Peter Simons
Peter Simons is the President and Chief Executive Officer of La Maison Simons. Established in 1840, La Maison Simons, commonly known as Simons, is a family-owned fashion retailer in Canada and is known for its outstanding corporate citizenship. Simons, and his brother Richard, took over the business in 1996, becoming the fifth generation of the Simons family to run the company.
Upon a visit to Paris, he discovered one of the seven existing Fontaine de Tourny pieces in an antique shop. The fountain was once located in the Allées de Tourny in Bordeaux. Simons had the fountain restored on Île d’Orléans and donated it to Quebec City as a gift for its 400th anniversary. It was installed in front of the National Assembly of Quebec in July 2007.
Peter Simons was recognized as a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2008, was awarded the Order of Canada in 2018, and received an Honorary Doctorate from Concordia University in 2019.
3 words to describe Nature?
Powerful. Wondrous. Inspiring
3 things Nature taught you?
Gratefulness
Resilience
Mindfulness
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Lake Lacon
Rivière aux Feuilles, Ungava Bay
My little vegetable garden
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
The power of nature
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
The harmony of life
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
The mystery of existence
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Hopeful or melancholic
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Like a child again.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Adventurous
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Forest
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Flyfishing with my grandfather in Northern Quebec
Dorothy Grant
Dorothy Grant is an internationally renowned fashion designer and traditional Haida artist. In 1988, Grant became the first to merge Haida art and fashion utilizing her formal training at the Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion Design. She believes that her clothing embodies the Haida philosophy Yaangudang, meaning “self respect", stating that the driving force behind her designs is “empowerment, pride and feeling good about oneself.”
She is the recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Business Award, the Asper Business Institute – “Business Woman of the Year” award, the Royal Canadian Academy Prestigious Award for the Arts, the BC Achievement Award for Individual Lifetime Achievement Award in Business and in May 2015, Dorothy received the “Order of Canada” for her contributions to Canada’s fashion industry and for mentoring youth through her example as a designer and entrepreneur. She was voted as one of 100 Most Influential Women in British Columbia by Vancouver Sun Newspaper and was honored at Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.
Dorothy's work can be found in 15 museums world-wide, including the the Denver Fine Art museum, the Liverpool World Museum in the United Kingdom, the Natural History Museum in New York city, the Burke Museum in Seattle, the Seattle Art Museum, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the UBC Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, the Deyonge Museum in San Francisco, the Vancouver Museum and the Museum of Civilization in Hull.
He work has been commissioned for the Seattle Mayor's Office and former Canada Prime Minister Kim Campbell.
In February 2016 her “EAGLE RAVEN TUXEDO” was worn by actor, Duane E. Howard at the Oscars Red Carpet and in 2018, P. Diddy wore her RAVEN TEASING FROG KIMONO on his birthday.
3 words to describe Nature?
Balance. Power. Health
3 things Nature taught you?
Stillness
Awareness
Calm
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Hlk'yah G̱awG̱a (Windy Bay) - Gwaii Haanas National Park, Haida Gwaii
Lake Point, Point Roberts
Hiellen Haida Gwaii, Rose Spit
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
I live by the ocean and every day I see the tide come and go. The rhythm from the tide makes me appreciate and feel respectful about life’s rhythm. I also feel extremely aware that we need the ocean just like we need the air, or the land. We are all one.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Really calm and taken care of. I feel like trees have this tremendous power - every time I come back from Haida Gwaii, I feel revived and healed by them. I feel like I am one of their subjects, under their wisdom.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe, from a long distance. To be honest though, I can’t really relate since I haven’t experience it.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Reflective on the timing of all things, the cycle of life
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
I reminds me of the Thunderbird, the Native American legendary creature, as it flaps it winds, ready for take off. It makes me feel like anything can happen.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like nature is in control, a reminder that we have no control.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean and Forest
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory.
As child, we lived in Ketchikan, Alaska and our house was next to a creek. That creek was our favorite playground. I knew every little nook and cranny, the places we could play like this swimming hole at the mountain’s edge, or others we had to stay away, like those giant rapids high up. I spent so much time, countless hours exploring that creek.