by Myron Love
WINNIPEG – Peter Liba, a broadcasting industry leader and former Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, died suddenly on Thursday, June 21, at the age of 67, He had been recovering from recent heart surgery.
"Manitobans, and indeed Canadians, have lost a truly great man," said Leonard Asper, president and CEO of CanWest Global Communications Corp., in a statement he issued upon learning of the passing of his late father’s (Izzy Asper) long-time partner. "His contributions to his community, his province and his country were immense.
"Peter Liba was a pillar on which CanWest Global was founded and we were fortunate to have had the benefit of his insight, experience and dedication over the many years with our Company. He was a valued advisor and friend.
Gail Asper, Leonard’s sister and CanWest Global’s corporate secretary, added that Peter Liba was a very good friend and an integral part of the CanWest operations. "His death was a big blow to our family and the whole community," she said.
Gail Asper noted that it was Liba (pictured when he was Manitoba’s Lieutenant-Governor) who persuaded his friend Izzy to go into broadcasting instead of returning to the practice of law after Asper stepped down as the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party in the mid-1970s.
"We credit Peter’s creativity and interesting way of looking at the world as the start of CanWest," she said.
Born in Winnipeg, Liba began his working career as a journalist in rural Manitoba while still in his teens. In 1959, he caught on with the Winnipeg Tribune. One of his beats was the Manitoba Legislature and in 1967, he was promoted to City Editor.
In 1974, he and Asper were among the founders of what became the CanWest Global Group of Companies. They started by buying a television station – KCND – which was located in North Dakota and moved it to Winnipeg (where they renamed it CKND). (KCND/CKND was the city’s third English language television channel at the time.) They gradually expanded their reach across the country in pursuit of their successful goal of creating a third national broadcasting network.
Liba served as president and CEO of CKND as well as SaskWest Television in Saskatchewan from 1988-1994. In 1993, he was also given responsibility for overseeing CanWest’s broadcasting operations in Australia, New Zealand and Chile as well as Canada.
In the broadcasting industry, Liba was recognized as the Broadcaster of the Decade in 1994 by the Western Association of Broadcasters. In 1998, he was inducted into the Canadian Broadcasters Hall of Fame. The next year, he received the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Special Gold ribbon Award in recognition is his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and his contributions to the broadcasting industry and the community at large.
Gail Asper praised Liba for his commitment to community as well. He served as Chairman of the Board of the St. Boniface General Hospital from 1992 until his appointment as Lieutenant Governor. He was the founding chairman of the Variety Club Telethon which raised $15 million for disabled and disadvantaged children in Manitoba. Among his other involvements were the Manitoba Heart Foundation, the Canadian Association of Christians and Jews, Winnipeg’s Refugee Assistance Board and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
In recognition of his business achievements and contributions to the community, Liba was named to the Order of Canada in 1984 and presented with Canada’s 125th anniversary of Confederation in 1992.
Liba served as Lieutenant Governor from 1999 to 2004. One of his achievements in the position was the establishment of the Order of Manitoba of which he was the first member.
Since completing his term at Government House, Liba had been chairing CanWest MediaWorks Income Fund.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley, three children and four grandchildren.
Myron Love is a Winnipeg-based freelance writer.
