After suffering a massive stroke only days ago, followed by a diagnosis
of stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Bruce died in palliative care at St. Michael’s
Hospital in Toronto on June 1, 2022. We extend our thanks to paramedics
and emergency staff, as well as neurology/stroke unit and palliative care
professionals, for their excellent care for Bruce.
Beloved husband of Andrea for 58 years; devoted father to Christopher;
admiring father-in-law to Hedvig Christine (née Boserup); adoring Gramps
to Selma (13 years), Elisabeth (10), and Julius (3); predeceased by sister Dr.
Gail Madell and her husband Dr. William Madell, and by his brother, John.
In Sudbury, he leaves brother, David (Judy), nephew, Matthew (Alesia); in
India, brother, Richard; in Simcoe County, Elfriede (Michael), and nephew,
Mark (Dr. Tara); in Kimberley, BC, his Madell nephews, Andrew (Kim), Robert
(Sarah), Daniel (Laura) – and all their families.
Bruce was born in Montreal to Ruth and Clare Alexander; attended Hillcrest
Public School and Oakwood Collegiate Institute in Toronto, and Oakville-
Trafalgar High School; graduated from Queen’s University (B.Comm. ‘60)
and University of Toronto Law School (LL.B. ‘65); also attended the London
School of Economics, Dalhousie Law School (Dunn Scholar) and the
Advanced Management Program of Harvard Business School.
His career was in government, law, private and volunteer sectors. He was
an associate lawyer at Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt and later managing
director (1987-91) of Fraser Beatty (now Dentons). For thirteen years he
served in the Ontario government, first under Premier Bill Davis and
Minister of Transportation and Communications (MTC) Gordon Carton,
later as chair of the Ontario Highway Transport Board (1978-83), as well as
in assistant deputy minister roles at MTC and the Ministry of Community
and Social Services (1983-87). He was a vice-chair of the Ontario Workplace
Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (2000-16). At the federal level, he
was special advisor to Minister of Constitutional Affairs Joe Clark (1991-93)
at the time of the Charlottetown Accord, and a prominent ‘no’ organizer
for the 1995 Quebec referendum. He was also a Principal in GlobeInvest
Capital Management (1993-98) and Vice President of McCutcheon Steinbach
Investment Management (1998-99).
Bruce was a tireless supporter of Queen’s University, serving as Alma Mater
Society President in 1960 and on the Board of Trustees (1970-82) for over a
decade, while championing multiple initiatives to promote advancement,
diversity and outreach, as well as Queen’s Gaels football. He was cofounder
of the Kingston and Queen’s Rowing Clubs and the Queen’s Public
Sector Management Program, as well as an inveterate volunteer in his local
community, for law reform and countless Canadian community causes. He
believed in mentorship, launching the ‘Shadow Cabinet’ in 2009 to multiply
opportunities by “building bridges and making connections” for young
Canadians from minority and immigrant backgrounds – a role that gave him
unending satisfaction, as well as deep and lasting friendships.
Bruce was devoted to sport, recreation and the outdoors. He enjoyed
football and rugby, as well as alpine and cross-country skiing, tennis
and squash. In 1953 he came 3rd in boys’ tricks at the Canadian Water Ski
Championships at the CNE. He was a lifelong champion of Canada’s amateur
athletes, our national teams and Toronto’s Olympic bid. As a founder of
the Boulder Buster Canoe Club, he shared white-water adventures with
friends and family across Northern Ontario and Québec leaving a legacy of
camaraderie, song and stories.
Bruce had a preternatural ability to inject contagious enthusiasm into
everything he did. He loved Canada; he connected spontaneously with
people of all backgrounds; his creed was fitness; he marvelled at the
healing quality of the arts, literature and wilderness. His sanctuary was
the family cottage at Bingham’s Bay on Lake Cecebe (Magnetawan River);
almost seventy years ago, Parry Sound-Muskoka gave him the love of his
life, Andrea Lough. He was devoted to his Alexander, Bingham, Madell,
Lough, Copeland and Digby relatives across Canada and around the world,
maintaining wide, inter-locking circles of loyal friends that defied the usual
categories of network and connection. He is sorely missed. Please direct any
donations in his memory to Queen’s University. Cremation has taken place.
Notification will follow for a celebration of life to take place this summer
2022
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de BRUCE BINGHAM ALEXANDER QC B Com LLB LLD April 8 1938 – June 1 2022..
Morley Bedford Funeral Services Ltd
Décès pour la Ville:Toronto, Province: Ontario