good!” But that’s not very helpful, so…

In broad terms, we’d say go west for reds and east for whites, but both Niagara and the Okanagan are cool-climate viticulture areas which produce wines with high acidity and natural aging potential. Niagara generally produces lighter, fruiter wines, and the Okanagan, benefitting from greater extremes in temperature, offers full-bodied, highly flavoured wines with good acidity, comparable to the wines of the Rhine.

“East is east, and west is west, and never the twain shall meet,” Rudyard Kipling famously wrote, but in the case of Canadian wines, he was wrong. They meet in Saskatchewan.

So take your pick! With the ever-increasing quantity and quality of wines available here in the true North, strong and free, you really can’t go wrong.

Margaret Anne and Edward Willett drink wine, buy wine, taste wine, write about wine, conduct wine tastings, belong to three different wine clubs, and have more corkscrews than they can count.

Like to see your wine recommendation in a future Fine Lifestyles Regina? Contact the Willetts on Wine at ewillett@sasktel.net.

***

Our readers recommend…

Garth Huber

2004 Nakad Rouge, Bekaa Valley

I always like to keep my eye out for something unusual when I am browsing through a wine shop. The wine may be either an uncommon varietal, or from an unusual growing area, or both. Sometimes I might like the wine and sometimes I might not, but it is an inexpensive and fun way to broaden one’s horizons. And so my eye was attracted to a bottle of red wine from Lebanon sitting on the shelves of Willow Park Wines & Spirits: “Nakad Rouge, 2004, Bekaa Valley.” In addition to coming from an unusual area, it is also an uncommon blend of cinsault and carignan grape varieties combined with cabernet sauvignon. The wine is fruity and of moderate body. The general consensus from my friends was that it went well with our potluck dinner, being one of the favourites of the evening. Recently the Bekaa Valley has been more known for armed conflict than winemaking, so it is definitely worth a try.

Garth Huber is a Physics Professor at the University of Regina, and is on the local executive of the Society for Americas’ Wines. He has no formal wine training, but enjoys trying many different wines and learning from the experience.

Deana Pageot

2007 Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel

Labels often grab my attention as I go down the aisles in a wine store, the labels grab my attention, and that was certainly the case the Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I tasted this wine. The nose is very strong of black cherries, the color is  dark red to black, and the flavors are of black cherries and peppercorn that lingers on the palate. I’m not a professional wine taster, but I do enjoy great red wines such as the Gnarly Head. I have recommended this particular Zin to many people. It pairs so well with a variety of dishes: rack of lamb, prime rib, pizza, ribs, chili, Thai food and aged cheeses. Besides that, it is a yummy wine to drink on its own.

Deana Pageot is a retired school teacher who is presently teaching English as a second language to immigrants and refugees at The Open Door Society and also does some contract work for the department of education at the University of Regina. For the past 20-plus years, she has served on the board of The Society for Americas’ Wines, learning about wine and working with many chefs in Regina planning wine-and-food pairings.

Derryl Murphy

2008 Cono Sur Organic Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere

I’m primarily a single malt fan, but I do have a growing collection of wines in my cellar. Instead of one of those more expensive wines, though, it makes sense to single out a less costly bottle that I’ve enjoyed several times recently. The 2008 Cono Sur is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmanere blend from Chile, from organically grown grapes, and is surprisingly subtle without the overload on tannins I find many cheap wines hold. Do seek it out.

Derryl Murphy writes science fiction and fantasy in Saskatoon. His next novel, out in 2011 from ChiZine Publications, will be Napier’s Bones.

***

Every community is built by individuals, living their lives, reaching for goals, creating things, building things, donating time and effort and money to the causes they believe in.

Here are five prominent women—a philanthropist, a lawyer, a motivational speaker, a realtor and developer, and a business owner—who are part of our community today: extraordinary individuals whose drive and vision have shaped and continue to shape this wonderful corner of the world we call home.

***

Jacqui Shumiatcher, Philanthropist

Regina would be a far poorer place culturally if not for one couple’s incredible generosity

If you enjoy the arts in Regina, you’re familiar with the name “Shumiatcher.” You may have attended a recital in the Shu-Box Theatre in the Riddell Centre, or a lecture in the Shumiatcher Theatre at the Mackenzie Art Gallery.

Perhaps you’ve watched a play in the Shumiatcher Sandbox Series at Globe Theatre, and at intermission mingled with other playgoers in the Shumiatcher Lobby. Or maybe you’ve toured a display of sculpture in the Shumiatcher Sculpture Court at the Mackenzie Art Gallery, or enjoyed a concert in the Shumiatcher Pops Series of the Regina Symphony Orchestra.

“It’s a little embarrassing,” admits Jacqui Shumiatcher, who with her late husband, Dr. Morris Shumiatcher, one of Canada’s most distinguished lawyers, has supported the arts (and many other worthy causes) in this city and province for more than half a century. “It’s nice, but when I meet people and they don’t know the name, I think, ‘Good.’”

Born in France, raised in Regina

Jacqui Shumiatcher (nee Clay) was born in Vendin-le-Viel, Pas de Calais, France, in 1923. She came to Canada with her parents in 1927 and has lived in Regina ever since.

“We lived on the north side, on the seven block of Robinson,” she recalls. “The city told us we would never have water there. We had to go and get the water from the well a block away, winter time or summer time.

“We had outhouses. We had a radio, but we didn’t have a telephone until I was about 18 or 19. There were wooden sidewalks, mud roads you got stuck in. We had to walk four or five blocks to the streetcar. We didn’t have snow removal.”

Jacqui attended Scott Collegiate, and after graduation worked in a number of positions, including as a teacher at Sacred Heart Academy. In 1955 she married Morris Shumiatcher (“Shumi”), counsel to Premier T.C. Douglas and adviser to the provincial cabinet from 1945 to 1949, who had gone on to practice law in Saskatchewan and B.C. She founded her own business, Managerial Services Ltd., to provide secretarial and managerial services to his law office.

Paying back to the community

From the very beginning, Morris and Jacqui Shumiatcher were philanthropically inclined. “He and I were both of the opinion that we made our living here in Regina, and we should pay back to the community that supported us,” Jacqui says.

