Rich & Famous React To Loss Of Ed Mirvish
Posted July 11, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The tributes to Ed Mirvish have already begun to pour in from the rich, the famous and the common man and woman who formed his loyal customer base. Honest Ed was a man who consorted with kings and queens and even owned a Princess – as in the theatre with Wales in its name. He was as beloved by the power brokers as he was by people who were nearly broke themselves. Here are just some of the things his famous friends have said about him since word of his death began to spread on Wednesday.
“I went to U. of T. for law school and used to shop at Honest Ed’s a lot and lived off things like his inexpensive sardines and noodles … Ed was ahead of his time and on a singular basis he treated every person with respect and dignity. He was extraordinary that way.”
Mayor David Miller
“I had known him 40 years. An absolutely splendid man. And his contribution in terms of business and culture and the arts, a lover of Toronto is unmatched. When we gave our first Jane Jacobs Award for Lifetime Achievement … it was to Ed Mirvish and that was also Jane Jacobs’ choice. So people in Toronto, older and newer generations, have a lot to thank this man for.”
David Crombie, former Toronto Mayor
“He was quiet but he made things happen. That’s what a lot of politicians don’t understand. Their job is to make things happen. That’s what Honest Ed did. Because of him, look at the entertainment we’re getting in Toronto. Look at the stars that he brought to Toronto! And now there’s so many theatres because of Ed Mirvish. Look what he did with his store. It was a tiny little store. He made it bigger and bigger and bigger and now it’s a place where people come — never mind to shop — they come there to shop but also to sightsee because they’ve heard of this store all over Canada.”
Mel Lastman, Former Toronto Mayor
“We forget so quickly, that King Street was really a derelict industrial area that had outlived its use in terms of traditional industrial. And he came, and made it the centre for the world, really, of English theatre. I think about Markham Street and the Village around the store there. That was the Mirvish family transforming a part of the city that then impacted a whole neighbourhood, all around that, so he was a builder, he was a visionary guy. And at the same time, he was a guy who ran a bargain store and knew how to connect with the customers, ordinary folk. And then would he go off and meet the Queen. And he knew how to relate to her as well.”
Barbara Hall, former Toronto Mayor
“He was one who saw in Toronto, more than most Torontonians could see … There is not a neighbourhood in my ward that he didn’t have an impact on culturally, physically, economically. Whether the corner of Bathurst and Bloor or King Street, Ed Mirvish was one of the great citizens of this city and cities need citizens like that. They need people with a sort of vision and drive and imagination, and his passing leaves us sorry but his presence is something that Torontonians will remember forever.”
Councillor Adam Vaughan
“I had the pleasure, the honour of interviewing him many times but also following him, a day in the life of Ed Mirvish. And the one thing I remember, he would always go up to people, who were in the store or on the street. They recognized him and he would say, “and what is your name?” And then he would make another comment using that individual’s name to make sure that person felt like a queen or a king.”
Ann Rohmer, CP24 Anchor
“I remember in 1958, they brought out something brand new. It was called a Teflon pan, a frying pan. And that was the first time they brought out Teflon. And the guy came and sold them to me and sold them to him. And he then I see he advertised it for $4.99. So I come out the next time and advertise it for $3.99. He came out and put it in for $2.99. I was going to put it in for $1.99 but he called me and says: ‘Wait, stop! We’re losing money now.'”
Mel Lastman, Former Toronto Mayor and business competitor
” He was a unique individual. All of his buyers drove around in big L incolns . On the back it would say “it’s fun to shop at Honest Ed’s.”
Monte Kwinter, Minister of C ommunity Safety and Correctional Services
“Who knew this man was a sir? People didn’t know he was knighted. He was. It’s a shock to everybody that I mention it to that he was knighted by the Queen of England. What a great man. Everybody’s going to miss Honest Ed Mirvish.”
Mel Lastman, Former Toronto Mayor
