ROM Centennial Ball, Toronto
This year marks the 100th anniversary of The Royal Ontario Museum, one of the most powerful cultural institutions in the country. So it was fitting that the white-tie gala held on Nov. 8 for the occasion saw the birth of a new power couple: Toronto mayor John Tory attended with Hudson’s Bay Company vice-chair Bonnie Brooks as his date (the pair are just friends, of course). The evening drew a crowd of 600 guests and raised north of $700,000 in support of the Love the ROM Centennial Campaign. Brooks, who is also chair of the ROM Board of Trustees, and Senator Nicole Eaton co-chaired the lavish evening, which included cocktails in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, intimate dinners in 11 galleries throughout the museum and post-dinner dancing in the Samuel Hall Currelly Gallery. Among those out in their finest: opening ceremonies sponsors Robert and Sylvia Mantella, Belinda Stronach and her daughter, Nikki Walker, restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, Galen and Hilary Weston, Ivan Fecan and Sandra Faire and ROM director and CEO Janet Carding, who is set to leave her post in early 2015. Perhaps the most finely attired guests of the evening were centennial ball committee members Lynda Prince, who wore show-stopping Ralph Lauren, and Transcontinental’s Isabelle Marcoux, who looked statuesque in a gold sequined number by Prada.
Bonnie Brooks and John Tory. (Photos courtesy of the Royal Ontario Museum)
Mantella Corp. CEO Robert Mantella and Mantella Venture Partners’ Duncan Hill.
William Thorsell and Hilary Weston.
Sylvia Mantella and Suzanne Timmins.
Ivan Fecan and Sandra Faire.
From left, Nikki Walker, Belinda Stronach and Dr. John Dempster.
Motionball Legacy Gala, Halifax
Motionball, the national not-for-profit that organizes events across the country in support of Special Olympics Canada Foundation, hosted the second annual Halifax edition of its Legacy Gala on Nov. 15. Over 400 gen-next philanthropists gathered at Casino Nova Scotia for performances by Paul Lamb, Saratonin, PRTY H3RO and DJ Skratch Bastid (plus a bevy of casino-themed activities). In attendance were Motionball co-founder Paul Etherington, comedian Shaun Majumder, actress Laura Kahoot and Motionball event directors Chris Rafuse, Cher Digdon and Dave Jones. To date, the organization has raised over $4.5-million.
From left, Brad McMullen, Lauren Steeves, Motionball co-founder Paul Etherington, Special Olympic athlete Katie Isenor, Michelle Robichaud, Jana Nickerson and Eric McCance. (Photos courtesy of Motionball)
Laura Kahoot with This Hour Has 22 Minutes comedian Shaun Majumder.
From left, Chelsea Wilson, Kevin D’Aguiar and Tim Lane.
From left, Gwen Carson, Erika Gray and Joanne Graham.
Canada Club Dinner for Mark Carney, London
Across the pond, the Canada Club, one of the oldest dining clubs in London, honoured Mark Carney, formerly of the Bank of Canada and now the governor of the Bank of England, with a swish dinner at London’s Guildhall on Nov. 26. Drinks were served in its 11th-century crypt and followed by dinner in the 15th-century great hall. The organization has hosted an impressive roster of guest speakers over its 204-year history, including nearly every Canadian prime minister, a host of notable industrialists and many prominent artists. Among the 480 gusts in attendance at the Carney fete: Canada Club chair Lisa Tomas, Baroness Sandip Verma, former Canada Club chair Margaret Egan, RBC Capital Markets’ Doug Guzman, former U.K. ambassador to the United States Christopher Meyer and his wife, Catherine. Not in attendance, but surely there in spirit: Prince Philip, who has served as the Canada Club’s patron for the past 60 years.
The 15th-century great hall in London’s Guildhall. (Photos by Amanda Cla)
From left, David Thomas, Doug Guzman, Patrick Meier and Josh Critchley.
From left, Peter Virdee, Barinder Singh Sall, Mark Carney, Baroness Sandip Verma and Paul Beavis.
Alex Brazier and Margaret Egan.
Mark Bergman and Susan Gibson.
From left, Richard, Stephen and Christian Foss.