OLD TIMES WINTER/SPRING 2008

UPPER CANADA COLLEGE’S ALUMNI PUBLICATION

Backyard Eating Michael Levenston ’70 sows the seeds of sustainability OLD TIMES winter/spring/08 55 Photo: Paul Photo: Joseph Paul

8 OLD TIMES winter/spring/08 OldCovers NewBoy Ground

By John Carson Michael Levenston ’70 sows the seeds of sustainability

If Michael Levenston ’70 had walked up to you at a a telephone hotline and is an education centre for all party 30 years ago and started to regale you with manner of things to do with the urban landscape and stories of worm composting, you might have grimaced, greening. Internationally, it’s well known because of its made your excuses and sidled away. website, which was set up way back in 1994. By his own admission, it sounds, well, weird. “It’s a “Everyone who is involved in urban agriculture has pretty oddball area, and you can’t go to a lot of people come back to our website, so we’re known around the about this,” he says. world,” explains Levenston. “We’ve always been surprised But today Levenston is the global go-to guy for about its popularity. Locally, our garden — globally that subject and other green issues that fall under the our website. I estimate 100,000 to 200,000 online umbrella of urban agriculture. He started the Vancouver- visitors a month. based non-profit City Farmer Society in 1978, when no “We look like a retro site because I haven’t one used the words “urban” and “agriculture” in the improved the coding since the ’90s and made it look same sentence. modern. But, it receives a huge audience, and I have to “It was a bit of an oxymoron,” he recalls. “If say, it’s because content is king, and our content is agriculture, you’re rural; if urban, you’re a modern always referenced by others,” he adds. consumer. Our outlook at City Farmer was mostly This visionary Old Boy is the first port of call for aimed at the backyard farmers who had veggie the media when they need a source on urban agricul- gardens. It was the non-commercial demographic ture. The day before Old Times interviewed him, he and we wanted to teach them about the environment was busy with the major outlets. through our organization. “Yesterday I had CBC Toronto on the phone asking “Urban agriculture has a slightly wider definition about chickens in backyards, and CBC Vancouver doing a now because commercial growers within the urban story about a new community garden set up by a devel- metropolitan region are part of that term,” he says. oper in downtown Vancouver. That’s quite unusual and At UCC, Levenston enjoyed being in the natural controversial, so the local media are interested,” he says. environment, whether it was the ravines near the A British TV show dedicated to law also contacted College, at Norval or on the playing fields. “They still him because they wanted to use one of City Farmer’s look lush and natural in the City of Toronto. When video blogs about a chicken raiser in Vancouver — I was in the Prep, Norval was a wonderful place to that’s against the bylaw, so the show was very interested. visit. My inclination was for less urban, more natural “We deal with people all week long,” he says. settings,” he says. City Farmer has a worm-composting program that After studying at Trent University in Peterborough, is the largest in the world. The process uses smaller Ont., Levenston moved to Vancouver, where City Farmer bins for apartment dwellers, which is different from sprouted from the roots of a federal grant. “We were backyard systems. That initiative has garnered a lot of working for the federal government teaching energy global attention too. “Germany’s Der Spiegel did a large conservation — that was a popular term in the ’70s,” he article about our worm program and we’ve also had says. “A few of us were interested in the food system National Geographic cover it online,” he adds. and how individuals and cities could save energy, and So, what sowed the seeds of Levenston’s passion? we thought the food garden model held potential.” “My motivation was that I didn’t know or learn City Farmer has a very central demonstration gar- about this as a child growing up in Toronto, and so it den which is accessible for people in the region. It runs fascinated me that you could peel back a lawn and Continued on page 10 OLD TIMES winter/spring/08 9 Continued from previous page

