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GORE BAY—The founder of Manitoulin Transport and a major benefactor on Manitoulin Island has died at age 93.

Doug Smith became a member of the Order of Canada in 2007. It was in recognition of how he supported northern Ontario, both through creating jobs and giving back to the community, especially his hometown of Gore Bay.

“He was a very special man, there’s no doubt about that,” said Gore Bay Mayor Ron Lane.

Both Mr. Lane and his father, John Gordon Lane, served the town for several years as both mayor and councillor, and his father was the MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin in the 1970s and 80s. They became friends with multiple generations of the Smith family and Mr. Lane said this loss cuts deep.

“Their family helped keep not only Gore Bay operating as a town, because of the business aspect, but it’s improved the quality of life for everybody in Gore Bay through the various projects,” he said. “It’s like losing your best friend. He just was a very impressive person.”

Doug leaves behind his partner Nickie Hinds and sons Gord (Beth) and Jeff (Jillian), along with their families. His wife Phyllis passed in 2017.

Douglas A. Smith was born in Gore Bay in 1933. His family had a grocery wholesale business that served shops across Manitoulin Island. After a brief stint in banking in Toronto, Doug returned home and would later take over the family business.

He later sold the wholesale operation and bought Hill’s Transport, hauling products north from Toronto and shipping turkeys back south from the Manitoulin co-operative.

Over the following decades, the company continued to grow under the Manitoulin Transport name, while acquiring smaller businesses. It found strong support among the mining sector in Sudbury, which advocated for Manitoulin to get more route licences in the highly regulated trucking industry.

When trucking became deregulated in the 1980s, it brought a major challenge. Freight volumes dropped and many companies faded out, but Manitoulin Transport managed to survive the shift and merged with several other businesses.

As the business flourished, Doug looked to give back to his community. He contributed to many causes in Gore Bay and across Manitoulin Island, ranging from health care to community infrastructure. In later years, he launched the Douglas A. Smith Family Foundation to ensure that this work would continue for many years to come.

Manitoulin Health Centre has been a major recipient of that foundation’s support. In 2020, it received a $1 million contribution toward the expansion of the emergency department at the Mindemoya hospital. Its president and CEO, Paula Fields, said Doug’s death was a tremendous loss for the entire Island.

“He believed in people, in community, and in giving back. His legacy will be felt across Manitoulin for generations, including within our hospital and in the lives of so many people he supported along the way,” she said.

Ms. Fields said her own family has been friends with the Smiths for several generations.

“I will always remember the kindness, generosity and strong sense of community that defined them,” she said.

In the Town of Gore Bay, a major project is underway to build a new nursing home. The Smith Family Foundation has also backed that project, said Kari Gervais, the CEO of St. Joseph’s Health Centre.

“Doug believed deeply in the importance of caring for his community,” she said, and added that he believed in building for future generations.

“It was a gift to work alongside someone who shared the same desire to identify unmet needs and find ways to make a lasting difference.”

Aside from his philanthropy and business interests, Doug was known for his love of music. One week before his death, he performed with the Manitoulin Swing Band at Gore Bay’s Harbour Days festival.

In fact, he played with that same group since 1947, nearly 80 years ago.

That passion for music also helped him meet many other people. The swing band had an evolving list of bandmates that includes his partner, Nickie Hinds, and this reporter.

Jim Smith (unrelated), of Mindemoya, joined the group as a saxophonist in the early 1960s. He said he became “fast friends” with Doug.

“I was always very impressed with Doug, and from the moment I met him I thought he was a really great guy,” said Mr. Smith, who was joined by his late wife Joanne in the swing band.

Their music and friendship led them to travel far and wide, from Killarney to Mackinac Island and even down to Florida and Costa Rica. Many of the closer trips happened on Doug’s boat. 

“When we’d tie up, we’d often have dancers on the dock listening to our music because we always played music on the boat,” said. “He really helped us get to experience the Great Lakes.”

Mr. Smith’s late wife Joanne was also a member of the Manitoulin Swing Band as a pianist.

The family intends to hold a celebration of life in September, as per Doug’s wishes.