Jacqui served on the executive of Regina Little Theatre, and as chairman of patrons, wrote letters to people urging them to donate. The Shumiatchers were also supporters of Globe Theatre from its beginning, and involved with the Regina Symphony Orchestra: Shumi was president and was also the RSO’s lawyer, and Jacqui was a member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary and later joined the board of governors. Among other things, she chaired or co-chaired various major events, such as the annual Symphony Ball at the Hotel Saskatchewan.

New Dance Horizons, Juventus Choir, the Youth Ballet of Saskatchewan, Do it With Class Young People’s Theatre Co., Regina Lyric Musical Theatre, Prairie Opera, Opera Saskatchewan…the list of arts organizations that have benefited from the Shumiatchers’ generosity is almost endless.

But as Jacqui sees it, the generosity cuts both ways. “When you get involved, and you see backstage, and everybody volunteering, it opens your eyes to all sorts of creativity of people at all levels. That itself is a real gift. We figure we’ve been showered with gifts by artistic people involved in all fields.

“The people involved are so passionate. They’re willing to work at it and not expect to get equivalent pay for their work.”

Art collectors

Visual artists as well as performing artists have been recipients of the Shumiatcher generosity. Jacqui remembers buying three or four paintings from an artist in New Brunswick. “Almost a year later we had to write to her and ask why she hadn’t cashed her cheque. She said, ‘It was my first sale. I have it posted on the wall–it means so much to me!’” Jacqui laughs. “I told her, ‘Make a copy of it and cash the cheque now before it becomes ‘stale’.”

Although the Shumiatchers collected (and Jacqui continues to collect) many different kinds of art, their collection of Inuit art is particularly fine.

“Shumi went fishing at Lac La Ronge back in 1954 or 1955,” Jacqui recalls. “The Hudson Bay Post was run by a former Mountie. He talked to the Mountie, saw these Inuit art pieces, and fell madly in love with them. He bought a few pieces. His friends said he not only had rocks in the back of his car, he had rocks in his head!”

The collection grew and grew over the years. Morris Shumiatcher wrote for The Beaver magazine, which gave the Shumiatchers access to the The Hudson’s Bay House, the gallery of The Hudson’s Bay Company in Winnipeg, to which all Inuit Art was shipped from the north at that time. Many pieces (those not destined for the gallery) were purchased there.

A portion of the Shumiatcher collection is on display at the Mackenzie Art Gallery (in the Shumiatcher Sculpture Court, of course) through February 27, 2011. “When we lend them, we miss them,” Jacqui says.

A complete list of Jacqui’s accomplishments would be as long as this article, but notable honours include the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 1996, the B’Nai B’rith Citizen of the Year Award in 1999, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2001 and an honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Regina in 2002.

Jacqui has traveled to many places in her long life. “The advantage of traveling,” she says, “is you realize what other people don’t have. It makes what you have much more special and precious.”

“We really are spoiled, we Canadians. I think a lot of what we consider our necessities are really luxuries in other places.”

“We’re very lucky”

She loves her home city of Regina. “What’s not to love about it? We’re very lucky because we have so many artistic people here, and they improve the city a great deal. There are so many events to which we can go, and it doesn’t take three or four hours to get there. I can do three events in an evening. Where else can you do that, and feel you had a good time at each one, that you didn’t miss out?

“It’s wonderful having the library downtown, it’s always been very active in the community,” she continues. “When we were at our office at 2100 Scarth St. we would go to the main library downtown at noon and take a yoga class. Things like that, they’re little things and they’re little gems.

“We should just open our eyes more. A lot of people walk around and their eyes are half-closed. They’re not aware, they’re in their own little world. They miss so much.

“It’s too bad, because the world of Regina is nice. It must be nice, because I haven’t wanted to move away!”

For which fact, every Reginan should be grateful!

***

Susan Barber, Lawyer

One of Canada’s top lawyers in labour and employment law, she never wanted to be one

“I never really wanted to go into law,” says lawyer Susan Barber, “because I associated lawyers with politicians and I knew that I did not want to be a politician.”

Instead, she intended to become a journalist. “I took all the classes for journalism,” she says. “But I wrote the LSAT, and next thing I knew I was going to law school.”

It seems to have worked out for her. Today she’s a partner in McDougall Gauley LLP. She has been designated in the Canadian Legal Expert directory as a leading practitioner in labour law and listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of labour and employment law. She has acted as counsel for both unions and management in litigation and collective bargaining and is also a recognized arbitrator. She has rendered numerous decisions in labour disputes and human rights cases and has conducted investigations and made recommendations respecting workplace harassment issues.

Active community volunteer

An active community volunteer, Susan was honored in 2000 with the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in Business, Labour and Professions. In 2007 she was named a “Woman of Influence” in Saskatchewan Business Magazine, and that same year received the Community Service Award from the Canadian Bar Association, Saskatchewan Branch.

She’s recently become chair of Information Services Corporation, which, among other things, administers land titles and the personal property and vital statistics registries in the province, and last year was also elected chair of the Board of Governors of the University of Regina. And if it seems oddly right that someone named Barber should be associated with the University of Regina, that would be because her father, Lloyd, was president of the university from 1976 until 1990.

Susan was born in Seattle, Wash., while her father was going to university there, but she grew up in Saskatoon, where he was vice-president of the University of Saskatchewan, moving to Regina in 1976 when he became president of the U of R.

Susan says her “constant” is Regina Beach. “We have always gone to Regina Beach, all my life. My Dad went to school there.” Susan says she was the second-youngest in a family of six kids, and every weekend her parents would load them in the van and take them to Regina Beach. “I was a lifeguard there from when I was 15 years old until I graduated from law school. From lifeguard to lawyer!”

Susan attended Buena Vista Public School in Saskatoon, then Luther College in Regina from Grade 8 to Grade 12. She took all of her post-secondary education in Saskatchewan, as well, earning a B.A. in English at the University of Regina and attending law school at the University of Saskatchewan.

“I had no real desire to leave the province,” she says. “I’m pretty home-grown.” She notes that her parents and three brothers all live here, and her older sister and younger sister and her children come home every summer. “Saskatchewan is home. We have pretty strong roots here.”

Susan articled at McDougall Ready, and except for being seconded to the government in 1989, has remained with them ever since. The firm merged with Gauley & Co. in 2000 to become today’s McDougall Gauley.

Her focus on labour and employment law is something that has grown up over time, she says. “It was just something I really enjoyed, I gravitated to it.”