grow some veggies out of that,” he says. “Like many time employee with about eight part-time employees urban people, I wasn’t exposed to it, and it was a that staff the garden and run our workshops. What’s revelation. It was my lack of knowledge on this subject amazing is that you can have such a large reach and be as a youngster that continues to motivate me, even so successful with limited resources, if you do it the after 30 years.” correct way — and that’s with passion.” Paradoxically, the City Farmer founder chooses to There is a lot of ground for Levenston to cover, oversee the operation from his home base rather than but some hot topics are at the forefront of urban get out into the field, so to speak: “I’m asked to travel a agriculture. lot, but prefer to travel virtually through the Internet; “Our bread and butter is composting — that is cen- I’m madly on e-mail from about 4 a.m. to 11 p.m.!” tral to a waste point of view for our cities, and we spend That’s not to say his influence hasn’t been heard on every day all through the week teaching people how to a global scale. The subject he has based his life’s work compost. We love it as urban agriculture because you’re on has progressed from being a trendy fringe subject to taking basic household waste such as food and yard a mainstream talking point. waste and turning it into a good, healthy product that “Back in 1978, urban agriculture didn’t have a place improves the city’s soil for your veggies, fruit and orna- in the world as an important topic, but that has mentals,” he explains. “We also spend a great deal of time talking about water, because conservation of that is essential, even though in rainy Vancouver it doesn’t seem like the thing to do! But it is a huge issue and many of the garden tours we do relate to water — whether it’s the green roof on our tool shed, the green lane, which has a permeable surface, or our rain barrels. “The hottest topic right now is eat local: food grown close to where you live. We all hear about The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating, a best-selling book in Canada by a Vancouver journalist. I can talk about the ‘zero-mile diet,’ because you can go out of your back door and pick what you’ve grown, as opposed to finding local producers in 100-mile-wide regions. I think waste, food and water are the three main areas of discussion today,” adds Levenston. City Farmer’s head gardener, Sharon Slack (right), demonstrates worm composting to UBC School of Journalism students. This busy Old Boy recently found the time to visit his alma mater. changed so dramatically,” explains Levenston. “It is now “A fellow student, Dave Fairlie ’70, and my wife a serious subject of discussion in the United Nations and I visited UCC and were thrilled that there was a and development groups, in food and agriculture young person’s food garden in the Prep, right by the groups, in the World Bank and in academia. entrance,” he recalls. “Dave and I had entered the “My nephew — who has just started Queen’s school together back in the early ’60s as youngsters University — almost fell out of his seat in a geography walking up those steps, and now in that same loca- lecture because the speaker was talking about sustain- tion is this fabulous food garden, which is the kind ability issues and referenced City Farmer. This is the of thing that we talk about at City Farmer. It was kind of change in thinking on the subject that is hap- such a thrill to see the students out there with pening in modern society. It is being discussed and easels doing artwork, food tasting and understanding worked on at all levels.” different foods. You can hear the excitement in his voice, and a “The whole trip back was a fabulous experience for tinge of awe too, as though he himself can’t even me. To see the College taking this on is great. The believe how things have changed for the better over instructor told me, ‘It’s so nice to see an Old Boy who three decades. actually became an environmentalist.’ So, you’re thinking City Farmer has to employ hun- “I think she observed that’s what I always was at dreds to reach that level of success, right? Wrong. heart; I do too, now. The College has embraced urban “We all know that ‘small is beautiful’ and we are a agriculture and that is absolutely the right thing to do,” very small organization,” he says. “I am the only full- he adds.

10 OLD TIMES winter/spring/08 Volume 10, Number 5 www.svn.ca June 28, 2004 Main players position themselves for VoIP By Derek Abma Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) has captured the attention of those in the technology and communications industry. It’s a process that transforms voice into packets capa- ble of being transmitted over Internet protocol net- works, and there are new business opportunities being created by it. Network equipment vendors are using it to build more multipurpose infrastructure for carriers. Michael Calyniuk, technology continued on page 10 market analyst, PwC

Bridging innovation gap for renewable energy Pg. 8 Life sciences the winner for VC activity Q1 2004 Pg. 9 Angels vs. VCs: No competition for start-ups Pg. 12 TELECOM: WHAT DO Don’t sit on the fence THE VCS when taking risks LOOK FOR?

