272 LE GLAMADA VOL. 14
HOW TO BUILD A LEGEND THAT LIVES ON COMMENT CRÉER UNE LÉGENDE QUI PERDURE
BARRY F. LORENZETTI DARCY MACDONALD
As a special feature in this edition, we’re delighted to introduce Legend’s Corner, a space dedicated to celebrating the remarkable Canadians in our midst, beginning with Barry F. Lorenzetti, who, in turn, takes up the pen to engage inspiring voices in thoughtful conversation, as you turn the page. As founder, chairman and controlling shareholder of BFL CANADA, Barry F. Lorenzetti helms a business enterprise with scale and staying power. He spent his career shaping ventures in insurance, media, hospitality, and entertainment, sectors that reflect a range of pursuits, including his passion for the arts under the Lorenzetti Group. But what speaks most to his heart is his family, including his wife of 10 years, Carine Watier, as well as his three children, Maggie, Justin, and Jenna, and the philanthropic accomplishments that his family foundation has realized over the years. So when the conversation turns to what Lorenzetti considers truly lasting, it’s no surprise
that he doesn’t talk business. He talks about his uncle Arthur. Lorenzetti describes childhood memories of Friday nights at the family dinner table with his uncle Arthur, a Second World War veteran who served with the Canadian contingent that helped liberate Holland. “Uncle Art didn’t have much,” says Lorenzetti. “He dressed modestly and lived modestly. My mother, who was his sister, took care of him and she would always make excuses for his behaviour. The language available then was limited, and she used the term ‘shell-shocked’, a common euphemism used before post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was diagnosed and understood. “He was a hero,” Lorenzetti continues. “But he lived with trauma.” Like so many others who paid the long tail cost of selfless service to King and Country, Arthur eventually took his own life.
Lorenzetti carried the loss with him, along with a responsibility to honour his uncle’s memory. “It took me time to understand it all. My mother had been very protective.” “But I always said, if ever I became a man of means, I would create a foundation that focused on veterans and PTSD.” In 2015, that personal promise manifested itself in the creation of the Barry F. Lorenzetti Foundation. Today, the Foundation’s mission has expanded its reach in support of a variety of programs surrounding mental health, while staying true to Lorenzetti’s original commitment. His eldest daughter, Dr. Maggie Lorenzetti Dorfman, a clinical neuropsychologist, leads the Foundation’s family mission, which, in addition to veterans, also supports mental health care programs for youth and young adults, a bereavement program for families who have lost a child, as well as psychiatric services, all throughout various major Montreal institutions.