She’s also one of about 75 adjudicators to hear Indian Residential School claims and decide if the claimants are to be compensated, and how much. “That takes me all over western Canada,” she says.

University and Crown involvement

David Barnard, past president of the University of Regina, asked her to join the board of governors several years ago. More recently, she was asked if she would go on one of the boards of a Crown Corporation, which was how she ended up on the board of ISC.

“I’m terrible at saying no,” Susan says. “I just always thought that you serve where you live. I think it’s probably a big part of my upbringing. My parents were always very community-minded.

“And,” she adds, “it sort of feeds on itself. You get involved in one thing, and you’re asked to go on another thing.”

Not all of her involvement in community organizations has been at the level of university and Crown Corporation boards, either. Susan became involved very early on with the Royal Lifesaving Society, and was the first woman Commodore of the Regina Beach Yacht Club.

Susan’s husband, Gary Benson, was retired but got drawn back into the workforce to do some consulting and has been busy ever since. She has six step-children and, coming from a family of six herself, has “a horde of nieces and nephews.”

Susan’s oldest brother is in real estate development, her next-oldest brother is vice-president of Dominion Construction, and her next-oldest brother owns a Bobcat dealership; they’re all in Regina. Her eldest sister is a nurse in Kamloops, while her younger sister is a stay-at-home Mom and lives in Texas.

Globe and golf

For fun, Susan enjoys going to Globe Theatre, and she and her husband like to golf at the Wascana Golf and Country Club. They go to a lot of university events, as well, and on any nice day, Susan loves going down to Wascana Centre. “It’s such a nice setting,” she says. “Sometimes after work I just go down there and park at the Marina and go for a walk around the lake.”

But it’s not Wascana Lake that holds pride of place in her heart, but the lake at Regina Beach. “I love the lake, I love the water.”

She also enjoys travelling. “We always take a few weeks of holiday to go down to Florida in late fall. I take a suitcase full of books (usually the latest bestseller—I read too much serious stuff throughout the year!) and my golf clubs. I love to golf. We also try to go scuba-diving in the winter.”

But, she says, “I love Regina. I grew up around Regina. I have wonderful friends in Regina, my family’s nearby, I love where I work. I travel a lot, but I am always happy to come home.”

***

Darci Lang, Motivational Speaker

It’s a simple message that resonates: 90 percent of life is great; why not focus on that 90 percent?

When she was very young, Darci Lang’s father told her, “Do something for a living that makes you happy.”

It’s a message she’s taken to heart…but more than that, a message on which she has based a very successful career as a motivational speaker, famous for her mantra, Focus on the 90%—the title of her nationally bestselling book.

Darci was born in Biggar, was raised in Edmonton, and moved to Winnipeg when she was 18. “My parents have both been married three times, so I have 10 half-brothers and sisters,” she says. “I grew up very quickly, and had lots of really unique influences.”

In Winnipeg that first summer after moving there, Darci got “a really neat job” at Mallabar. “I was mentored by some unbelievable men,” she says.

She was only 24 when she was able to buy her own store. “We had an opening in Regina, so I moved my store back to Saskatchewan. If you’re from Saskatchewan you always end up back here!”

The question

The business proved successful. “We were booming,” Darci says. “Then my TD bank manager asked me a question that changed the course of my life. He asked me to be a speaker at his staff meeting.”

The bank manager noted that she was always genuinely happy when she came to the bank, and his staff members were interested in her philosophy. Darci told him that she lived a mantra from a book she read as a teenager, Attitude is Your Most Precious Possession, that talked about holding a little magnifying glass out in front of yourself all the time, choosing what to focus on.

Both growing up and as a business owner, Darci says, there were both positives and negatives, and she tried to focus on the positives. She told the bank manager she’d come up with the ratio that 90 percent of life is great, and 10 percent isn’t, and it’s better to focus on the 90 percent than the 10 percent.  “He said, ‘Perfect, come share that.’ So weeks after owning my tuxedo store, I became a speaker. I started to get referrals, and 17 years later my business is still 100-percent referral.”

As if a new tuxedo store and a new life as a motivational speaker weren’t enough, she also seized an opportunity to host a new bridal show, The Most Incredible Bridal Show, at the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts (now the Conexus Arts Centre). So in the first year she lived in Regina, she opened three companies within three months.

“I was a very busy entrepreneur in those early years,” she recalls. “When I became pregnant with our daughter, Jayda, who is now nine, I got out of the business so I could stay home and run my home-based business as a professional speaker. I sold my store, and again worked on the speaking business and the trade-show business full-time. My husband (Darren) quit his job and for five years we travelled as a family.” (Two years after Jayda, John, now seven, was born.)

“We raised our babies on the road,” Darci continues. “We’d travel across Canada, and my husband would care for our children while I spoke. There were definitely 90-percent days but there were 10-percent days too.”

Although she still travels every week, she scaled back when John and Jayda entered school full-time.  Now she mostly travels in the spring and fall, but she tries to be away only one night a week. “I could be away five, but I’m not willing to pay the price.”

Still developing the business

With the help of her assistant, Sandra Preikschat, Darci is continuing to develop her business. They’re working on enhancing her presence in social media, plus she’s writing a second book and is developing a four-CD series with a workbook, all based around Focus on the 90%.

Darci says being from Saskatchewan “is marketable to everyone. You’re expected to be friendly and easy to deal with, and it’s true, I am, I only look high-maintenance. We just have a kind of gratitude and humility that people really, really appreciate.

“And the fact that I am 41, I’m a working mother, that’s really marketable, too, because the majority of my audiences are working parents. Trying to be everything to everybody is something that rings true to a lot of people. It’s hard to talk about balance and focusing on the positive if you’re not living a life that’s congruent with theirs.

“I’m an incredible family person. There’s nothing more important to me. Being a wife and a mother far exceeds anything I do as a speaker.”

“A fun-all-the-time family”

Darci says her husband, Darren, is a 41-year-old with the energy of a 10-year-old boy. “We’re a fun-all-the-time family,” she says. “Every day has to have an adventure, excitement.

“We travel a lot throughout the year—the family will still come with me if it’s a fun place to go—so we really are a laid-back family. We’ve stayed in so many hotels, flown in so many airplanes, that to be in our backyard is heaven.”