By Andrea Zoe Aster

Every venture capitalist prowls for the next “disruptive technolo- gy,” a breakthrough which pulls the plug on a standard applica- Jeffrey Posluns tion. It’s debatable whether Jeffrey Posluns music downloads will ever Chief Innovations Officer replace CDs, or if e-commerce WhiteHat Inc. will ever replace shops—but dig- A serial entrepreneur who never ital cameras and mobile phones loses his focus. are prime examples of the term. See page 4 Indeed, a recent round-up of prominent VCs reveals common enthusiasms. They were all asked the same question: What telecom or technology ventures are inspiring your major invest- ments? “There are people under 30 who’ve only ever owned mobile phones,” says John Piercy, man- aging director at BCE Capital. Indeed, mobile is the buzzword which causes jaded VC ears to perk up. What’s first on the wish list? Young companies with the brains to build diagnostic software for smart phones. That’s because, as mobile phones get smarter, call-centre reps are increasingly perplexed by service requests.

continued on page 7 PHOTO BY: John Carson /PHOTO BY: Andrea Civichino WE ADVISE ENTREPRENEURS . . . Fortune 1000 or start-up, the entrepreneurial spirit lies at the heart of your company. Practical Legal Strategy...Timely Issue Identification...Efficient Execution... www.weirfoulds.com To find out more, contact David Brown in Toronto at 416-947-5046 or [email protected]. 4 • Silicon Valley NORTH June 28, 2004

Jeffrey Posluns Chief Innovations Officer WhiteHat Inc.

