How Canadian billionaire Jim Pattison came around to believe in climate change

Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This story is part of a CBC News initiative entitled "Our Changing Planet" to show and explain the effects of climate change and what is being done about it.

On this Wednesday morning, Jim Pattison is in good spirits.

The majority of his business lines are booming, from groceries and lumber to automotive sales and leasing. Only a few of his companies are struggling under the weight of the pandemic. It's an empire that includes radio and TV stations as well as billboards in airports, train stations and transit locations.

Throughout his corporate office are memorabilia and photos collected over his career. The collection is a who's who of prominent figures, including Pattison in the Oval Office with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, to hanging out with Oprah Winfrey, and being carried in the arms of Shaquille O'Neal.

While his business career has spanned six decades, it's only in recent years that Pattison has embraced climate change. Back in 1989, environmentalist David Suzuki spoke to Pattison's company about climate change during a meeting in Sidney, B.C.

Most managers, including Pattison, disregarded the message as off base and out of touch, except for a few young people in the room who were eager to meet Suzuki.

"Bottom line is — he turned out to be very right," said Pattison.

It was only when former U.S. vice-president Al Gore spoke to management about 10 years ago that Pattison began to acknowledge the severity of the issue and its wide-ranging impacts. Gore was invited back and spoke to the company for a second time.

These days, climate change comes up in every meeting, said Pattison, since just about every business is impacted by it in one way or another.

The corporate empire began in 1961 with Pattison's first car dealership in Vancouver. The growth into many other industries and product lines has been fuelled by acquisition.

The company prioritizes certain factors like market share and long-term growth when evaluating a potential target, although climate considerations have risen to the top.

"When we're talking about buying a company today, the first thing we're looking at [is] where does it fit into the environmental issues side of things," he said.

Earlier this month, Pattison celebrated his 93rd birthday while driving around Saskatchewan in a pickup truck visiting various farm equipment dealerships he owns. 

He recently returned from Sweden, where his company's forestry division does business.