George Cohon, the Chicago-born businessman who helped expand the McDonald’s empire in Canada, has died at the age of 86.
“Last night I said goodbye to my father,” Mark Cohon said in a post on X. “Our family, Canada and the world have lost a wonderful man.”
Cohon was general counsel for his father’s company in Chicago when he decided to move to Toronto and open the first McDonald’s restaurant in eastern Canada in London, Ontario. It was November 11, 1968, one year after the first McDonald’s restaurant opened outside the United States. The province opened in Richmond, British Columbia. Three years later, he became chairman, president and CEO of McDonald’s Restaurants in Canada, holding these positions until July 1992.
“We didn’t have a heart, we didn’t have a lot of money, and McDonald’s back then was far from the household word it is today,” he wrote about his move to Canada in his best-selling autobiography, “With French Fries.” He writes in “To Russia”. .
Mr. Kohon was also the first to bring the fast-food burger chain’s iconic Golden Arches to Russia, opening its first restaurant in January 1990.
Mr. Cohon was also responsible for opening Canada’s first Ronald McDonald House in 1981. Currently, there are 16 Ronald McDonald Houses and 17 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in hospitals across Canada, supporting more than 25,000 families whose children are receiving treatment.
In 1982, Cohon spearheaded an effort to save Toronto’s Santa Claus Parade after Eaton’s announced it could no longer fund the annual parade.
“Christmas isn’t Christmas without the Santa Claus parade,” he later said of his involvement in a 2016 interview with the Toronto Star.
Cohon became a member of the Order of Canada in 1987 and was later promoted to Companion, the Order’s highest rank, in 2019 in recognition of his charitable work around the world.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Mr. Cohon’s death a “special loss” and noted that his passion for serving and supporting others was always evident.
“George Cohon was amazing. He was a great businessman, never stopped giving back and was dedicated to lifting others up.” Prime Minister Trudeau said in a post about X:. “I send my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all those around the country and around the world to whom he was so dedicated. You will be remembered as I send my deepest condolences.”