By John Carson who, upon discovering a vulnerability in a is a storm brewing; in fact, one of his nick- er, communicate, write or whatever, and computer system, alerts the system vendor names is Tempest. The driving force then leave. It’s not their job to worry about “They won’t be too happy if I break my to the problem) and assisted the RCMP in behind him is doing things that no one else security, patching or whether their virus leg!” quips Jeffrey Posluns as he hands over catching one of the most infamous “black has done before, or better... things that definitions are up-to-date. his jacket and clambers up a rickety fence hat” (think Mad Magazine’s Spy vs. Spy) someone tells him cannot be done. “I believe an added job function should for our photo shoot. But then again, he’s hackers in computer history: Mafiaboy. “A technology challenge for Jeff is like a be to check for updates every morning. not averse to taking risks, having founded Major Internet sites like Amazon and red flag for a bull. I doubt we will see him Without enterprise-level software, that will eight technology companies, investing in Yahoo were crippled by the black hat hack- sitting in the same chair for more than a take under a minute. But it’s difficult to get two dozen more, authoring three IT books, er, causing an estimated US$1 billion in few years,” he adds. people to do so. The problem will continue helping the RCMP bring an infamous teen damages. By necessity, the secretive and often to be user- or policy-related for the next hacker to justice—and becoming a mil- “We wouldn’t know what the case was, deceptive world of IT security has a large few years,” he predicts. lionaire in the process. He’s still only 26. who was being investigated or what for,” presence in Posluns’ life. He has to keep Posluns also does some work for the The “they” he refers to is WhiteHat Inc., says Posluns. “Having had security clear- abreast of all major new threats, technolo- government, but is understandably vague a Burlington, Ont.-based IT security ance for quite a while, they brought me two gies and trends. on the specifics. “We set up the secure provider that Posluns works for three days pieces of code and asked me to analyse “Most people in the security area will communications facilities between a num- a week as its chief innovations officer, a them. Code like that would make its way have a number of different aliases; less peo- ber of different groups in government, and position he accepted in April along with a public quite quickly. It took us about a ple will talk to you if you’re a big corporate intrusion detection systems. We’ve done percentage of the company and a develop- month to find a location from where it type,” he says. “Some of my friends call me security policy work and audits. ment team of 20 staff. could be retrieved on the ‘Net.” by my alias as opposed to my real name! “SecuritySage has had 15-20 large proj- Some people are born with an entrepre- He explains that one of the tools found “For example, a really great coder is ects. There are also a lot of little ones. For neurial gene. example, we may get a call such as: ‘In the- He started his first tech company at 14, ory, if there were a situation like this... what designing computer networks for small “There’s a large group of would you do? It doesn’t exist, but in theo- businesses in Montreal. Five years later ry, what would you do?’” he says with a wry Posluns founded Top-Five Inc. a Web site- industry professionals smile. development company specializing in e- that get together once a What’s next on the horizon for a serial commerce initiatives. He sold that in 1999 tech entrepreneur? Surprisingly, it’s non- for “a bunch of money” from which he month over a beer and security related. allocated 15 per cent to share amongst the think of new ways to take He started Dev/Null Industries Inc. in staff. January to develop an online mall solution. “I make a point of doing that with every over the world. We’re all Some may see this as a risky project con- company I’m involved with,” he explains. on the good guys’ side.” sidering the plethora of e-shopping Web “If not for the employees, I wouldn’t have sites, but Posluns is typically upbeat about got to where I am.” it. The next venture was a slight blip on the “I wasn’t sure if this would be successful, resume. He co-founded information secu- Jeffrey Posluns but decided to throw a little bit of money at rity services firm SecureOps Inc. at 21 with CIO, WhiteHat Inc. it because it’s interesting,” he says. “The personal seed money of around $75,000 John Carson /PHOTO BY: Andrea Civichino mall template is automatically generated, and some business loans. you pick colours and graphics, and collect “We went to a bunch of VCs, but the in the code could be used to compromise a called Rainforest Puppy and very few peo- a commission on every product sold. It’s problem at the time was the security mar- specific type of server; the other sends out ple know his real identity.” It’s noticeable been doing phenomenally well in the few ket was very young; few people understood tons of data with falsified source locations that Posluns refers to him as a “great coder” months it’s been around. It’s still in beta it,” he recalls. “I would have preferred a making it look like millions of systems are while some Web sites refer to him as “hack- stage and we’re looking at a fall launch. strategic partner, as opposed to someone being used in an attack. er.” What shade of hat is he wearing when Right now we have Montreal, Toronto, putting in money for a percentage of the “That’s called Distributed Denial of showing admiration? London, Boston and New York.” company and then taking a lot of the con- Service today—at the time it was just six “There’s a large group of industry pro- Apart from that, where does Posluns see trol away from me.” university computers,” recalls Posluns. fessionals that get together once a month the next opportunity coming from? Motorola took 10 per cent of the com- “The public was told it was a distributed over a beer and think of new ways to take “I think there’s going to be a very big pany for $1 million, but about a year later attack, but following the pathways on the over the world. We’re all on the good guys’ overhaul in communications over the next “the company started going in a direction I Internet from router to router, it’s deter- side,” he reassures me. few years,” he says. “We are seeing the disagreed with,” explains Posluns. mined that all the traffic is coming from So, was the Sasser worm good for busi- beginning of a widespread deployment of He got bought out, bounced back and one particular spot.” ness? VoIP technologies. There’s a company [in founded SecuritySage Inc. in 2002, a firm Shortly after, Mafiaboy—a 17-year-old “The only reason that viruses and VoIP] that I’m in the process of finalizing offering custom security solutions to cor- Montreal male—was arrested and sen- worms can be considered good is that they an investment in, taking a good percent- porate, government and law enforcement tenced to eight months in a youth deten- raise public awareness. There’s only a lim- age.”It’s worth watching where this modest agencies. In two years he grew the compa- tion centre. Robert Currie, the RCMP staff ited number of mechanisms for security guy puts some cash—he seems to have the ny from five employees to over 100 in three sergeant handling the investigation, pub- exploits,” he replies. knack of picking winners. countries: “Canada, the US and London, licly thanked Posluns after the trial ended “The biggest problem in security will Next on his whirlwind itinerary is a con- UK. The ‘fish and chips’ London,” he says for his code analysis expertise. always be the users; the lack of desire of ference in Athens, business meetings in with a laugh. Currie elaborates: “Don’t be fooled by non-IT personnel to conform to common Copenhagen, some well-deserved R&R in It was during this period that he put on Jeff’s calm veneer. He might appear calm, policies. Their job is to come into work, Rome and to London for some fine dining. his “white hat” (a slang term for a hacker cold and calculating, but underneath there provide a function, work on their comput- Not fish and chips. 2 • Silicon Valley NORTH June 28, 2004

