The White Owl Conservation Awards were established in 1968. Initially, a single award was given annually to the person or group (chosen from those nominated) that was considered to have made the greatest contribution to the preservation of Canada's natural environment. The award could be shared by two persons or groups. Later, separate prizes were given annually for individuals and groups. A system of grants for worthy environmental projects was introduced in 1970.

The awards and grants were discontinued at the end of 1976 due to controversy over their sponsor. The original sponsor of the program was the General Cigar Company of Montréal, Quebec (see Note for use of accented "é"), maker of the White Owl brand of cigars. By 1972, sponsorship was assumed by Imperial Tobacco, of which General Cigar was a subsidiary.

Establishment and sponsorship

The annual White Owl Conservation Awards were established in 1968 by Robert B. Alexander, an ardent conservationist and the marketing Vice-President (April 1969, President) of the General Cigar Company Ltd. The company used part of its advertising budget to sponsor the awards.Robert Wilson, "Stirring the polluted mud", Montreal Star, Jan 6, 1970, p. 19. (Includes photo of R.B. Alexander with the White Owl trophy.)Carol Pascoe (Canadian Press), "Conservationists' view: Anti-pollution action growing in business", The Gazette (Montréal), May 24, 1971, p. 7. (Accessed Jan 26, 2026.); "White Owl Awards: People want pollution stopped not advertisement – cigar head", Brandon Sun, May 25, 1971, p. 5. (This article was widely reproduced in Canadian newspapers.)"Nomination General Cigar", La Presse (Montréal), Apr 3, 1969, p. 16. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.); "General Cigar Appointment", The Toronto Star, Apr 7, 1969, p. 14.

In November 1967, General Cigar had introduced new packaging and collectible insert cards for the four varieties of its White Owl brand of cigars. The cards were illustrated by J. Fenwick Lansdowne, an internationally noted painter of Canadian birds, with descriptive texts added by naturalist John Livingstone. During their conversations on environmental matters, Alexander, Lansdowne, and Livingstone had noted "the fact that Canada had no way of recognizing its outstanding conservationists", which led to the creation of the White Owl awards in 1968."Carrefour par Tek: Tout le monde... y passe", Montréal-matin, Sep 18, 1967, p. 5. (Final news item in the column.) (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)Advertisements for White Owl Cigars in The Canadian magazine included with a weekend edition of a number of Canadian newspapers, including The Gazette (Montréal), Nov 11, 1967, pp. 16 & 17."Activités de la General Cigar Co.: Emballages maintenant différents", Le Devoir (Montréal), Aug 17, 1968, p. 14. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)

Robert Alexander left General Cigar as of May 1, 1971, to take up the position of manager of a tobacco wholesaler in Victoria, British Columbia. He was replaced as President of General Cigar by one of its vice-presidents, Edmond Ricard, who became President of Imperial Tobacco Products Ltd. as of March 1, 1972. Ricard held the Imperial Tobacco position in addition to the presidencies of its subsidiaries, General Cigar Co. and Imperial Leaf Tobacco Co."Cigar Chief Quits for Job in Victoria", Victoria Daily Times, May 4, 1971, p. 35 (online p. 38 or 39). (Accessed Jan 26, 2026.)"Old tobacco shop closes doors", The Province (Vancouver), Feb 27, 1971, p. 21."On & Off the Record: ... 'Old Sweats' hold annual reunion", The Gazette (Montréal), Apr 27, 1971, p. 4. (Accessed Jan 26, 2026.)"Edmond Ricard nommé président de l'Impérial Tobacco", L'Action-Québec, Feb 24, 1972, p. 17. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.); "President of Imasco unit named", The Gazette (Montréal), Feb 23, 1972, p. 28. (Accessed Jan 26, 2026.)Imasco Limited, Annual Report 1971, p. 12; "Annual Report 1972", p. 4. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)"Edmond Ricard", Biographies canadiennes-françaises et Who's Who in Québec, 23e édition, 1972–1973, Montréal, 1971 (2e trimestre/Second Quarter), pp. 550–551. (Accessed Jan 14, 2026.)

By 1972, sponsorship of the White Owl Conservation Awards was transferred from General Cigar Company to its parent company, Imperial Tobacco Products Limited, which was renamed Imperial Tobacco Limited in November 1974. This incarnation of Imperial Tobacco was an operating division of Imasco Limited."Bulletin board", Edmonton Journal, Aug 21, 1972, p. 3.Wilf Taylor, "Life in the Outdoors: CWF wins conservation award", Moncton Transcript, Feb 17, 1973, p. 8. (Re: Presentation of previous November.)"White Owl Conservation Awards: A development story", 1973. Dalhousie University Archives, Ecology Action Centre fonds, MS-11-13, Box 31, Folder 5, Imperial Tobacco Environment Program White Owl Conservation Awards. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)Canada Gazette, Part I, Dec 14, 1974, Vol. 108, No. 50, p. 4684, Item 77.

