Walker Wood Foundation

The Walker Wood Foundation was established in 2006 by Neil C.W. Wood and his wife Susan.

The Foundation’s history goes back to the start of the previous century, when Neil’s father, James Walker Wood, a bright young man with little means, was awarded a full Carnegie Scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Aberdeen. Upon graduation in 1914 he immediately enlisted with the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders and was dispatched to the Western Front during World War I, where he served as a medical officer. He devoted the rest of his life as a family practitioner to caring for the sick and ailing in an impoverished district of Yorkshire. He was, in turn, able to provide an excellent education for his family; a firm foundation that Neil brought with him when he immigrated to Canada.

Neil became the President of Winnipeg-based Fidelity Trust Company, over the next 16 years he built Fidelity Trust into a national corporation, with offices coast to coast across Canada. After the sale of Fidelity Trust, Neil founded Camwood Properties and began purchasing and retrofitting ‘brick and beam’ commercial buildings in the Toronto downtown area. The sale of this portfolio in 2005 made it possible to establish the Walker Wood Foundation.

To Neil, establishing the Foundation outshone all of his other business-based achievements. In Neil’s own words, “the creation of the Walker Wood Foundation was the best thing I’ve ever achieved, my father would have been very proud.”

Neil and Susan travelled extensively throughout Canada to determine where the funds could be most effectively awarded. Since Neil’s passing in 2021, the Wood Family are determined to carry-on James and Neil’s legacy through the work of the Foundation.

The Walker Wood Family strongly believe in the transformational power of higher education, especially for those with the initiative and potential to make a difference not only in their own lives, but in the lives of others. The Foundation funds scholarships and bursaries at educational institutions throughout Canada, geared especially towards those individuals with much to offer, but not necessarily the financial means to pursue their dreams. The Walker Wood Foundation established a slate of entrance awards at Holland College valued at $10,000 annually to support students entering any post secondary program. Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, these awards recognize students who demonstrate financial need, good academic standing, leadership qualities, and involvement in extracurricular or community activities, with award amounts adjusted annually based on student need and program gaps.