CALGARY – Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute offers its deepest sympathies to the family of former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, who has passed away at the age of 84. Mr. Lougheed was a long-time special advisor to the institute.
“We feel a profound sense of loss at the passing of a friend and mentor. Peter Lougheed was a truly remarkable Canadian, a leader who won the abiding respect and admiration of all who knew him, and a generous Albertan whose exuberance, energy, integrity and optimism lifted others to greater achievement,” Cy Frank, Executive Director of ABJHI, said. “Alberta and Canada have benefited immeasurably from his legacy.
“As a former professional football player, he had an appreciation for the pain and suffering caused by bone and joint disorders and a special interest in improving health care for those who suffer from them. ABJHI was extremely fortunate to have had his wise counsel on many occasions.”
While at the University of Alberta, Mr. Lougheed played football with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was elected leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party in 1965 and in 1971 was elected Premier of Alberta. He served as Premier until retiring from politics in 1985. He subsequently joined the Calgary-based law firm of Bennett Jones LLP as a partner.
Mr. Lougheed was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1971 and was a member of the Privy Council of Canada and a Companion of the Order of Canada. He was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2001 in recognition of his lifelong commitment to health research. In 2005, the Peter Lougheed-CIHR (Canadian Institute of Health Research) Award was created to encourage young health researchers. Earlier this year, a panel of prominent Canadians assembled by the Institute for Research on Public Policy voted Mr. Lougheed Canada’s best premier of the past 40 years.