Robert Deluce, president and founder of Porter Airlines, will be inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2018.
Deluce is one of four inductees to be tapped for the honour. The others include:
- George Cope, president and CEO of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada;
- Monique F. Leroux, chair of the Board of Investissement Québec and former president of Desjardins Group; and
- Ian Telfer, chairman at Goldcorp.
“On behalf of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame, I am honoured to recognize these four individuals for their excellence in business leadership, outstanding professional achievements and enduring contributions to our country,” said David Denison, Chancellor of the Order of the Business Hall of Fame, in a release.
“On May 17, 2018, we will have the great privilege of highlighting their many contributions to Canadian business and the social fabric of our country.”
Deluce has been engaged in the aviation industry all of his life since he began working for the family business, White River Air Services, as a teenager in the 1960s.
Over the years, his career has taken him through various positions at NorOntair, Austin Airways, Air Creebec, Air Manitoba, Air Alliance and Canada 3000.
In 2000, he began discussions which culminated in the launch of a new concept in regional air travel from the then Toronto Island Airport in October 2006 under the banner of Porter, using 20 new Bombardier Q400 aircraft. Porter has grown to become a real power in the heavily travelled eastern Canada area and has expanded into U.S. destinations.
Deluce was inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in June, 2017.
The Canadian Business Hall of Fame was established by JA Canada in 1979 to honour Canada’s pre-eminent business leaders for their professional and philanthropic achievements.