Techs and the City The words “unemployment,”“downsizing” and “layoffs” are unwelcome as a result of redundancies from leading employers such as Nortel, Alcatel additions to anyone’s vocabulary, especially in the technology arena where and JDS Uniphase.

workers can find themselves replaced by automatic production lines, off- The authors mention the case of an entrepreneur who had been respon-

If not for the shore outsourcing and other business processes. sible for establishing a new facility on behalf of his employer to develop a “employees, I “ Ottawa has taken a few cold showers in the past couple of years, but local new product line. Having set it up, he was “basically asked to knock it down wouldn’t have got support at the grassroots level and the findings of a Scottish study point to again because of a change in direction.”He formed his own small team, got to where I am. signs of renewed vigour and a strong will to help the region get back on its support from an extensive group of financial backers and exploited the feet and heal the bruises. Like a prizefighter, the city’s technology morale technology himself. page 4 staggered, bounced off the ropes and has come out fighting. It’s a great example of seeing opportunity when senior management pull Figures from Statistics Canada show that overall employment in Ottawa- the plug. Gatineau stands at just over 607,000 for May, and a Manpower Inc. survey Success in Ottawa seems to hinge on incestuous business relationships. in the second quarter of this year shows that 27 per cent of respondents plan Who have you worked for? Who do you know? As one VC is quoted in the to hire.According to the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation’s semi- study:“This is a community where most of the people are spin-outs of spin- Make it easy for annual technology survey released this month, the number of tech compa- outs. Two phone calls and I can find out everything...”

“the VC to say nies in the region has increased by six per cent to 1,585 while employment A British friend was unfortunate enough to hit the shores of Canada dur- levels increased by 500 people to 64,200. ing the moribund tech landscape of 2001. The timing was totally off; after ‘yes’ by focusing“ Since January 2001, many groups of laid-off technology workers have four months of vainly searching for a network support position he very on his needs, not joined together to create peer networks focused on helping their members. nearly cashed in his return ticket and left. But 3,500 miles is a long way to your wants. The need to co-ordinate activities led to the formation of the Ottawa Talent come just to throw in the towel. Initiative (OTI). He took a pay cut, joined a small tech start-up, worked the hours and is page 9 The OTI is an organization composed of unemployed volunteers and the now considering starting his own enterprise. That’s the attitude that will get community working together to create positive change for the unem- Ottawa’s unemployed back to work, but only if the opportunity and will are ployed—and underemployed—technology workers in the Ottawa area. there. I asked Dave Sproule, a founding member of the OTI, what he sees hap- As Denzil Doyle says in his column in this very issue: “If someone can pening to the Ottawa tech employment scene from the grassroots level. prove to me that the Ottawa area is a net acquirer of high tech companies, I We believe that Improving or declining? will dance a jig on the front steps of Parliament every Monday morning for

“VoIP can “While there have been some successes by individuals with correspon- the rest of my life.”

become one of ding encouragement to the community, there have also been surprises,” he Why should Ottawa be an acquirer? It should be supporting those says. “Due to the nature of the timeliness of statistical data, it is not easy to branching out on their own, starting new ventures. It takes guts to put your the biggest “ quantify this into a trend.” own money—sometimes a redundancy payment—on the line and lay the applications on He goes on to say that the 18 key recommendations identified in the foundation for a start-up. If that means joining a like-minded community the Internet. OTI’s Community Action Plan released in May correspond to three main of collaborators, or asking a VC to make those “two phone calls” then that’s strategies: grow jobs in Ottawa; immediate support for unemployed and the way to go. page 10 underemployed tech workers; provide assistance for those same people in In its report entitled “Start Me Up: A Look at New Entrepreneurs in transitioning their skills to other sectors. Canada” released this month, CIBC Small Business demonstrates that start- That’s the view from inside the ballpark; parties overseas have taken an ups in Ontario are growing at a rate consistent with the national average, interest too from a positive stance. A study undertaken by a team of Scottish but the graph shows it trailing all the other provinces except Quebec. Why

researchers has highlighted some of the entrepreneurial processes involved should this be? Is it a lack of motivation or funding?