Darci says she loves everything about Regina. “People who don’t appreciate Regina haven’t travelled enough,” she says. (And, she adds, “People who don’t appreciate Regina have never been to a Rider game!)

“You have a small-town environment in the middle of the city,” she continues. “I really should live somewhere else because of my connection flights alone, but I would never leave Regina. Besides, I married a farm boy from Saskatchewan. I would never leave. It is the best city bar none in this country to live in.

“I could not be happier,” Darci concludes. “At some point you have to look around at your life and say, 90 percent is good enough. We get to live in great country, a great province, a great city.”

***

Janine Wilson, Realtor and Developer

“The Matchmaker” loves finding the right house for people—even if she has to design and build it herself

There’s a reason Janine Wilson likes to call herself “The Matchmaker.”

“I love finding the right house that people are looking for,” she says. “There’s nothing better than the feeling that you’ve found the perfect house.”

Matching people with the houses that are perfect for them has taken her from realtor to builder to designer to condo developer. “I just kept adding dimensions,” she says. “It wasn’t enough to just sell. If you don’t find what you need, you have to find a way to make it happen.”

Janine was born in Daytona Beach, Fla., and moved to Yorkton with her parents when she was 17. “My Dad was Canadian. He wanted to move back home,” she explains.

She lived in Yorkton until1994, working first with the Bank of Montreal, but getting into real estate in 1989. She also got married and had two children there, and it was having children that led her into real estate.

“That came about from me looking for something where I could be home with my kids after school and not have set hours. At lunch one day a friend in real estate said, ‘You’d be really good at real estate.’

“I can’t imagine doing anything else”

“I phoned that day, had the courses delivered to me the next day, wrote the exam three months later and never looked back. I love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

She moved to Regina with her children in 1994, joining Home Life Crawford Realty – Crawford Homes as a realtor, and quickly got into new construction. “I had built two houses on my own before that,” she says. “I really like the new-construction aspect of real estate. It can make it so much easier. It gives you another option. If you can’t find what your clients are looking for in the re-sale market, you can build it for them.

“Over the years I found there was a lack of affordable housing.  I got into developing condos, because not everybody can afford a brand-new house. It was something that was missing in Regina at the time; we were really short on townhouse-style condos. So I felt I wanted to start filling a need.”

Janine says she remembers when she first moved to Regina that people told her “the first year’s always tough,” but, she says, “I never found that. I never had a tough year, really. I just kept adding dimensions.

The condo projects she’s developed, she says, “are all different. They’re not cookie-cutter. There are bi-levels, bungalows and suites all mixed together. I didn’t just zero in on one type of person. My condo projects, anyone can live in.” That mixture of styles was so unique it posed a challenge: the land titles office had to figure out how to deal with something it had never dealt with before. “I never thought of that when I designed them!” Janine says.

A love of design

Janine says she loves designing the houses herself. “I love AutoCad drafting.  I design all the condos that I build.” She got into designing the same way she got into the other aspects of her career. “People wanted something,” she says. “You couldn’t find it, so you had to build it. Then you look at it and say, ‘I want the living room here and the bedroom there,’ so I got into design.”

With all the dimensions to her career, it’s no surprise Janine finds herself busy. “I have so much going on,” she says. “I do resale as a MLS Realtor, I build new houses for Crawford Homes, I develop Condos for Windsor Crossing Developments, and I just started a new custom home-building company of my own, Janson Homes.”

Janine’s daughter, Danielle, is also a real-estate agent in Regina, and mother to two sons, Janine’s grandsons. Her son, Devin, works for the New York Islanders in marketing and sales and lives in Long Island.

“I stayed in Regina mostly because I was raising my kids here, now I’m staying because my grandkids are here,” Janine says. Regina had “everything” for her kids, she notes. “Both kids played hockey. My son played in the WHL and my daughter played university hockey. Hockey was a big draw, that’s what kept us in Regina. It’s a nice-sized city to do that in.

“Even though the kids both left, my daughter went to Alberta after school and my son played hockey in B.C., Regina was always home.”

Busy though she always is, Janine does try to get out on the golf course when she can. She also enjoys looking after her grandsons, and she likes to get out to New York to see her son every so often. She also travels to Florida when she can, since she still has family there; but, she notes, “I have to take my work with me. You can’t be gone very long when you’re in real estate.”

But in a few more years, she says, “I hope to start to semi-retire and spend time with grandkids, and split my time between here and Florida and New York. I will always have a place here because my daughter will always be here. She married a Regina boy, Ian Creaser—his family are long- time residents.”

“Everything is here”

As a real estate agent, Janine says, she’s come to know her adopted city well. “Everything is here,” she says again. “What’s not here?”

And there’s great potential for even more, she thinks. “We haven’t seen anything yet,” she says. “I feel that there are at least another five to eight years of this steady growth still to come in Regina.

“I think it’s about time,” she continues. “Regina has been lagging for many, many years, and I think Saskatchewan has a lot to offer. We’ve just been biding our time, and now that the economy is starting to turn around, Saskatchewan is going to be right there.

“They’re going to be writing about Saskatchewan for a while yet. It’s going to be the place to be.”

***

Susan Minard, Businesswoman

Taking an RV business from scratch to one of Western Canada’s largest in just six years

Susan Minard admits she didn’t have any particular knowledge of the RV lifestyle when she started Minard’s Leisure World in 2004. But her father-in-law did.

“He said, “We should have an RV store. People want to RV and they can’t get parts here, there’s nothing here for them. So we decided to give it a whirl.”

It whirled pretty well. In just six years Minard’s Leisure World has grown to be one of the largest RV businesses not just in Saskatchewan but in all of Western Canada, and has a growing string of awards to its credit:  Kustom Koach Top Dealer in North America in 2007, three Top Dealer awards in North America from KZ Manufacturing, KZ Manufacturing’s Outstanding Service Award, and more.

“It surprises me how quick it grew,” Susan admits.

Born and educated in Weyburn

Susan was born and went to school in Weyburn. “I was raised on a farm with one sister (seven years older), and learned how to work hard, how to think for myself and how to be self motivated.

“We had no brothers, so we did our share of all the farm work. We drove tractor, we drove truck, we did it all because there wasn’t anyone else to do it.”

Susan was also involved in music from an early age, eventually achieving her Grade 8 Conservatory in Piano with honours. “That taught me self-discipline,” she says.

