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Peter A. Allard

Peter A. Allard

Peter A. Allard

Peter A. Allard

Peter A. Allard (1946-2022) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist. 

Peter A. Allard, Q.C. graduated from UBC with a B.A. in History in 1968, and a LL.B. Degree in 1971. After graduation, Mr. Allard practiced law and participated in various business enterprises. In 1993, he established the Highbury Foundation, which has assisted medical communities in British Columbia and Alberta with support for research and the purchase of medical equipment. The Highbury Foundation has also made significant donations to colleges and universities across Western Canada for scholarships and building needs.

Mr. Allard has focused his medical philanthropy on biomedical research and the development of vaccines for cancer, hepatitis B and C, and HIV/AIDS. Internationally, Mr. Allard has worked to protect wildlife habitats, biodiversity and human rights while promoting stronger environmental standards and education. 

In 2011, Mr. Allard donated CAD $11.86 million to UBC’s Faculty of Law. This gift included funding for the Allard Prize. The Allard Prize was launched in 2012 and became independent of the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia on June 21, 2019. Mr. Allard’s gift also served to recognize the Allard family’s close connection with the Faculty. Mr. Allard’s twin brother Chuck and his niece Wendy King are also graduates of UBC Law. 

“My objective is for all students passing through the halls of UBC Law, and indeed law students around the world, to honour the memories of our legal brethren who have shown leadership and courage and stood up for transparency, accountability and the Rule of Law by listening to and being inspired by the stories of those who are chosen as Prize recipients and honourees, and to steadfastly work to instill the Prize criteria in their own day-to-day actions and dealings with others in the legal community and elsewhere, and thereby help to rebalance the system.”  Peter A. Allard, Q.C.

On January 22, 2015, UBC announced a transformational CAD $30 million gift from Mr. Allard.  Mr. Allard’s gift is the largest ever to a Canadian law school.  In recognition of this gift, which will enable the Faculty to build on its reputation for championing human rights, the university named the law school the Peter A. Allard School of Law.

Mr. Allard’s historic donation will bring unprecedented benefits to students and faculty, both now and in the future, by establishing permanent endowments to support: faculty recruitment and retention to ensure students learn from some of the world’s greatest legal minds; student initiatives such as entrance awards, summer employment and enhanced admissions practices; and student experiential learning programs and clinical opportunities for students to learn practical skills. The gift will also enable the Allard School of Law to build on its reputation for championing human rights through the Allard Prize for International Integrity. The Allard Prize was launched in 2012 and became independent of the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia on June 21, 2019. 

“The monies that are being committed today are to establish one of the world’s truly great law schools, in significant part by giving this Law School the ability to steadfastly and rigorously advance the principles of the Allard Prize, encourage their adoption and multiply the beneficial effects in our day-to-day life, and work with those in the legal community and beyond, locally, nationally, and internationally, to make a better world. I believe these principles, which respect the concept that all human beings are of value and worthy of our energies, are critical to the future success of our societies.

We have the power and ability to follow the path of honesty and integrity and restore (or, in many cases, introduce) these principles in our institutions. My desire is that, now and hereafter, the Peter A. Allard School of Law use my gifts to secure its leadership role in this campaign to move the principles of the Allard Prize forward to a concept of “we” versus “I”, and be a beacon of hope, and a catalyst for positive change, around the world.”  Peter A. Allard, Q.C. 

Speeches:
First Allard Prize Ceremony – September 25, 2013
Second Allard Prize Ceremony – October 1, 2015
Third Allard Prize Ceremony – September 28, 2017

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