Earlier this week, all of us here at Career Edge Organization received an email from our President and CEO, J. Anne Lamont. She wrote to share a message from David Pecaut which has since been blogged about, tweeted and featured in the Toronto Star, which called it a “love letter to Toronto.”
Anne Lamont said of Pecaut:
“David was one of the founders of Career Edge Organization in 1996 and has been a member of the Career Edge Organization Board of Directors since inception. Through his vision and support, David was instrumental in the launch of Career Bridge in 2003, an initiative that came out of the Toronto City Summit Alliance Report “Enough Talk” released in April 2003 following the Toronto City Summit in 2002 and the creation of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council focused on improving access to employment for skilled immigrants. David has been the Chair of the Toronto City Summit Alliance for the past seven years.
Based on the successful model of Career Edge internships, Career Bridge internships provide internationally qualified professionals with important Canadian work experience to launch their careers in Canada. To date, over 1100 Career Bridge interns have participated in the program”
David’s Letter begins:
Friends and Colleagues,
As many of you know, I have been battling cancer over the past while and have been focusing in recent weeks on spending time with my family. I am truly lucky to be blessed with an incredible wife and children.
As a consequence of my health issues, I have not had the chance to see many of you and express my appreciation for all the work we have done together. Nor have I had the chance to share some of my thoughts on Toronto’s future. This note gives me the opportunity to do both.
Working with you on all manner of city building activities has been one of the greatest highlights of my life.