David Pecaut

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David Pecaut
Born(1955-09-14)September 14, 1955
Sioux City, Iowa
DiedDecember 14, 2009(2009-12-14) (aged 54)
Toronto, Ontario
Resting placeMount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
SpouseHelen Burstyn
Children4

David Kent Pecaut CM (September 14, 1955 – December 14, 2009) was an American-born Canadian civic leader, management consultant, and policy maker based in Toronto. A partner at the Boston Consulting Group and long-time public policy advisor, he was best known as a co-founder and chair of the Toronto City Summit Alliance where he worked to address urban challenges by emphasising the importance of cross-sector collaboration.[1]

Pecaut championed a range of initiatives focused on immigrant integration, youth employment, urban revitalization, and the arts. He co-founded the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), which created thousands of mentorships and internships opportunities for immigrants to the city, and he helped establish Luminato, Toronto’s Festival of Arts and Creativity. His work emphasized “civic entrepreneurship” and he worked to forge partnerships between business, government, and community for socio-economic means. In recognition of his contributions to public life, Pecaut was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2009. He died later the same year from colorectal cancer.[2][3]

Early life and education

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Pecaut was born in Sioux City, Iowa, to Richard and Dorothy (Kent) Pecaut. He attended West High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Harvard University[2] in 1977 and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Sussex in 1978. He began his career at Terra Chemicals in Iowa before relocating to Toronto in the 1980s.[4]

Career

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Pecaut began his consulting career as a special assistant to the president of Terra Chemicals in Sioux City. He later moved to Toronto and joined the Canada Consulting Group (CCG) in the early 1980s. In 1984, he became a partner at Telesis in Rhode Island. He rejoined CCG in 1988, later participating in the negotiations that merged the firm with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 1993 and founded BCG Canada.[5] In 1996, he contributed to the creation of Career Edge Organization.[4][6]

Pecaut led the formation of the Toronto City Summit Alliance in 2002. He also convened the Toronto Alliance in 2003 to help renew tourism after the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak, and played a role in the formation of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), and initiated a mentorship program.[citation needed] In 2007, he co-founded Luminato, a Toronto-based international arts festival, with Tony Gagliano.[4][7]

Pecaut was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in November 2009.[3] He contributed to the creation of the LEAP Pecaut Centre for Social Impact, which was formed in 2012.[8]

At the time of his death, he was serving as the chief executive of the venture capital firm iFormation Group.[4]

Legacy

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Pecaut Square in Toronto

Pecaut Square, originally Metro Square, is a public space located between Metro Hall and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. It was renamed after David Pecaut by a unanimous Toronto City Council vote in April 2011.[9][10]

Personal life

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Pecaut married Helen Burstyn in 1990 and had four children.[4]

Death

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He died of colorectal cancer in Toronto on December 14, 2009, at the age of 54.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "David Kent Pecaut, C.M., M.A., B.A." Governor General of Canada. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Van Paassen, Kevin (December 14, 2009). "Toronto visionary David Pecaut succumbs to cancer". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Mr. David Kent Pecaut". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Toronto civic, arts organizer David Pecaut dies". CBC News. December 14, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  5. ^ "Work & Life at BCG's Toronto Office – Canada". bcg.com. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "A message from our friend, David Pecaut • Career Edge". Career Edge. December 10, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  7. ^ "Our Founders". Luminato Festival. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  8. ^ "Our Story". LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  9. ^ Moloney, Paul (April 12, 2011). "Metro Square renamed Pecaut Square to honour late city builder". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  10. ^ Knelman, Martin (April 7, 2011). "City renames Metro Square to honour David Pecaut". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
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