fbpx

Ginter

Jan-Udo Wenzel

Thirty years after his death, a mention of the name Ben Ginter still raises hackles across Canada. A man who accomplished much, he also angered many. Newspapers loved him: surrounded by controversy as he was, he always made good copy. As a road builder, he was rumoured to be in cahoots with then Highways Minister “Flying Phil” Gaglardi. As beer baron, he railed against the monopoly practices of the “Big Three” — Labatt, Molson and Carling O’Keefe. As a citizen, he was ready to sue anybody, any time, anywhere. Defended by some, reviled by many, Ginter has left his mark on BC from the pulp mill in Kitimat to highways throughout the Interior to changes in liquor and receivership laws.