Ron V. Joyce

Ron V. Joyce, O.C.

Doctor of Commerce

Ron Joyce was born in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. In 1951, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy, where he specialized in the communications field. In 1956, he moved to Hamilton, Ontario, where he joined the Hamilton Police Force while continuing to serve in the RCN Reserves. By 1965, his entrepreneurial spirit had come to the fore and he took over the Tim Horton donut shop in Hamilton. In 1967, after he had opened two further shops, he and Tim Horton became full partners in the business. Upon Tim Horton's death in February, 1974, Mr. Joyce became the sole owner of the chain, which then had 40 stores. It has now grown to over 600 stores, with locations in every province in Canada. Shortly after Tim Horton's death, Ron Joyce set up the Tim Horton Children's Foundation, which operates summer camps for underprivileged children in Ontario, Alberta, and Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. Ron Joyce serves on the Board of Directors of Lumsden Brothers and Sobeys. In 1989, he was honoured for his success in the food service industry by being made a Fellow of the Hostelry Institute. He has also received the Gary Wright Humanitarian Award for contributions to community life and was the 1992 Honorary Chairman of the Ireland Fund, which sets up educations and community programs to promote peace and harmony in Ireland. He was recently named to the Order of Canada.