Bernard A. Ostry, (June 10, 1927 – May 24, 2006) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

author, philanthropist, and civil servant, who is best known for being chair and CEO of

TVOntario TVO (stylized in all lowercase as tvo), formerly known as TVOntario, is a Canadian Public broadcasting, publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It operates ...

. Born in Wadena,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, he received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

in 1948. From 1948 to 1952, he did post-graduate work in the field of international history at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

(LSE) under the

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

historian Charles Webster. From 1951 to 1955, he was a research associate for the Faculty of Social Sciences at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

. As well, from 1951 to 1952, he was a Special Assistant and Advisor to the Leader of the Indian delegation to the United Nations. From 1956 to 1958, he was the David Davies Fellow in International History at the LSE. In 1955 Ostry co-authored with historian H S Ferns the critical biography of Canadian prime minister

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

, ''The Age of Mackenzie King: The Rise of the Leader''. The book was supposed to be the first of a multi-volume biography of the former prime minister but the co-authors fell out in the process of writing and publishing the book. When it was published ''The Age of Mackenzie King'' created a minor controversy because of its critical tone. In February 1956 there were allegations that the federal Liberal government had censored public discussion of the book. Leaving academics, he served as the Secretary-Treasurer for the Commonwealth Institute of Social Research from 1959 to 1961. He returned to Canada in 1961 to become Secretary-Treasurer for the Social Sciences Research Council of Canada, a position which he held until 1963. Changing careers again, he became a moderator for the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

program ''Nightline'' from 1960 to 1963. From 1963 to 1968, he was a supervisor in the Department of Public Affairs (Radio & TV) at the CBC. From 1968 to 1969, he served as the Chief Consultant to the Canadian Radio Television Commission. Next, from 1968 to 1970, he was the Commissioner for the Prime Minister

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

's Task Force on Government Information. From 1970 to 1973, he was the Assistant Under Secretary of State (Citizenship). From 1974 to 1981, he was the Deputy Minister for various provincial and federal ministries including National Museums of Canada, Communications, Industry & Tourism, Industry & Trade, and Citizenship & Culture. From 1981 to 1985 he was a deputy minister in the

Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Behind Oliver Mowat, Davis was the List of premiers of Ontario by time in office, second-longes ...

government in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

variously as deputy minister of industry and trade, deputy minister of industry and tourism and then deputy minister of citizenship and culture. In 1985, Premier

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Back ...

appointed Ostry to the position of chairman and CEO of TVOntario. Ostry retired from TVO in 1992. In 1988, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

for being "an outspoken advocate of cultural sovereignty, ethics in the public service and the preservation of public broadcasting". He was promoted to Companion in 2006. He has received honorary degrees from University of Manitoba,

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

, and

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

. He married

Sylvia Ostry Sylvia Ostry (; June 3, 1927 – May 7, 2020) was a Canadian economist and public servant. Life Born Sylvia Knelman in Winnipeg, Manitoba on June 3, 1927, she received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from McGill University in 1948, a Master of ...

. They had two children: Adam Ostry (a senior federal civil servant himself) and Jonathan D. Ostry (Deputy Director, Research Department,

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

). He died in Toronto of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

, aged 78.

References

* *
Obituary
Toronto Star
Bernard Ostry: Cultural Bureaucrat 1927-2006
by Sandra Martin, ''Globe & Mail'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ostry, Bernard 1927 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Canadian civil servants Ontario civil servants Jewish Canadian writers Companions of the Order of Canada Writers from Toronto Deaths from prostate cancer in Canada University of Manitoba alumni TVO executives Deaths from cancer in Ontario People from Wadena, Saskatchewan Writers from Saskatchewan Canadian federal deputy ministers