Loffreda awarded Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal

By Robert Frank, October 10th, 2012

Westmount resident Tony Loffreda received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal during a ceremony in Ottawa, Sept. 26.
Sen. Noël Kinsella officially presented the medal during a ceremony in the Senate chamber on Parliament Hill. Senators Leo Housakos and Larry Smith were also on hand for the occasion.
Loffreda earned the distinction for his exemplary support for humanitarian causes. He is best known for his leadership in fundraising for the Montreal Cancer Institute, the Jewish General Hospital and the Kidney Foundation.
However the head of Royal Bank’s commercial financial services for Western Quebec and head of the national client group, was given the name “The Rainmaker” by Suburban editor Beryl Wajsman in a profile written last December for Loffreda’s ability to help raise millions of dollars for a much wider range of worthy causes.
“There are never enough hours, but it’s important,” Loffreda told The Suburban in that story, that highlighted his philanthropy. He was remarking on a fundraiser organized by the Garceau Foundation and Wajsman’s Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal, to help brain-injured Canadian soldiers who had served in Afghanistan.
Loffreda, who refers to himself as “just a kid from Ahuntsic”, is also a strong supporter of Montreal International, the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec and the John Molson School of Business.
Canada minted the Diamond Jubilee Medal to mark the 60th year of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, as a way to recognize people who have made a significant contribution to Canadians.
“In granting you this honour,” wrote Governor General David Johnston wrote in a letter congratulating Loffreda, “I thank you for your dedicated service to your peers, to your community and to Canada.”
“The contributions you have made to our nation are most commendable and deserve our praise and admiration.”n