There was something else she learned as a child.  “We weren’t raised with money, but we were raised with love and respect. So in turn, I learned to respect others. I truly believe that it was my upbringing that has allowed me to do what I do, and to have faith in myself and in others.”

Out of high school, Susan says, “I did a million things. I worked at a school, I worked at a newspaper.”

But the thing she enjoyed most was a home-based clothing company, Balance Fashions. “You went out and did your marketing. I was their top sales person in Canada, not just in Saskatchewan.”

Her success didn’t go unnoticed. Representatives of the Victoria-based company flew out to meet with her, and offered her the job of national marketing director. “That was a real coup for me because I was on my own. They could have hired someone local, but they didn’t.”

The job involved a lot of travelling, and, says Susan, “was an incredible education in marketing, which has been a great asset in marketing Minard’s Leisure World.”

When Minard’s Leisure World began in 2004, it had a staff of five and sold travel trailers and fifth wheels from a single manufacturer.

“Within two years we recognized the potential and the need for more floor plans and price ranges to suit our customers. We now have more than 16 different brand names to choose from and a staff of 30,” Susan says.

And that staff, says Susan, is “an amazing group of people that genuinely care about our business and, most importantly, our customers.”

Not only that, she adds, “They are a lot of fun. There is laughter every day, amongst each other and with the customers. We want people to feel welcome and relaxed at our store. And by the smiles on their faces when they leave…I’d say they do!”

A “people person”

Susan says she’s a “people person” herself, and very much a hands-on manager. “The only way I get to know product is by selling it. So I am in sales as well as the sales manager. I go on research and buying trips to ensure we have the right product mix, write and voice all our radio ads, plus of course conduct strategic planning for the business. The business has really expanded—not only with RV sales; we also sell modular and manufactured homes, park models, and Jacuzzi hot tubs.”

In addition, Susan notes, the company recently developed a line of mobile office trailers that can be used for construction jobs, by oilfield consultants, or by anyone else who needs an “office on wheels.” Minard’s Leisure World is the exclusive Canadian distributor for these units.

Minard’s Leisure World is involved with many different community organizations and charities. “We are substantial donors to the Cancer Society, Relay for Life, Children’s Wish Foundation, Family Place, Envision Counseling, 4-H, Mainprize Park and Nickle Lake, and also donate to more than 45 other organizations on an annual basis,” Susan says. “We’re Saskatchewan people. We make our living here. It’s giving back.”

Many of their customers are from Regina, a city Susan says they love. “We take in concerts and stage productions as well as thoroughly enjoy going out for a great meal. Our favorite restaurants would be Silver’s and Earl’s. We are also huge Rider fans…but of course, who isn’t?”

Susan has been married for more than 30 years to Gene Minard, “my full partner at work as well as home.” They have a son and a daughter, Chris and Lea, both of whom are working in the oilfield. Lea and her husband, David, are expecting their first child this fall, so Susan and Gene are excited about becoming grandparents.

Susan bred, raised and trained champion collies for many years, and has collies in countries all over the world, including Germany, the U.S., Australia and Korea. “I was the top collie breeder in Canada in 2000 and 2002,” she notes.

“We love what we do”

She says Minard’s Leisure World has succeeded because, “Our passion for the business is second to none. We love what we do, and passion will take you further than anything.”

Though she and her family were novices to RVing when she started the business, that has long since changed. “We absolutely love it now. It’s something we enjoy doing as a couple and with family and friends. We totally enjoy the lifestyle.”

Susan says what’s most fulfilling for her in running a successful RV business is the chance to share that lifestyle with other families. “You’re dealing with people who are buying an RV because they want to enhance their life, slow down, relax, take time with family and friends and discover the beauty in nature that surrounds them in this province and beyond.

“Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”

***

When you go into the liquor store, you’re faced with a bewildering selection of wines. So many bottles, so many possibilities. How do you choose a good one?

You could judge the wine by its label, of course, and many do. Which is why wineries try so hard (sometimes a little too hard, if you ask us: Fat Bastard, anyone?) to come up with unique names for their wines, and labels that will stand out on the shelf.

Still, you can put any old plonk in a fancy bottle with a beautiful label, and the wine will still be bad. So how do you get beyond appearances and figure out what to drink when you yourself haven’t tasted a wine?

If you’re knowledgeable enough, you probably already have some idea of what to expect from a given bottle based on its country of origin, the varietal, and the reputation of the winery. But even that can be a moving target as, vintage to vintage, grape-growing conditions vary.

What you really need is advice. And that’s where wine-rating systems come in…

…but guess what? There’s more than one of those, too. Whose ratings do you trust?

Putting the systems to the test

The best way to find out is to take a wine that you already know well, and love, and compare your tasting of it to the reviewers’ take. (Or, alternatively, you could use a wine that you loathe, but it seems a bit masochistic to drink a wine you really hate just to find out if the wine reviewers hate it, too!).

With that in mind, we thought it would be interesting to look at various systems with respect to one of our go-to family dinner wines, Wyndham Shiraz Bin 555.

One rating system you’ll see everywhere is the 100-point system made popular by guru Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate. Similar systems are used by other publications, such Wine Spectator. Scores in this point system are frequently displayed in liquor stores to help you make an informed decision…or at least to encourage you to buy certain wines!

Introduced by Parker in 1978, the strength of these 100-point systems lies in the universal understanding of what a high percentage means. (Although, ironically, Robert Parker never rates a wine below 50 points, so is it really a 100-point system, or…?)

Our Wyndham Shiraz Bin 555 (at least the 2005 vintage) was rated 88/100 by Wine Spectator and, by way of comparison, 91/100 by Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (um, who?).

But when was the last time you saw a wine rated 23, or even 61? In fact, you never seem to see wines rated below 80…which makes the 100-point system more like a 20-point system.

That being the case, why not use a 20-point system?

The U.C. Davis system

That’s what we usually use when we rate wines ourselves. The one we like was developed by the University of California Davis, the hot-bed of viticultural study and research. It’s been around for a long time: it was established in 1959 to give the university a way to rate the large number of experimental wines produced there.

