Businessman, philanthropist.
Born at St. Boniface in 1934, he received a law degree from the University of Manitoba then practiced law privately, with Great West Life Assurance, and the Treasury Board of Canada. In 1971, he founded Creditel, a credit reference and collection company. It was successful, growing to 16 branches across Canada. He sold the company to Equifax in 1996. He made a $20 million donation to the University of Manitoba in 2008, the largest private donation the university had ever received, and in recognition its Faculty of Music was renamed in Desautels’ honour. In recognition of his philanthropy, he was inducted into the Order of Canada (2008) and Order of Manitoba (2019), and he received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). He died at Toronto, Ontario on 31 January 2023.
“U of M grad left local legacy,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 February 2023.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 February 2023
Memorable Manitobans
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