In photos: Canada's famous dads and their cars
From sports icons to actors and award-winning musicians, dads often have a special bond with their car.
Anthony Calvillo was one of the best quarterbacks in the CFL. During his 16 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes, he won three Grey Cups, three CFL Most Outstanding Player awards, and the record as the league’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. He retired in 2014, but still lives in Montreal and drives a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with his wife and two daughters in tow.
Gemini-award winning host and handyman Bryan Baeumler gained fame from his HGTV shows Leave it to Bryan, House of Bryan: In the Sticks, and Disaster DIY. The author and contractor is also an avid car collector who owns a 2014 Ram 3500 Longhorn Mega Cab truck, a 2008 Ferrari F430 convertible, a 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL350, and a 2009 Ducati Monster 1100 S motorbike. Baeumler is married with four children.
Dean Brody is one of Canada’s top country musicians. The multiple Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and Juno award winner is on tour promoting his new album, Gypsy Road. But he won’t drive his car, a 1999 Nissan Sentra, to gigs. He takes Prevosts, but loves vintage vehicles like this 1947 Spartan coach. “It reminded me of the malt-shop days and the kinds of buses musicians would have toured on back then. It was a great era musically and also stylistically in the automobile world,” says the married father of two.
He’s best known as Julian, the ex-con in the hit cult TV series, Trailer Park Boys. But John Paul or JP Tremblay also created Swearnet.com, an uncensored Internet channel with his cohorts-in-crime Robb Wells and Mike Smith — aka Ricky and Bubbles from TPB. The actor, writer, and producer is a huge car buff who owns a 1967 Camaro RS, a 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo, and a 2010 Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Born in Halifax, N.S., Tremblay is married with three kids.
Country musician Jason McCoy has won numerous CCMA, SOCAN, and the Country Music Association awards including the CMA’s 2006 Global Artist of the Year in Nashville, Tennessee. But he’s not just a solo artist, he’s also the founder and front-man of The Road Hammers -- the highest selling band in Canadian country music history. McCoy, his wife and two kids divide their time between a home in Nashville where he drives a 2000 Porsche 911 and a farm in Barrie, ON where he drives a 2001 Chevy Silverado.
Celebrity chef Michael Bonacini is a master in the kitchen and on TV. Best known as a judge on the hit CTV reality cooking competition, MasterChef Canada, he also co-owns one of Canada’s top restaurant companies, Oliver & Bonacini. Born and raised in South Wales, he attended chef school in Britain, and now lives in southern Ontario with his wife and kids. In the summer, he drives a 1982 Fiat Spider Convertible.
Rick Campanelli dishes out the dirt on Hollywood’s hottest celebs on one of Canada’s top entertainment shows, ET Canada. The co-host of the show has come along way since starting his TV career back in 1994 after winning the “MuchTemp” contest on MuchMusic. But he hasn’t let fame get to his head. He drives a 2013 Kia Sportage. Campanelli is married to his second wife, Angie Smith. He has two young sons.
Maritime-born comedian Ron James is known for his razor-sharp wit on stage and on TV. At 57, the award-winning comic is still active, performing at sold-out gigs across the country while writing a book in his spare time. His winter car is a 1999 Toyota 4Runner; his summer ride is a 2014 BMW 428i cabriolet. The divorced father of two daughters is a native of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He lived briefly in LA before settling in Toronto.
Simon Whitfield is one of Canada’s most decorated athletes. The 12-time Canadian triathlon champ and two-time Olympic medalist retired in 2013. Now, he’s a partner and director of sports entertainment at the Fantan Group in Victoria, BC. The father of two daughters is also Land Rover Canada’s brand ambassador, promoting outdoor adventures in his 2015 Discovery Sport.
Former NHL star Theo Fleury had an impressive career with the Calgary Flames, the New York Rangers, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Colorado Avalanche. He won a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989 and a Gold medal with the men’s hockey team at the 2002 Olympics. After battling drug and alcohol addictions, along with sexual abuse from his hockey coach, he’s now an advocate for sexual abuse victims, a motivational speaker and a best-selling author. He is married to his second wife and has four children. He drives a 2013 Lincoln MKS.