The simple and straightforward U.C. Davis system allows you to rate the wine based on 10 basic characteristics: appearance, colour, aroma and bouquet, volatile acidity, total acidity, sweetness/sugar, body, flavour, astringency and general quality. A rating of 17 to 20 indicates a wine of outstanding characteristics having no defects; 13 to 16 indicates a standard wine with neither outstanding character or defect; nine to 12 indicates a wine of commercial acceptability with noticeable defects, five to eight indicates a wine below commercial acceptability, and one to five would mean a completely spoiled wine.

Putting our standby wine to the U.C. Davis test gives us a score of 16—right at the top of “a standard wine with neither outstanding character or defect,” which sounds just about right.

There are other rating systems out there as well, all of which can help you choose a good bottle of wine—especially if you put them to the test and find the ones where the assigned ratings match up to your personal taste.

Ultimately, though, all you really need is a two-point system: either you will buy the wine again, or you won’t.

When it comes to the Wyndham Shiraz Bin 555, that one’s easy: yes, we will!

Our readers recommend…

Neil McClughan

Pirramimma Petit Verdot

A favourite wine? What if I don’t have one? Life is too short to limit your wine experience to a handful of wines. For reds, I tend to gravitate to bigger, bolder wines, especially those that are unique in some way or from smaller boutique producers. One example is Pirramimma from the McLaren Vale region of Australia, made from 100-percent Petit Verdot. Petit Verdot is one of the five Bordeaux classic red grapes, though it is seldom used in Bordeaux anymore since it is extremely late-ripening and often subject to frost. However, in Australia it thrives. The Pirramimma Petit Verdot is a huge wine and can be quite overpowering when opened. Give it a few minutes in the glass to breathe, and it will change immensely. It’s great with stronger cheeses or with rich-flavoured braised meats.

Ellen McClughan

Prosecco Di Conegliano

I was introduced to Prosecco 18 years ago and loved it! It is great to see North America picking up on the European trend of this refreshing light sparkling (frizzante) wine with biscuit-like notes. As sparkling wines go, Italian Proseccos range from very dry to slightly sweet, usually with small persistent bubbles. The cheaper ones can be a bit harsher. It is a great aperitif and is wonderful for any occasion, with any food. Prosecco is also great for making Bellini cocktails.  The name is derived from the Veneto-region Italian village where the grape is believed to have originated. One great example available at SLGA stores is Prosecco Di Conegliano by Canella. A regular staple in our cellar as is Villa di Maser Prosecco, available through the Saskatchewan Opimian Wine Society.

Ellen and Neil McClughan (Level 2 Certificate from the International Sommelier Guild) are past Opimian Society representatives for South Saskatchewan. Ellen is a Systems Administrator and Neil is a co-owner of Tice Consulting Inc., a Business and Strategic IT Management Consulting firm. They love gourmet food, meeting fellow wine lovers, and practicing wine sampling as often as possible.

Sharon Scott

Divinus 2005

Aglianico del Vulture DOC

Recently, my partner Brad chose Divinus for me for a blind tasting at home—what a choice! I was intrigued by the lush, deep garnet colour and aromas of chocolate, leather and tobacco. Smooth and dense, the taste was equally intriguing, with flavours of dark fruit, sour cherry, cocoa, vanilla and spice. I was almost certain this was a blend. But in fact, Divinus is a varietal, produced from Italian aglianico (ah-LEE-AH-nee-koe) grapes. I enjoyed it on its own, but I wouldn’t hesitate to serve Divinus with red-meat dishes, cheeses and more. You can find this divine wine at Saskatoon’s new private wine shop, Cava Wines & Spirits (at River Landing near the Farmer’s Market).

Sharon is an enthusiast and student of wine and a communications professional at the University of Saskatchewan.

***

Paul Hill says he’s most known in Regina for three things: his blue 1976 Mercury Marquis, his habit of consuming eight Diet Cokes a day, and his addiction to non-fat frozen yogurt.

Of course, that list leaves out one other minor thing of note: Paul is president and CEO of The Hill Companies and Harvard Developments Inc., companies intimately intertwined with the history of Regina, owning and/or managing more than two million square feet in Regina and five million square feet in Western Canada.

The Hill Companies were born in 1903 as McCallum Hill & Company, formed by Walter H.A. Hill (Paul’s grandfather) and a partner. Walter Hill later sold the land on which the Saskatchewan Legislative Building now stands to the provincial government, and went on to develop the Lakeview residential area. Paul’s father, the late Frederick W. Hill, after completing an MBA at the Harvard Business School, joined the company to work with his father in 1947.

Born in the U.S.A.

Although he’s definitely a Regina boy, growing up in the city and attending Campion College, Paul was born in Cambridge, Mass.

“My father was in the Canadian Air Force,” he explains. “He was discharged because he had a rheumatic fever history, and decided to get an MBA at Harvard.

“During his first term, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the Americans were ramping up their armed services. He went over to the recruiter and said he wanted to get inducted. So when everyone else was trying to get deferments, he ended up in the U.S. Army Air Force.”

Fred flew as a captain of B-17 and B-24 bombers and received the Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak-leaf clusters. During training exercises, he met Paul’s mother in Washington, D.C. while she was working at the British Embassy. They fell in love right away and after five dates got married.

Fred went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Force overseas, and was discharged in 1945. He returned to Harvard University, and Paul was born in October of 1945.

The family returned to Regina in 1947, but Paul went back to the U.S. for university, thanks to one of his father’s war-time connections: his co-pilot, Paul’s godfather, was from Washington. “He was a Georgetown guy, and so I ended up going to Georgetown University.”

Paul says he was interested in business from a very early age. (Although he admits that one time in Grade 1 or 2 he expressed an interest in being a fireman).

“My father would always bring his associates back to the house at the end of the day,” he recalls. “I would always have a high level of curiosity, and sit and listen to their conversations.”

When Paul met Carol

Young Paul was interested in more than just business, of course. He was also interested in girls. He met his future wife, Carol Erb, daughter of former provincial cabinet minister Walter Erb, when he was actually dating her best friend.

“I took her best friend home and Carol was there, and that’s how we met,” he recalls.

Paul was at Campion College and Carol was in Grade 12 at Sacred Heart at the time, but their paths hadn’t crossed because until that year she and her best friend had been attending Luther College.

“We got married the same year, December 28, 1963,” Paul says. He already knew he was going to Georgetown University, and “we decided that since I was going away the next four years that we wanted to commit to each other for the rest of our life, and we wouldn’t be able to do that if we lived apart for the next four years.”