Awards and grants

Achievement awards The first White Owl Conservation Award (1968) was a single honour comprising a trophy and a $5000 prize. It was presented to the individual or organization considered by an independent panel of judges (the Awards Committee) to have "contributed the most" to conservation in Canada. Nominations for the first award opened in March 1968, and it was presented the following December. In the first year, candidates for consideration could be proposed only by members of Outdoor Writers of Canada, who nominated fourteen organizations and one individual. Starting in 1969, nominations could be made by any Canadian.Jean Pagé, "Canne et fusil: Prix de 'conservation' de $5,000", Montréal-matin, Mar 15, 1968, p. 52. (Includes image of trophy.) (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)"Judging Begins for Conservation Award", St. Maurice Valley Chronicle (Trois-Rivières, Quebec), Nov 28, 1968, p. 5. (Accessed Jan 27, 2026.)"First winner of conservation prize", Weston Times, Dec 27, 1968, p. 5. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)

The winner in 1970 was the nominee considered by the Awards Committee to have contributed the most to anti-pollution work and the preservation of the Canadian environment."Conservation Award Committee Named", Alberni Valley Times (Port Alberni, B.C.), Mar 11, 1970, p. 2; Len Shippey, "The Revolving Scene", Montreal Star, Mar 5, 1970, p. 15. The amount of the prize was doubled in 1971 to $. In addition, the specific reference in the criteria to anti-pollution work was dropped, and the phrase "outstanding contribution" came into use near the end of that year alongside the phrase "contributed the most"."La protection de l’environnement peut vous apporter $10,000.00", Le Bulletin de Buckingham, Mar 11, 1971, p. 2. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)"$10,000 Conservation Award Available", The Grand River Sachem (Caledonia, Ontario), Mar 3, 1971, p. 2."Un trophée et $10,000: Le prix de conservation donné à Tony LeSauteur", Le Devoir (Montréal), Nov 4, 1971, p. 13. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)"City man wins ecology award", The Gazette (Montréal), Nov 4, 1971, p. 3."Ecologist LeSauteur awarded $10,000", Montreal Star, Nov 3, 1971, p. 3.Don Thomas, "Herald Outdoors: ... The White Owl ...", Calgary Herald, Feb 26, 1971, p. 33.

Separate awards for groups and individuals were introduced in 1972, with respective prizes of $ and $2000. In 1975, the prize for the individual award was increased to $3000."Deux prix de conservation White Owl", Le Devoir (Montréal), Mar 18, 1972, p. 24. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)"Mon oeil sur Montréal: Encouragement à la conservation", La Presse (Montréal), Feb 10, 1975, p. A9. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)

Television commercial competition In each of 1971 and 1972, the Awards Committee held a competition among post-secondary educational institutions for the production of a television commercial that promoted public participation in the preservation of the environment. All entries became the property of the Committee. The prizes were $1000 for first place, $300 for second place, and $100 each for two honourable mentions.Suesan Alves, "Telespot Competition", Lambda (Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario), Feb 17, 1971, Vol. 9, No. 17, p. 11. (Incorrectly dated online as Feb 7, 1971.) (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)"Message primé sur la pollution", Le Droit (Ottawa), Nov 13, 1971, 'Cahier' 4 : 'Horaire de télévision et de radio', p. 24 (online p. 25). (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)"Westerners win TV spot awards", The Province (Vancouver), Aug 31, 1972, p. 4.

A by year of the specifics of the awards and grants and a separate list by year of the are given below.

Grants In late April 1970, the White Owl Conservation Awards Committee announced the availability of grants of up to $2500 for conservation and anti-pollution projects, with "immediate need" being a key criterion."Grants Offered", Red Deer Advocate, Apr 28, 1970, p. 9; "Conservation Funds Now Available for Projects", St. Catharines Standard, Apr 25, 1970, p. 29. Initially, four grants were made each year in 1970, 1971, and 1972."Le prix 'conservation'", Le Devoir (Montréal), Oct 30, 1970, p. 17. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)Imasco Limited, Annual Report 1971, p. 6. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)"La Fédération canadienne de la faune: Gagnants des prix de conservation ...: D'autres subventions", Montréal-matin, Nov 25, 1972, p. 35. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.) In 1971, the range for the grants was set as $1000 to $2500, with a total allotment of $8000, the latter being an increase from 1970.Don Thomas, "Herald Outdoors: ... The White Owl ... ", Calgary Herald, Feb 26, 1971, p. 33.

Beginning in 1973, the number of annual grants increased. Starting January 1974, the intention was to issue grants "on a near-monthly basis", with amounts under $1000 available."Mon oeil sur Montréal: Environnement: un prix de $10,000", La Presse (Montréal), May 1, 1974, p. F6. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)White Owl Conservation Awards: 1974 (information circular issued by the Awards Committee), Trent University Archives (Peterborough, Ontario), Alternatives fond, Accession No. 88-024, Box 013, File 29, "White Owl Conservation Award, 1972–1976". (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.) Starting February 1975, the Awards Committee could officially give multiple grants to a single group, and a special category of "mini-grants" of up to $500 was introduced for "groups getting started, or for useful, small-scale projects".White Owl Conservation Committee, News, Jan 21, 1975, Vol. 1, No. 10. Trent University Archives (Peterborough, Ontario), Alternatives fond, Accession No. 88–024, Box 013, File 29, "White Owl Conservation Award, 1972–1976". (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.) The sum of $ was allotted for grants in each of 1975 and 1976."Mon oeil sur Montréal: Programme Imperial Tobacco", La Presse (Montréal), Mar 12, 1976, p. D2. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)

A list by year of the is given below.

Name change In March 1976, the name of the White Owl Conservation Awards (and Program) was changed to the Imperial Tobacco Environmental Awards (and Program). Imperial Tobacco gave a number of reasons for the change: To better reflect the company's involvement in the program. To better reflect the wide range of activities for which grants could be given.Imasco Limited, Annual Report 1976 (to March 31), p. 6. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.) To disassociate the awards and grants from the marketing of the White Owl brand of cigars. To demonstrate Imperial Tobacco's "shared concern for the quality of the Canadian environment".Imperial Tobacco, "Special Bulletin: The Imperial Tobacco Environment Program – the same program under a new name", March 10, 1976. Dalhousie University Archives, Ecology Action Centre fonds, MS-11-13, Box 31, Folder 5, Imperial Tobacco Environment Program (White Owl Conservation Awards. (Accessed Jan 11, 2026.)

Summary of awards and grants