There’s a grow- in the “emergence of Ottawa as a leading world technology cluster.” With the report predicting 100,000 small business start-ups over the next “ing tension “ The study was undertaken by Colin Mason and Sarah Cooper of the five years, I hope that the techs in the Capital region can contribute, play a between angels Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Strathclyde in large role in the community and lead the way. and VCs. Glasgow, and Richard Harrison of Edinburgh University Management Don’t throw in the towel just yet. There’s still a few more rounds to go... School. It was funded by the Canadian High Commission under its Canadian Studies Program. page 12 In the report Ottawa is cited as a world-class technology centre dominat- ed by information and communications technology industries—notably telecom equipment, semiconductors, software and emerging photonics and John Carson life sciences clusters. More than 20,000 technology jobs were lost in 2001-02 Editor Up& close On January 1, 2007, Michael MacMillan became the 16th chair of UCC’s Board of Governors after having served on the board since 1999. Old Times took the chance to give the new chair a break from his business activities and he spoke with John Carson, UCC’s acting communications manager. r o l y a T

y e l a C

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4 OLD TIMES summer/fall/07 p personalclose & with the new chair of UCC’s Board of Governors, Michael MacMillan Michael MacMillan ’74 is executive chairman of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., a specialty broadcaster. Born in Scarborough, Ont., MacMillan came to UCC’s Preparatory School in 1967. He graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. (BA, Honours Film Studies). In 1978, he co-founded Atlantis Films Limited (which later became Atlantis Communications Inc.). In 1984 Atlantis Films won an Oscar for Best Short Drama for Boys and Girls, based on an Alice Munro story. In 1998, Atlantis Communications Inc. merged with Alliance Communications Corp. to become Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. At the time this article was going to press, the company was in the process of being sold. The company operates 13 Canadian specialty television networks, including Showcase, Slice, HGTV Canada, History Television, Food Network Canada, National Geographic Channel and BBC Canada. Alliance Atlantis also co-owns and co- produces the hit CSI franchise. Headquartered in Toronto, Alliance Atlantis operates offices in Montreal, Halifax, Los Angeles, Madrid, Dublin, London (U.K.) and Sydney. MacMillan lives in Toronto with his wife, lawyer Cathy Spoel, and their three children.

Q: What can you tell the readers of Old Times about your who have the ability and personality to thrive here, but who can- plans for UCC? not otherwise financially afford to attend. A: I’d like to carry on the work that Principal Jim Power has Q: Alliance Atlantis operates 13 Canadian television put in place and the direction that he’s chosen. It would be networks, all with their own specialties and nuances. good to get the message across that the College should be more Do you see a parallel with guiding the different depart- accessible to boys who may not normally have a chance to attend an educational establishment of this type. ments in a corporation and laying out strategic plans for UCC? Q: UCC is an institution with great traditions and history. A: I actually don’t see a parallel as far as comparing a school to How should it raise its profile and stay relevant to a business model — that can be a dangerous comparison. modern education? Strategies are totally different for a business than a school. Our purpose at UCC is to educate and encourage qualities such as A: When Sir John Colborne founded UCC in 1829, he intended creativity, courage and caring in the boys. They are qualities that that the school be a meritocracy. A superb idea. The school’s will lead them through life. motto is Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat, which means “Give the palm (prize) to him who merits it.” In an attempt to make UCC Q: What have you learned from your experience of leading as open and accessible as possible at that time, the tuition fees were set as low as reasonably possible — about $8 per year I a major Canadian company that you can bring across to a believe — and UCC was purposely never a religious-affiliated major Canadian school? institution. Today, UCC builds on the strength of that time A: I think that in both cases it’s important to find that delicate through its strong curriculum, programs and faculty. It can also balance point between the daily or annual “issues” on the one build on that strength by embracing the idea of meritocracy in a hand and the big picture and the longer term planning and stew- modern way by making more financial aid available to students ardship responsibilities on the other hand. Continued on page 6 OLD TIMES summer/fall/07 5 Continued from previous page