Carol joined Paul at Georgetown, and also studied there. From Georgetown they moved to London, Ont., where Paul attended the Richard Ivey School of Business, “the Harvard of Canada,” obtaining his MBA.

Like Harvard, the Ivey School of Business teaches business via “case method,” Paul explains.

“It’s a program that involves hundreds of cases that are written about real-life circumstances in various companies and business,” he says. “The cases are focused on various aspects of the business decision-making process. The goal is to learn how to make a better decisions through a disciplined thought process.

“You can’t study for it. It’s a very intense program that goes right up until the last day of class. The next day you go into two sets of four-hour exams. There’s nothing you could ever study for. It was all learning how to make decisions, recognize opportunities, and anticipate problems, learning how to solve them before they occur.”

From school, Paul went into the investment banking business in Toronto with the predecessor of what is now Nesbitt Burns, working as an analyst. From Toronto he went to Winnipeg, where he managed the company’s retail and institutional operation.

Back in Regina

Then, in 1976, he returned home to work with his father. (That was when he bought the Mercury Marquis.) In 1978 he was appointed president of The Hill Companies, the position he’s held ever since.

Paul believes he put his stamp on the companies early, not through any grand strategic planning, but simply by being “entrepreneurial and opportunistic.” One of the first things he oversaw was the acquisition of the local CTV television station, followed by the growth of Harvard Broadcasting Inc. radio stations 620 CKRM and Lite 92 FM and 104.9 The WOLF. “We are a strong regional radio broadcaster today,” Paul notes, the company having extended its media holdings to Yorkton, Saskatoon, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton and Fort McMurray.

“The second thing that happened was putting together a team of experienced real estate professionals to fulfill the redevelopment plan for downtown Regina,” Paul continues. “This included the demolition of the old McCallum-Hill building, built by my grandfather in 1912. It was replaced with the Hill Centre Towers I & II.”

(An interesting side note: the Hill Centre Towers I & II were designed by the Chicago architectural firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill, which was just in the news again as the architects of the world’s new tallest building, the Burj Dubai. “You can go to any international city in the world, and you will find a Skidmore Owings building which will stand out as unique to that total environment,” Paul notes. “We went to Skidmore to give us a unique design that will only be in Regina and nowhere else in the world. That’s the difference they make. Our design will never be duplicated. It’s served the city well, and we have that connection on the world stage.”)

The company followed that up with several more distinctive downtown buildings, including the Bank of Montreal Building, the Crown Life (now Canada Life) Building, and the FCC Tower/Agriculture Place Building, and spearheaded the linkage of all those buildings via climate-controlled pedestrian walkways.

The Hill Companies started out focused on real estate and insurance, and that’s still the core business, Paul says. “Today, that includes Harvard Western Insurance, the general insurance company, Western Surety Company, the contract-bonding company, and Harvard Developments Inc., a full service real estate company.”

Diversification into the U.S.

Another big change during Paul’s stewardship has been diversification into the United States. “We made a decision to diversify into the United States, and opportunistically had acquired the Canadian assets of Tenneco Oil of Canada Ltd., with an American partner. It’s now called Harvard Energy.

“That was a big change that was motivated by what was happening in Ottawa. In 1979 to 1981, when Pierre Elliot Trudeau was prime minister, it became clear that Canada might be in for some long-term problems as a result of fiscal irresponsibility and massive government intrusion into the economy, such as the National Energy Program. It really stemmed from my background in the investment banking industry. I was aware of the penalty Canada was going to have to pay over the next 20 years, which is exactly the same set of circumstances that is now occurring in the United States under the Obama administration.”

Another major diversification move was the acquisition, with partners, of a bankrupt company, UFR Urban Forest Recyclers Inc. of Swift Current. The company developed a manufacturing business making molded fiber products, and now has more than 40 percent of the North American egg tray market.

In 1990, The Hill Companies made national news by acquiring the controlling interest in Crown Life and moving it to Regina from Toronto. “That brought 1,200 jobs to Regina and expanded the GDP of the province by two percent and of the city by 10 percent,” Paul notes. “I became Chairman and it prospered for a number of years. It’s now owned by Canada Life and remains a significant presence in the City.”

“Our western Canadian real estate company continues to grow,” he adds.  “Under the leadership of our talented senior management team, we have under development a major retail urban center in Regina called ‘Grasslands’ at Harbour Landing, as well as ‘Preston Crossing,’ located on the University of Saskatchewan lands in Saskatoon, the ‘Eau Claire’ redevelopment in Calgary and ‘The Currents of Windermere‘ in Edmonton. These are major multi-year developments which include large national retailers. The projects are in the 20- to 100-acre size and range from $50 million to $800 million. This is the next 10 years of our company. It will literally change these cities.”

Green technology is another focus. “We owned a U.S. software company which developed programs for health and safety and environmental management,” Paul says. “The customer base included many Fortune 500 companies and many foreign companies operating out of Asia, the Middle East and Europe. We’re very focused on reducing the costs associated with the production of energy and eliminating, as much as possible, the excessive consumption of products that produce emissions.”

Harvard Developments is the first organization in Saskatchewan operating under private-public partnership to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Accreditation, on the redeveloped Century Plaza building located in downtown Regina.

Though Regina has always been, and continues to be, home base, “Saskatchewan has had a history of not having continuous growth, which has encouraged us to diversify into other geographic areas, and also to be entrepreneurial and opportunistic with regard to other industries,” Paul says.

“My grandfather struggled and survived through the two world wars and the 1930s. The company Walter Hill founded is the only real estate business in Canada that has survived a full 100 years: it celebrated its centennial in 2003.”

Now, says Paul, “Saskatchewan is again growing. The Hill Companies have developed an excellent, experienced team with capabilities second-to-none in Saskatchewan. They are dedicated to assisting and helping to bring the province’s growth opportunities into reality.” The cities of Saskatchewan, Paul says, deserve to enjoy the finest facilities and services of any jurisdiction in the country.

Inspired by Mother Teresa

Making Regina and Saskatchewan better places to live is very important to both Paul and Carol. Paul notes that he and his wife had the opportunity to visit Mother Theresa in India with other CEOs and their spouses in the 1980s.

“She really mesmerized the group we were with,” Paul remembers. “Many wanted to help her initiatives around the world. But her response to us was, ‘Go back to your own community, identify the needs, and give both of yourself and your resources to help those people.’”

