Mr. Louis "Bud" Ralph Sherman

December 24, 1926 – January 9, 2015

After a short illness, at age 88, at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

Predeceased by his beloved wife, Elizabeth, and survived by his three children, Cathy (Gordo), Christopher (David) and Todd (Eric). Also survived by his sister Joan Weir, five nephews and a niece. Predeceased by his brother Laurence, his sister Barbara, and his brothers-in-law Ronald Cantlie, Q.C. and Dr. Ormond Weir.

Bud was born in Quebec City, the third child of The Most Reverend L. Ralph Sherman, Archbishop of Rupert’s Land, and Carolyn Gillmor Sherman. Bud received his early education at Strathcona Boys’ School in Calgary. After moving to Winnipeg with his family, he attended Kelvin High School and the University of Manitoba, graduating with his Bachelor of Arts in 1949. During his undergraduate career at the University, Bud was active in the student newspaper, “The Manitoban”, inter-faculty sports, fraternity life, student drama, and the Canadian Officers’ Training Corp. He graduated from the Royal Canadian School of Infantry at Camp Borden, Ontario, in 1949 with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

Bud’s brother, Lieut. Laurence Gillmor Sherman, was killed in action with his Infantry regiment at Monte Cassino in Italy in 1944. This was a seminal event in the family, and motivated Bud for the rest of his life to honour his brother through public service.

On December 28, 1955, Bud married Elizabeth Ann (Lizanne) Beaton, of Winnipeg, only daughter of Dr. Grant W. Beaton and Ann Jonsson Beaton. They were married for almost 55 years and, ultimately, that was the proudest accomplishment of his life. Bud and Lizanne moved to Vancouver in 1956 and returned to Winnipeg in December, 1957. They raised their family in Winnipeg and made it their home for the next 30 years. They also loved spending time at their cottage at Delta Beach at Lake Manitoba.

Bud’s professional career spanned the fields of journalism, broadcasting, politics, health care consulting and communications. After graduating from university in 1949, Bud went to work for Canadian Press in Winnipeg, embarking on a wire-service and newspaper career that covered the next 11 years and included service in Halifax, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. Much of this work was with United Press International and its predecessor, British United Press. In the late 1950s, he served as Bureau Chief and Western Canada Manager for UPI, in Vancouver. In 1960, Bud moved into television journalism and became Director of News and Public Affairs, as well as a popular on-air anchorman and host of a public affairs program, with CJAY-TV, the local CTV station in Winnipeg.

In 1965, Bud began a 19-year career in federal and provincial politics when, representing the Progressive Conservative Party, he was elected the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South. In 1969, he moved into provincial politics when he was elected a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Fort Garry, a constituency he was very proud to represent for the next 15 years and through four elections. During this period, he served his party as Whip, Chairman, Deputy House Leader, communications advisor and labour critic.

From 1977 to 1981, Bud was the Minister of Health for the Province of Manitoba. During his tenure, he initiated a multi-million dollar redevelopment of Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre. He was instrumental in developing a new Rh Institute and national Blood Fractionation Laboratory at the University of Manitoba and in securing permanent status and funding for the Manitoba Health Research Council. He also spearheaded major legislation regarding the governance and operation of the regulated health professions in Manitoba. In Cabinet, Bud also served at various times as Deputy Premier, Minister of Community Services and Corrections, and Minister for Amateur Sport. From 1981 to 1984, he was Deputy Leader of his party and chief health critic in the Legislature.

In 1985, Bud left politics but maintained his interest in health administration, publishing articles on Medicare and other health issues, and participating as a speaker and resource person for numerous health care and communications conferences and studies. He also participated as a regular panelist on a weekly CBC public affairs television program in Winnipeg.

Bud was appointed as a Commissioner of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, based in Hull, Quebec, in 1985. He and Lizanne relocated to Ottawa, and Bud served on the CRTC for ten years, becoming Vice-Chair – Telecommunications in 1987 until his retirement in 1995. Bud’s proudest accomplishment on the CRTC was the central role he played in work relating to long distance competition in the telephone industry. In 1987 and 1988, he chaired a Federal-Provincial-Territorial Task Force on Telecommunications. The Task Force’s report became an invaluable common database on telephone industry competition. He also chaired the CRTC’s 1991 central public hearing on long distance competition, leading to the Commission’s landmark 1992 decision on the industry. On March 1, 1989, he was elected by his colleagues to fulfill the role of Acting Chair of the CRTC for a period. In 1995, the Canadian Business Telecommunications Alliance awarded Bud the Chairman’s Award for outstanding contribution to the Canadian telecommunications industry.

After leaving the CRTC, Bud engaged in telecommunications consultancy work for Telus and the Manitoba Telephone System, and acted as the CRTC-approved Trustee of CKVU-TV, an asset of CanWest Global Communications Corporation.

After 1995, Bud focused his energies on volunteer activities in the military, sports, education and cultural fields. These included: membership on the Advisory Board, and Chair of the Board, of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada; Director of the Manitoba and Northwest Ontario Committee of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council; member of the Board of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews; member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Youth Foundation; volunteer for the XIII Pan Am Games in Winnipeg in 1999; member and later President of the Board of Directors of Manitoba Opera; partner in the Ital-Inter Soccer Club, part of the Manitoba Major Soccer League, of which he later became a member of the Board of Directors; and member of the Advisory Council of the University of Manitoba’s Institute for the Humanities. In memory of Lizanne, he was very proud to establish an English literature award in her name, and a sciences lecture series in the name of his father-in-law, at Balmoral Hall School in Winnipeg (formerly Riverbend), which Lizanne attended.

Throughout his life, Bud was an avid sports enthusiast. He was a strong supporter of Canadian football and later became keenly interested in soccer. He was a voracious reader of literature, poetry and military history. He loved a wide range of music, but particularly opera, which his mother had performed professionally as a young woman. In recent years, he was also active in St. George’s Anglican Church in Winnipeg.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at St. George’s Anglican Church, 168 Wilton Street, at Grosvenor Avenue. Cremation has taken place. A private family interment will occur on Friday, January 16, 2015.

The family would like to extend special thanks to the staff at the Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bud’s memory to the Parkinson Society Manitoba and the Canadian Cancer Society.

THOMSON “IN THE PARK”

204-925-1120

Condolences may be sent to www.thomsoninthepark.com