{{Short description|Canadian businessman (1935–2024)}} {{Infobox person |name = Michael Christian de Pencier |image = |alt = |caption = |birth_name = |birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|1|19}} |birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada |death_date = {{Death date and age|2024|10|06|1935|1|19}} |death_place = |other_names = |known_for = |alma_mater=University of Michigan |occupation = |nationality = |awards = Order of Canada<br>Order of Ontario }}
'''Michael Christian de Pencier''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|OOnt}} (January 19, 1935 – October 6, 2024) was a Canadian businessman, environmental investor, and publisher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=6441&t=12|title = Recipients|date = 11 June 2018}}</ref> He is the grandson of Archbishop Adam de Pencier and brother-in-law of Richard A. N. Bonnycastle.
==Life and career== Born in Toronto, Ontario on January 19, 1935,<ref>{{cite book|title=Canadian Who's Who, 1992|author=Kieran Simpson}}</ref> de Pencier attended Trinity College School, the University of Toronto where he was a member of the Toronto Chapter of Alpha Delta Phi,<ref>{{cite book|title=Torontonensis|date=1957|publisher=University of Toronto Students' Administrative Council|location=Toronto, ON|page=284}}</ref> and the University of Michigan. He was the chairman of Key Publishers Company Limited. In this role, he launched, acquired or ran many of the country’s leading magazines, including ''Toronto Life'', ''Canadian Geographic'', ''Quill and Quire'', Where Magazines and ''Canadian Business''.
An active environmental investor, de Pencier was the co-founder of Investeco Capital Corporation and the Green Living Show.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.greenlivingonline.com/torontoshow/index.html|title = Blog}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.investeco.com/about-us-management-team-1.php |title=| investeco capital | |accessdate=2010-09-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100915134707/http://www.investeco.com/about-us-management-team-1.php |archivedate=2010-09-15 }}</ref> He was also the past Chairman of WWF-Canada and the Ontario College of Art. In 2013, he was honored as the 2013 leader for conservation.<ref>{{cite web|title=2013 Leader For Conservation|url=http://www.wwf.ca/events/panda_ball/wwf_environmental_awards/|publisher=WWF Canada|accessdate=20 May 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521033319/http://www.wwf.ca/events/panda_ball/wwf_environmental_awards/|archivedate=21 May 2014}}</ref>
As one of Canada's leading magazine publishers, de Pencier was awarded the Order of Ontario in 1997, the Order of Canada in 1999, and an honorary Doctor of Letters in 2002 from Ryerson University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=6441&t=12|title = Recipients|date = 11 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citizenship/honours/orderofontario_appointees.shtml#1997|title = MCI - Active Citizenship}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.trentu.ca/news/pressreleases/depencier.html|title=Trent University - Press Release}}</ref>
De Pencier was the father of film producers Nicholas de Pencier and Miranda de Pencier.<ref>[https://torontolife.com/city/life/michael-de-pencier-toronto-life/ "The Accidental Mogul"]. ''Toronto Life'', November 3, 2016.</ref> He died on October 6, 2024, at the age of 89.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Edwards |first1=Frank B. |title=Prolific Toronto publisher Michael de Pencier dominated newsstands |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-prolific-toronto-publisher-michael-de-pencier-dominated-newsstands/ |website=The Globe and Mail |access-date=17 October 2024}}</ref>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:de Pencier, Michael}} Category:1935 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Businesspeople from Toronto Category:Members of the Order of Canada Category:Members of the Order of Ontario Category:University of Michigan alumni