{"id":38818,"date":"2022-05-06T01:55:47","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T08:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=38818"},"modified":"2022-05-04T14:35:10","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T21:35:10","slug":"investing-in-the-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2022\/05\/06\/investing-in-the-climate\/","title":{"rendered":"Investing in the climate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Martin Thibodeau, RBC\u2019s B.C. region president, will be honoured at the Ben-Gurion University Gala Dinner June 14. (photo from RBC)<\/em><\/p>\n

On June 9, Ben-Gurion University president Daniel Chamovitz and members of the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University (CABGU) will visit Vancouver to recognize the launch of its new School of Sustainability and Climate Change (SSCC) and the local supporters who have helped make its opening possible. In particular, Royal Bank of Canada and Martin Thibodeau, RBC\u2019s B.C. region president, will be honoured at the event.<\/p>\n

SSCC opened last October at BGU\u2019s Be\u2019er Sheva campus, where its growth has been rapid. Seven months old, the school currently offers two undergraduate degrees and four graduate-level environmental science-related degrees. Its two graduate fellowships, which have supported work in renewable energy and smart city design, were funded by RBC.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe RBC Research Fund at BGU\u2019s School of Sustainability and Climate Change [is] being established in Martin\u2019s honour, [and] will enable undergraduate and graduate students to be trained as, and pursue meaningful careers as, climate change innovators, entrepreneurs and policy experts,\u201d said David Berson, who serves as CABGU\u2019s executive director for the B.C. and Alberta Region. The funding that is raised at the gala will help further SSCC\u2019s research programs.<\/p>\n

SSCC\u2019s mandate isn\u2019t just to address environmental concerns at home in Israel, said Chamovitz. It will have a global reach, as well. BGU is currently working to cement research partnerships with universities and countries that have similar interests in addressing climate challenges. Chamovitz said RBC\u2019s investment in its new school will provide a pathway to meeting that global need.<\/p>\n

\u201cRBC was one of the early supporters of SSCC, and this support was essential for leveraging subsequent support,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Royal Bank of Canada believes in us,\u201d and that support has served as an encouraging model for other companies to invest in BGU\u2019s programs as well, he said.<\/p>\n

Lorne Segal, president of Kingswood Properties and director of the Vancouver Board of Trade, who is an honorary co-chair of the June event with his wife, M\u00e9lita Segal, said corporate sponsorship is crucial to startup programs like SSCC. He said corporate support is also vital to finding answers to environmental challenges like global warming.<\/p>\n

\u201cSponsorship from leading businesses and industry leaders does provide imaginative solutions to complex issues impacting our people and the planet,\u201d he said. \u201cWithout significant and generous sponsorship support, this crucial work, simply put, would not be possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Segal said supporting initiatives that bring about positive change is part of Thibodeau\u2019s nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cMartin Thibodeau truly is a lifelong builder of community,\u201d said Segal. \u201cHe is deeply praised by Ben-Gurion University for his commitment to the cause of finding solutions to climate change. It is truly remarkable how much he and RBC Royal Bank have done to enhance the capacity of the Ben-Gurion University community programs and agencies, and advance the conversation on Canada\u2019s transition to a net-zero economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thibodeau\u2019s support of Canadian Jewish communities and of Israel goes back decades. Originally from Quebec, he served as RBC\u2019s regional president in Montreal until he moved to Vancouver. He oversees some of the largest \u2013 and smallest \u2013 branches and more than 4,000 employees.<\/p>\n

In 2015, while working in Montreal, Thibodeau volunteered as a co-chair for Quebec\u2019s largest multi-day walk for women\u2019s cancers, held by Pharmaprix, to raise money for research at the Jewish General Hospital. \u201cI have been involved with the Jewish community for almost my entire RBC career,\u201d he told the Independent<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He is a strong supporter of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and their community initiatives, and he has been to Israel several times. It was in 2014, said Thibodeau, that he and his wife, Caroline, visited Be\u2019er Sheva and learned of BGU\u2019s environmental research. \u201c[I was] so inspired by the research [and] the innovation,\u201d he said, noting that it wasn\u2019t hard to get behind the creation of a school that was working to find solutions to climate concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s right there in front of me every day,\u201d he said. \u201cI am a proud father of three children and I believe we have a responsibility to make sure that our climate can continue to thrive, and well beyond my lifetime. It is my personal belief that we need to do that today more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thibodeau said it\u2019s been an interesting journey since that first visit to BGU in 2014. \u201cIt\u2019s become such a tough priority for the world,\u201d he said of climate change. In Canada, among other things, he supported RBC\u2019s Blue Water Project, which helped provide clean water access to Canadian communities.<\/p>\n

Still, Thibodeau is a reticent honouree. He admits that he is uncomfortable with the idea that he will be the guest of honour at a gala, even if it is for a cause he loves. \u201cI\u2019m very humbled,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t like to have that kind of spotlight on me.\u201d But, he said, raising money for research that might one day create a safer and better environment, that is something he will gladly get behind.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
M\u00e9lita and Lorne Segal, honorary chairs of the BGU Gala Dinner for Sustainability and Climate Change. (photo by The Collective You)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The gala will also acknowledge Lorne and M\u00e9lita Segal, who are well-known for their philanthropy and other work. Both have been recognized by Capilano University with honorary doctor of letters, and Lorne Segal has a doctor of laws (hon.) from the Justice Institute of British Columbia. He was inducted into the Order of British Columbia for his work as founding chair of Free the Children\u2019s WE Day Vancouver and as chair of the Coast Mental Health Courage to Come Back Awards. The Segals regularly open their home to fundraising galas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Lorne and I built our home, we didn\u2019t really do it for ourselves but, rather, to share it with the community,\u201d said M\u00e9lita Segal. \u201cWhether it was Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation, Arts Umbrella, Chor Leoni, JNF [Jewish National Fund] or WE Charity \u2026 it has been a great joy for us and very fulfilling to give back and share in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berson described the Segals as \u201ctireless builders of community, leading by example while creating opportunities for people in the business world to make a difference in the lives of others. Ben-Gurion University, Canada, is genuinely fortunate to have their leadership for this event and for our organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ben-Gurion Sustainability and Climate Change Gala on June 9 takes place at Fairmont Pacific Rim. Tickets and tables can be purchased at bengurion.ca\/vancouver-gala-2022-tickets<\/a> or by contacting Berson at davidberson@bengurion.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jan Lee <\/strong>is an award-winning editorial writer whose articles and op-eds have been published in <\/em>B\u2019nai B\u2019rith Magazine, <\/em>Voices of Conservative and Masorti Judaism and <\/em>Baltimore Jewish Times, as well as a number of business, environmental and travel publications. Her blog can be found at multiculturaljew.polestarpassages.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Martin Thibodeau, RBC\u2019s B.C. region president, will be honoured at the Ben-Gurion University Gala Dinner June 14. (photo from RBC) On June 9, Ben-Gurion University president Daniel Chamovitz and members of the Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University (CABGU) will visit Vancouver to recognize the launch of its new School of Sustainability and Climate Change (SSCC) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1908,1910,3851,8162,3203,21462,705,2845,8039,6635,7114,20245,21521,2763,20681,2225,7288],"class_list":["post-38818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-ben-gurion-university","tag-bgu","tag-business","tag-cabgu","tag-climate-change","tag-daniel-chamovitz","tag-david-berson","tag-environment","tag-fundraiser","tag-health-sciences","tag-lorne-segal","tag-martin-thibodeau","tag-melita-segal","tag-philanthropy","tag-research","tag-science","tag-sustainability"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}