Q: Is there any one faculty or student who has really Q: Tell us about what “community” in Toronto means to you. influenced you and made you who you are today? A: This brings to mind a physically small but metaphorically A: Yes, there was an important influence in my years at UCC. large anecdote. In the ’70s there was a large wooden fence sur- So often there is that one teacher who makes all the difference. rounding the grounds of the College. You couldn’t see in or out. In my case his name was Michael Carver and he taught English It was very isolated from the surrounding area. That was eventu- in the Prep. As part of the English program, he introduced the ally replaced by a chain link fence and opened up the view. It Grade 8 students to film by having us make little animated films was symbolic to UCC re-joining the community and I liked that. I with bits of coloured paper. That stirred my interest and by the also like the College’s Horizons program that provides tutoring time I got to the Upper School I had become captivated by the and mentoring for students in Toronto’s inner-city schools. That, idea of making films. I spent a huge amount of time after school to me, is a great example of what “community” can be. in the afternoons down at the Prep working on my films; I was probably supposed to be doing other things. Michael Carver was Q: When you were a student at UCC what were your best often helping me and always encouraging me. I know that people and worst subjects? often claim that UCC just turns out lawyers and investment Easily the worst three for me were physics, chemistry and bankers, but my experience was different. I was allowed and A: math. I really enjoyed languages and history. encouraged to pursue my own unusual interests. I enjoyed this so much that I then attended Queen’s University specifically because of its Film Studies program. Michael Carver had a Q: What personal life goals did you set yourself as a young profound influence on my life. man? How many have you achieved so far? A: I always say it’s easier to set goals for oneself with the Q: What are your feelings about single-sex education? Is benefit of hindsight! But seriously, in my late teens I decided there still a place for it in today’s modern society? to try hard and to not be a spectator in life. I decided I’d show up and participate. I really enjoy the whole feeling of being A: There is definitely a place for it. Upper Canada College is in challenged. You know, it’s the age-old truism — better to an urban setting. The day boys come here on a daily basis, but attempt and fail than never to have tried. then go home to their families, their siblings, their friends and neighbours which include girls and women. They are part of a busy Toronto and are not isolated from the outside world. This Q: How would you define success? applies to both boys’ and girls’ schools. A: That’s a broad question! Well, I’d say that real success is often much more than reaching the goal that is “officially” set. Q: If, upon leaving the Board of Governors, you are asked Success is often not about a tangible, specific prize. Rather, what your most important accomplishment was during your success is often found in the experience that one takes away from tenure as Chair, what do you hope to say? a process or a situation. In this context, if a young man leaves UCC having had a challenging time, has learned how to work with A: I’d like my tenure to be associated with ensuring that UCC others in solving problems, has made good friends and is capable continues to offer its students the most wonderful faculty — of nurturing honest and close relationships, has developed his which it already has in place — and also give the boys who want curiosity and character — then that to me defines success. to study here the best possible opportunity to do that. Again, the chance for students from a different socio-economic background Q: What’s the last great book you read, and why did it affect to play a part in the school would be a nice legacy, too. you so much? Q: Name the one thing that no one at UCC knows about A: Not the last one I read, but one that struck a chord with me you yet. was The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. It was published in 1905 and is set amongst the workers in Chicago’s meat packing industry A: I am a partner in a Prince Edward County vineyard and and the squalid conditions of that time and place — not the most winery, Closson Chase Vineyards in Hillier, Ont. We make a glamorous of subjects. But it is a powerful and human story with great Chardonnay. Hold on… does that count as a free plug in emotions worth remembering. Old Times?!

6 OLD TIMES summer/fall/07