If you asked John H. Daniels what he did for a living, he had a simple answer: “I pour concrete.”
John Daniels, chairman and chief executive officer of Cadillac Fairview, Canada's largest public developer, in Toronto on Aug. 15, 1979.ERIK CHRISTENSEN/The Globe and Mail
It may be an understated description for one of Canada’s most prominent architects and developers, but his oldest son, David Daniels, said the statement captured his humility despite his great success, and the fact that he never tired of the thrill of watching his projects go up.
“His hobby was his work,” said David Daniels, who is 68.
“His hobby was, on the weekend, taking his kids or his grandkids in the car and driving around the city and looking at property that was being built or land. He was very driven and passionate about it.”
John Daniels died at age 96 on Oct. 22, at his home in Toronto.
Mr. Daniels’s prolific career as an architect and developer spanned nearly seven decades, and he played a key role in the development of Toronto landmarks such as the Eaton Centre, TD Centre, and the revitalization of Regent Park, which has been touted internationally as a prime example of integrating social housing with market housing units.
Most recently, he was the founder and chairman emeritus of The Daniels Corporation, one of Canada’s largest developers, which is also involved in the production of affordable housing.
“John Daniels was a visionary developer who passionately embodied the ideals of social responsibility,” said Mitchell Cohen, president and chief executive officer of The Daniels Corporation, in a statement, where he called Mr. Daniels an innovator and a city builder.
“John Daniels built a legacy of positive impact on this city and country, and he will be deeply missed.”
His role in developing Toronto also went beyond architecture. In 1976, Mr. Daniels was an early supporter of the Festival of Festivals, which would eventually evolve into the Toronto International Film Festival. He also contributed to the launch of the Toronto Sun newspaper and Cineplex Odeon Corp.
Mr. Daniels was born to Aba and Esther Danilack on July 28, 1926, outside of Warsaw. He immigrated from Poland to Canada at the age of 12 with his parents and siblings, Jeanette and Phillip, just months before Hitler’s invasion in 1939.
He studied at the University of Toronto as an architecture student, where he launched his career and went from building individual homes to massive developments.
Mr. Daniels, founder and chairman emeritus of The Daniels Corporation, one of Canada’s largest developers that is also involved in the production of affordable housing.Courtesy of The Daniels Corporation
First, he joined Cadillac Development Corp., where he served for decades including as the company’s CEO and chairman. When Cadillac Development merged with The Fairview Corporation and became today’s Cadillac-Fairview, he served as CEO of that company and was involved with the development of Toronto’s Eaton Centre and the Erin Mills community in Mississauga.
In 1983 Mr. Daniels started The Daniels Corp., which would go on to become heavily involved in the development of affordable housing in Canadian communities, such as with the revitalization of Toronto’s Regent Park.
He was also a philanthropist and gave $30-million to the University of Toronto, along with his wife, Myrna Daniels. A $14-million donation to the university’s school of architecture in 2008 meant it was able to revitalize its building at Spadina Avenue, and led to the school being named after him.
Richard Sommer, former dean of the university’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, said his contributions to the school had a major impact, allowing the student population to grow to more than 1,000, making it one of the largest architecture schools in North America.
Mr. Daniels’s gift to the university also allowed it to set up a scholarship geared toward helping outstanding students who are the first in their family to go to university.
Mr. Sommer and David Daniels both said this scholarship was something that Mr. Daniels was most proud of.
“Up until the pandemic, every year we’d have a lunch and he loved nothing more than gathering all the fellows and talking about the school and what they were doing,” Mr. Sommer said.
“He loved to see young people have ambitions and have a hand given to reach their potential.”
As public as Mr. Daniels’s life may have been, his eldest son says he preferred to keep away from the spotlight as much as possible. David Daniels said this was consistent with how generous he was behind the scenes, and said he would loan money without asking for it to be repaid and supported the businesses of people around him.
Mr. Daniels leaves his wife, Myrna Daniels, along with five sons, two stepchildren, 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He also leaves his wife’s four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
David Daniels said his father will be remembered as a man with a great sense of humour who loved to assign nicknames to everyday subjects, and as a great dancer who was the first on the dance floor at bar mitzvahs or weddings.
“We all have memories of my dad jumping around the house and singing Broadway songs,” David Daniels said.
“He loved his family, he loved his kids, he was proud of his work, and he was proud that he could employ so many people and help so many other people.”