Paul and Carol have always been interested in helping students become leaders in society. They support Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, attended by students from all over Western Canada and other parts of the world.

A major new initiative emanating from Mother Teresa’s message is now at the feasibility stage, as Paul works to establish a Nativity Miguel School in Regina.

“What this network of schools in the United States have done is entered into the inner cities, taken kids from Grade 6, 7 and 8, from diversified backgrounds, and developed their educational and motivational skills to the point where they have been able to change a 90-percent drop-out rate for these students in high school to a 90-percent pass rate.

“The school takes 15 to 20 kids per class at a time, and works with them for extended hours and days for three years, giving them the foundation for success in high school and beyond. We’ve been working on it for two years. We hope to be up and running next year.”

Alongside that initiative, the Hills have set up a foundation called “One Life Makes a Difference” to select one student at a time to be given an opportunity to get out of the environment they are in and attend a school such as Notre Dame to obtain a complete educational experience that can take them on to university.

Other education initiatives have included the evolution of the University of Regina’s Faculty of Business Administration into the Paul J. Hill School of Business. The business school has always been reputable, Paul says, but “there was an opportunity to take it to the next level in terms of quality and recognition.”

The Paul J. Hill School of Business is now partnered with the Richard Ivey School of Business, where Paul received his MBA, “recognized as one of the top schools in the world.” The school is implementing the full case-method program used at Ivey and Harvard, and also includes a student exchange program and Ph.D. development. As well, business cases from Western Canada are now being written and distributed on a worldwide basis under the Hill-Ivey brand name. The program includes a specific emphasis on business ethics.

Paul and Carol have also helped initiate a Catholic studies program at Campion College.

Five children

Their own children have all attended Jesuit-run universities in the United States. “We wanted them to experience American culture, and to go to schools that require a minimum amount of philosophy and theology,” Paul says.

Eldest daughter Rosanne Hill Blaisdell, who like her father obtained an MBA, is working with Harvard Developments and is responsible for the company’s office portfolio in Regina and in Calgary.

Their second daughter, Shannon, got a law degree and now at age 42 has gone back to school, after having three children, for a medical degree.

Their only son, Matthew, married a girl from Michigan and has founded a technology-related company is Los Angeles. Their second-youngest daughter, January, is in early childhood education in Calgary, and their youngest, Kathryn, is a practicing psychologist in Calgary.

Paul and Carol continue to call Regina home, although, Paul notes, “When it gets cold, we go south. I commute back and forth and the rest is done by phone, fax and email.”

In the summer, they enjoy a cottage at the Lake of the Woods in northwestern Ontario (the Winnipeg connection) but still keep the family cottage in the Qu’Appelle Valley. “I grew up going to Katepwa Lake in the summertime and worked at a local beach and boat club,” Paul says.

They play a little bit of golf and enjoy the social amenities at the Wascana Country Club. Both keep physically active. “We were joggers,” Paul says. “Well, Carol still is. My knees have gone.”

Culturally, they enjoy shows at Globe Theatre and the Conexus Arts Centre, and going to the movies. “Mostly, we just like being with family,” Paul says.

Oh, and football. “We as a family have had a lifelong commitment to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Carol was Miss Saskatchewan Roughrider in 1963! We’ve attended every Grey Cup since then together, along with most of our children.

“Harvard’s 620 CKRM has the broadcasting rights for the Roughrider games,” Paul continues. “I am currently honoured to be on the board of the club. Also, several employees and business associates have and continue to be actively involved in supporting the club.”

Favorite restaurants include Earl’s, the Lakeshore Steak House, Golf’s and Memories (and TCBY, of course, thanks to Paul’s addiction to frozen yogurt).

A love of travel

The Hills love Regina, but they also like to travel. They founded the Canadian Chapter of The Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museum, a select group dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of the collection of art contained in the Vatican Museums. Money raised by the organization is used for restoration projects, such as the four-year restoration of the Raphael tapestry, St. Paul in Prison.

“Now we are restoring a necropolis under the Vatican parking lot that has perfectly preserved tombs going back to the period from 200 BC to 400 AD,” Paul says. “There are stories about persons, one of whom ran the chariot races for Emperor Nero. Other stories include a description of the daily lives of ordinary people of their times. It’s fascinating. Every two years we take the Canadian chapter to Rome for a full agenda at the Vatican.

“We like Hawaii, of course, everybody does,” Paul continues. “The last three or four years we’ve gone to southern Spain. We’ve learned very little Spanish, but we’ve taken in the history and culture of Spain as well as spending some time with its former president. We developed an interest in Spain and its history and culture.

“We’ve been most places in the world, but there’s one place that we’ve not been to that we will be going to this year, and that’s Russia. We’ll be in St. Petersburg and Moscow for the first time.”

Saskatchewan: A land of opportunity

The Hill Companies were created by entrepreneurs taking advantage of an opportunity that presented itself. Does Paul feel there are still opportunities in Saskatchewan?

“Absolutely,” he says. In fact, he thinks the opportunities are greater now than they have ever been in his lifetime, because at various times in Saskatchewan’s history, “it was very difficult for a company to start and survive during various points in its history,” he notes.

“The wars and the ’30s were very difficult economic times. After the war, in the 1950s, business faced the challenge of the Tommy Douglas government and the CCF manifesto, which called for the total eradication of capitalism. Many companies either left the province or were taken over by the government. One of those companies was ours, Saskatchewan Guaranty and Fidelity, the predecessor to Western Surety Company, which was managed by the predecessor to Harvard Western Insurance. In spite of this we stayed and remained committed.”

But, he says, “The negative aspects of the socialist environment have slowly been removed over time. Successive governments of the province have moved toward encouraging the private sector to grow and develop as well as encouraging the expansion and exploration of the resource sector toward its full potential. It is also becoming a more competitive jurisdiction to attract business and jobs.

“The province is moving in the right direction. The Hill Companies hope to continue contributing to the growth of this great province and at the same time focus on improving the lives of the people who live here. We will maintain our entrepreneurial philosophy, while practicing our principles and values within the context of lessons learned from the past.

“I am optimistic and have great faith in the future of The Hill Companies and our province. I believe our enterprise will continue to enjoy the success brought about by dedicated employees and partners.”