Peter Oliver, co-founder of Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality, died of cancer Wednesday in Toronto at age 74.
The well-known restaurateur and philanthropist was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and moved to Canada in 1967 to attend McGill University.
In 1978, following a successful career in stock brokerage and commercial real estate, he opened a small sandwich shop in Toronto at Yonge and Eglinton named Oliver’s Old Fashioned Bakery.
That was the start of his hugely successful restaurant and catering empire.
In 1993, Oliver partnered with Chef Michael Bonacini, and Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality began — a name now known across Canada.
The company has eateries in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon. In Toronto, Canoe, Babel and Maison Selby are a few of the company’s high-profile restaurants, and film fans know that TIFF Bell Lightbox houses two of their restaurants: O&B Canteen and Luma.
Oliver was highly regarded as an employer and well known as a mentor — he was an industry pioneer for providing training programs, benefit packages, educational funding, travel opportunities and career development for staff.
And he was known for his charity work.
Over almost 40 years his efforts with theJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) have raised hundreds of millions of dollars. Even while battling stage 4 cancer, which was diagnosed in May 2021, Oliver worked on the ambitious ‘$100M Campaign to Accelerate.’
In 1992, Oliver founded the Leacock Foundation, which supports children and youth in historically marginalized communities with educational programming locally in Toronto and globally in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
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“Meeting the late Nelson Mandela galvanized him to create the Leacock Foundation, which has now raised millions towards helping youth both in Canada and in South Africa,” said Rita DeMontis, who often crossed paths with Oliver in her role as National Lifestyle and Food Editor for Sun Media.
“His smile could light up a room. He will be dearly missed.”
Peter Oliver is survived by his wife of 48 years, four children and nine grandchildren.
A celebration of life will take place at a future date. Oliver’s family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be directed to the JDRF $100M Campaign to Accelerate or to the Leacock Foundation Literacy and Leadership Program.
There has been an outpouring of affection for Oliver on a virtual memory book, where those who knew him are invited to share their memories and condolences.
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