Douglas-Coldwell to add Layton to its name

On the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, the Douglas-Coldwell Foundation has announced that Jack Layton was joining Tommy Douglas, MJ Coldwell and JS Woodsworth as one of its founders. As of January 2022, the charity will be renamed the Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation.

“We are proud to have been tasked as being the caretaker of Jack Layton’s legacy,” stated DCF Executive Director Josh Bizjak. “It is an honour and privilege to have been chosen by the Layton family to preserve it.“

Created in November 1971 with Tommy Douglas as its founding President, the Douglas-Coldwell Foundation aspires to teach Canadians about its founders' legacies and their important contributions to our country and modern day society.

“The family is thrilled to see that Jack Layton’s legacy will have a permanent home alongside one of his favorite political and charitable heroes,” said Olivia Chow in reference to Tommy Douglas. “He always used to echo Tommy’s famous quote; ‘Dream no little dreams.” He admired Tommy very much and loved, especially his passion for helping people. Considering his love for education, teaching, and learning, this is a very fitting home for Jack.”

“Tommy Douglas wanted the Foundation to provoke discussion amongst progressives and be a space for social democratic leaders and their legacies to be preserved, said Karl Bélanger, President of the DCF. With the addition of Jack Layton as one of our founders, we will be able to continue modernizing Tommy’s charity by reaching a new audience and launching new research and education programs,” concluded Karl Bélanger.

The Douglas-Coldwell Foundation is an independent, non-partisan Canadian registered charity. Its mandate is to promote education and research into social democracy in Canada. Over the years, the DCF has distributed numerous grants and scholarships across the country.

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