BCBusiness

44 BCBUSINESS FEBRUARY 2017 In recognition of his charitable work, Sidoo received the Order of Brit- ish Columbia this past July and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Non-Resident Indian Award in 2012. "I've known David for more than 20 years. He's a selˆess guy," says former B.C. attorney general Wally Oppal. "I remem- ber he called me one time when I was on the bench. He'd seen a story in the paper about a woman who had been the victim of brutal spousal violence, and he said, 'I really want to help her. How can I help her?'" Philanthropy opens doors and con- nects you with inˆuential people, and Sidoo knows a lot of celebrities. In 2008, when former U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell visited Vancouver to meet local power brokers, Sidoo helped to organize the dinner. In 2015, he joined forces with the Kevin Spacey Foundation to fund its Artists of Choice Awards, which support and recognize emerging artists in lm, dance and theatre. In philanthropy or business, there are no ha lf measu res w it h Sidoo. He cer tainly didn't hold back when it came to rescuing the UBC football team. Some may nd the professionalization of university sport distasteful, but Sidoo insists that it's the only way to compete with the best teams in eastern Canada, which no longer depend solely on student fees for their funding. Laval, in Quebec City, is the gold standard. Fuelled by a $2-million annual budget, most of it gleaned from corporate sponsorships, the university rocketed from not even elding a football team until 1996 to winning the national title just three years later. The Rouge et Or has since claimed eight more Vanier Cups and built a fanati- cal following, routinely drawing crowds of 12,000, including 8,000 season-ticket holders. All of Laval's games, even pre-season, are broadcast on Radio- Canada and Réseau des sports, the French lang uage national sports net work. Change is often slow at protocol- minded academic institutions, but as of December the well-connected 13th Man Foundation had already raised $2.4 million for UBC. That total includes donations from individuals and the foun- dation's sponsors—Advantage Lithium Corp., AllWest Insurance, Mogo Finance Technolo«y Inc., Thunderbird Films Inc., Wales McLelland Construction and others. Donors initially committed $600,000 annually over ve years; Sidoo himself pledged $1 million—$200,000 a year. "After we won the national cham- pionship, the commitment increased to $700,000 for a total of $3.5 million, and we continue to add donors big and small," he says. The foundation contributed $1.05 million to an academic learning centre for the players, installed a video score- board at Thunderbird Stadium and renovated the locker rooms, coaches' of ® ices a nd at h letes' faci l it ies. It also spearheaded a revamped game presentation that saw the addition of food trucks, giveaways, contests and "I've known David for more than 20 years. He's a selˆess guy," says former B.C. dance and theatre. business, there are no ha lf measu res w it h Sidoo. He cer tainly didn't hold back when it came to rescuing the UBC university sport distasteful,

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