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May 2011 Honorary Degree Recipient

Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)

Our world runs on the power of connections; it always has, it always will. Communications technology is what helps us forge connections, whether you’re old enough to remember waiting for your turn on the party line, or hip enough to be ‘live-Tweeting’ this ceremony right now. The difference today is speed: Internet and wireless communications have dramatically shortened the distance not only between countries and hemispheres, but between the people and businesses that thrive within them. Every facet of our lives depends on quick, reliable communications, facilitated by technology that would seem like science fiction to previous generations.

Few can speak to the power of the communications technology revolution better than Ivan Duvar, who joins us on stage today. Mr. Duvar not only lived that revolution: as president and chief executive officer of Maritime Telegraph and Telephone, he led it. During his time with the company, he shepherded a Nova Scotia institution toward the 21st century, leaving an indelible mark upon our province’s business and culture in the process. Today, we are proud to honour his accomplishments as a businessman and a community leader.

A native of Charlottetown, Mr. Duvar graduated from the Nova Scotia Technical College in 1962 with a Bachelor of Engineering degree. He began working with Maritime Telegraph and Telephone in 1966 as a transmission engineer. But a keen business sense quickly elevated Mr. Duvar into management positions and, in 1968 he became manager of business information. Over the next 16 years, Mr. Duvar steadily rose through a series of senior roles with MT&T. He also served as president and CEO of the Island Telephone Company in PEI, starting in 1975. In 1985, he was named MT&T president and CEO. He led the company for over a decade and continued on as chairman of the board until 2000.

During his more than 30 years with MT&T, Mr. Duvar played a transformative role in telecommunications in Nova Scotia. He introduced and led the company’s modernization program that brought one-party dialing service to the province. As president, he prepared the company for changes that were on the horizon, brought on by deregulation and the introduction of cellular technology. And as chairman, he oversaw the merger of four regional telephone companies to form what was then Aliant (today, Bell Aliant). That represented one of the largest business mergers in Atlantic Canadian history.

Since leaving the telecommunications sector, Mr. Duvar hasn’t slowed down. In 2000, he became president and chief executive officer of MIJAC Incorporated, a private investment firm. He has served as a director for several companies including Oxford Frozen Foods Ltd, Wajax Limited, Rodd Hotels and ING Bank of Canada. He is also a past member of our own Board of Governors here at ±«Óãtv, in addition to serving on the advisory board for our School of Business Administration.

Through his charitable work, Mr. Duvar has had a lasting impact in communities around Atlantic Canada. He is a past president of the Halifax Board of Trade and has led the Halifax-Dartmouth United Way Appeal Campaign as its chairman. He sits on advisory councils of the Pugwash Peace Exchange and the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies, has served as national governor of Junior Achievement of Canada, and has been a director for such important organizations as Symphony Nova Scotia, the Arthritis Society of Canada, the Cumberland Health Care Foundation, the IWK Health Centre and the IWK Foundation. He is also a lifetime member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia.

Ivan Duvar’s success in global business and entrepreneurship has only deepened his strong Maritime roots. Whether as an engineer, a businessman, a philanthropist or a community leader, his commitment to a strong and prosperous Nova Scotia remains a driving force in his life, and we are all the better for it. I ask you, Mr. Chancellor, in the name of the Senate, to bestow upon Ivan Duvar, the degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa).

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