Memorable Manitobans: William Marvin Ward (1917-2001)

William Marvin Ward Click to enlarge

Chemist, civil servant.

Born at Toronto, Ontario on 1 January 1917, he was educated at Toronto, Harvard and Berkeley, and moved to Winnipeg in 1942 to start work as a chemist for the Province of Manitoba. He retired as the Director of Environmental Management in 1980 after working 38 years in various positions, involved in many innovations in environmental protection on the federal and provincial levels. He wrote, co-wrote, or edited the government publications Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (1978), Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality (1983), and Guidelines for Canadian Recreational Water Quality (1984). An environmental laboratory operated by the Manitoba government was named for him. He died at Winnipeg on 21 February 2001.

W. M. Ward doing a chemical test (circa 1950)
Source: Evelyn Ward de Roo

See also:

“Report of the International Joint Commission on the Pollution of the Red River,” International Joint Commission, April 1968.

“A historical perspective of industrial hygiene in Manitoba” by W. M. Ward, November 1987.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 23 February 2001, page 44.

We thank Evelyn Ward de Roo for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Kris Keen and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 27 August 2020

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!