Michael Edward Johnson

Mike passed away suddenly, yet peacefully on March 12, 2026. Mike was a beloved husband, Dad, Grandpa, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He was an extremely hard worker; dedicated to his family and providing a wonderful life. While we say goodbye to a member of our family, many are saying goodbye to a loyal friend and mentor.

Mike is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Catriona; his brother Jim (Joanne); and his children, Karin (Patrice) and Stephen (Carrie); his grandchildren Emma and Owen, and many other family members.

Mike had a life well lived and he will be very much missed each day. To honor Mike; sip a Scotch and watch some golf, cheer on the Montreal Canadians and the Michigan Wolverines or enjoy some red wine with your family. He would have liked that.

A message from Steve

“When I was 16, I couldn’t believe how little my father knew. When I was 26, I couldn’t believe how much he had learned over the past decade.”

I came across a quote like this in my mid-thirties, and it immediately brought back fond memories of the long conversations I had with my dad throughout my late twenties. It was only after I had travelled internationally on my own, worked in roles managing people, and completed my university degree that I began to truly understand who my dad was—and what he had accomplished.

My dad began his business career with Household Financial, where he spent 30 years. He worked his way up from the ground level into numerous leadership roles in Canada before taking our family to Australia. There, he served as CEO, leading a major turnaround—repairing the group’s reputation and returning it to profitability. When we returned to Canada in 1991, he completed his career with Household as Chairman and CEO of the Canadian group.

He later moved our family west to take on the role of President and CEO of the Vancouver Stock Exchange, focusing on advancing the exchange’s image and reputation while expanding international listings and institutional investor interest. I’ve heard many stories of the friendships and memories he made on business trips throughout Asia, Latin America, the U.S., and Europe during this time. He eventually played a leadership role in the merger of the ASE and VSE to form CDNX. He also served as a director on numerous boards, both locally and internationally, and contributed to Advisory Councils for the business schools at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.

This summary only scratches the surface of his professional life. More importantly for me, it formed the foundation of my “real” business education—the one that came from those long conversations we shared in my late twenties.

My dad also had the privilege of serving on the inaugural Hockey Hall of Fame advisory board, with Household as a founding sponsor—something that reflected his lifelong love of sports. When I was young, he taught me nearly every sport I played and made time to play with me whenever he could. As I got older, the competition between us was always real—every point had to be earned, and he would never “let” me win.

Now, as a father myself, I try to challenge my kids with that same intensity. And like my dad, I’ll never “let” them win. But only now do I realize that in all those battles, even as he was trying his best to win, he was quietly cheering for me—just as I cheer for my kids today.

So much of what I’ve learned in life has come from my dad, and I will miss him greatly.

A message from Karin

My Dad, the original Victor Newman was in his eighty fourth year of life and had been married to my Mom for fifty-five years. My parents met each other at a party (introduced by a dear friend) and became engaged within one month and married within eight months. Fifty-five years later, I am so grateful for the family they created. One of my favourite things was listening to my Dad talk about my Mom with such love, appreciation and respect for all the things she did to make us a family over all the years. He also used to chuckle about what a firecracker she was (is!) and could really stand her ground when needed. Their marriage was full of passionate debates, laughter and quiet comfort. I learned so much about marriage from their ability to accept each other as they were, always resolve conflicts and remember that marriage is not a fairy tale, it is a love story to unfolds over decades. My Dad wasn’t big on talking about his feelings, but I know with all of my heart that he loved my Mom more than anyone in this entire world, even if he didn’t tell her enough. His actions spoke louder than his words. Mom and I used to laugh that “the Moustache” as we sometimes called him couldn’t describe his feelings but could pick out the most beautiful and thoughtful greeting cards for birthdays and anniversaries.

My Dad has an unwavering loyalty to the people he holds dear and his fond memories of the years of friendship and shared experiences he had, he truly cherished. It is quite special to me that his friends from when I was a young child (or even before I arrived) are still a presence in our family. Lloyd (Sherri), Yolande, Sharon, and Gord (Sandy), I am so grateful that my Dad had you in his life and I am lucky enough to have you too. Even though my parents have had long term friendships, they were always willing to make new friends and connections. Bob and Azin, who lived next door to my parents became dear friends and people who shared joyful moments with our family. Friendship is truly the only cement that will hold the world together.

My Dad had an incredibly successful career, where he was well-respected and travelled the world sharing his knowledge and leadership. I definitely got my sense of work ethic and devotion to my career from his influence. When my Dad passed, I was away on a business trip in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It was perfectly fitting as my Dad had been a participant in a University of Michigan MBA program where they were studying the habits of CEO’s. He loved the architecture of this beautiful campus as well as supporting the sports! It brought me tremendous comfort that I was somewhere that my Dad loved when he passed. I hope to keep Dad’s sense of responsibility and commitment, while also learning to embrace some balance. My incredible brother Steve manages to somehow make loving his family and running a firm seem achievable. I know from when my brother was very young, my Dad knew that Steve was more than capable of anything. I still know this is true, Steve might be younger than me, but I will need his advice always.

My Dad was the oldest in his family, followed by my beloved Aunt Maureen (Uncle John) and then the cherished younger brother, Uncle Jim (Aunt Joanne). Throughout our lives my family spent many holidays celebrating with my Aunt Maureen and Uncle John, and Steve and I grew up alongside their children Andrea and Scott despite both of our families often moving to new cities and countries. My Uncle Jim and my Dad couldn’t have been more different. My Dad being the businessman and my Uncle Jim, the cool Uncle with the motorcycle. Despite how different they were as brothers; they loved and respected each other so much and it was wonderful to witness them together. When I was a teenager, my Uncle Jim and Aunt Joanne welcomed their twins, Sarah and Joe to the family which made us complete. We were all lucky to have so many years of special memories. Our family would grow to include many more (Tony, Jessica, Kate, Tyler, Oliver, Quinn, Emma and Owen), for which I am forever blessed.

My Dad loved both my brother and I, but he truly accepted how different we were and never compared us. He appreciated the qualities that each of us have and he really allowed us to be ourselves without judgement. He would take this same approach in welcoming his daughter-in-law Carrie and his son-in-law Patrice. Carrie and my Dad connected immediately, and I have some fun memories of the first night they met that always brings a smile to my face. Carrie-saurus-rex is a story that you will have to ask her about. He adored her, her spirit and tenacity. When I first brought home Patrice to meet my family, my Dad and Patrice connected so much that my Mom had to ask them three times to leave the “man cave” and come up to join us for dinner. It made me smile that Patrice and my Dad often chatted on the phone more than I even did with him. When Patrice and I said our vows, and Patrice was visibly emotional, my Dad whispered to my Mom with admiration, “Wow. He REALLY loves her”. My Dad was incredibly proud of me and the woman I became but he was really comforted in knowing that I was so loved and supported in my marriage.

Watching my Dad become a Grandpa was one of my most special experiences. When my brother and I were born, many Dads were expected to be providers and much of the family experience was only for Moms. My Dad worked hard, travelled often and many times had to miss out on things because of his responsibilities. To see my Dad as a Grandpa has filled my heart in so many ways that I am not even ready to describe it. I am just grateful. Always.

In then end; Dad, you will always be my Daddy, and I will be forever your princess xoxo

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