I was a pretty bookish guy. When I was in CEGEP, I would go to the Alcan lectures on architecture at the Leacock building. This is how I managed to walk through the Roddick Gates, which, for a lot of francophones like me, was a bit of a hurdle. Then I decided I would go to school there.
It was really a game-changing thing. My father was French from France, so my perspective of the world was very Franco-French.
When I went to McGill, it was discovering a whole different world – a pluralistic world, a bilingual world. Different faiths. It just opened my horizons in terms of worldview and engaging with people from all over the world. That was one thing. The other thing is, I didn’t speak English. I think if I didn’t have a reasonably good command of the English language, I don’t think I could have built this business.
And then everything happened around McGill. I met my wife. She was studying law. It was fantastic.
I like history with a big H – that, I’m passionate about. I’m mildly interested about the present. And I love the future. That’s my thing. I live for the future and that’s a cornerstone of my professional life.
I never envisioned that I would have this level of connectivity with the world. I think that’s what McGill can deliver.”
What we do at Sid Lee is very interesting when you create culture. The Raptors' We the North campaign is a cultural moment and before that Adidas's All In.
I think that’s the cool thing in what we do – of course, expressing what a product or an idea is, or it could be philanthropic or whatever. But when it gets really interesting is when it permeates culture.
Whenever we look at something, we say would I get tattooed with that – not that I have tattoos. But can you create that level of commitment and engagement around an idea and then hopefully that it becomes part of the zeitgeist or the culture of the moment and it has an enduring value. This is when you realize that you’re doing something really special.
I never envisioned that I would have this level of connectivity with the world. I think that’s what McGill can deliver. It’s a big, big deal. And this is why I’m so involved, and I cherish this institution and give as much time as I can and money and support and ideas, because I think it makes sense. I think it’s the future.