Allan Stephen BLOTT

ALLAN STEPHEN BLOTT K.C. A legend On November 13, 2022, Allan Stephen Blott, K.C., passed away peacefully at home in Toronto, surrounded by family and friends, at the age of 81. Allan led an impactful life full of deep purpose, joy, humor, and caring. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan on April 8, 1941; he was a force of nature, and a beacon for older brother, Arthur, and younger brother, Terry. He excelled in academics and athletics, completing his law degree at the University of Saskatchewan at the young age of 22, while playing for both the varsity football and hockey teams. Many of Allan's friends knew of his love of sports and music - including his proficiency on the accordion - and wonderful sense of humor, on full display until the very end. Allan is survived by his wife of 56 years, Catherine, known lovingly as Kit to most, and as Slim only to him - a nickname he gave her when they met. Allan and Kit were introduced at a National Conservative Party Convention in Ottawa. He represented Saskatchewan and she organized the event as the party's national youth director while working for former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. John Diefenbaker, also from Saskatchewan. The Rt. Hon. Joe Clark knew them both well and organized a lunch for them to meet. He thought they would get along. They hated each other immediately. He was brash, she was not. Personal feelings aside, they had to work together and within a week, Allan had proposed marriage. Once he successfully braved the gauntlet of friends and family in Metis Beach later that summer, Kit said yes. Allan had great fun with his numerous friends, playing tennis, golf, skiing, squash, celebrating whatever and wherever, always leaving time to talk about all of their kids' activities. The consummate connector, and a wonderful storyteller, Allan spent time with friends and family at Rosedale Golf Club, The Granite Club, Thornhill Club, Georgian Peaks, and loved his time in Florida - first at John's Island Vero Beach and later in Marco Island, with decades of summers in Metis-sur-Mer, Quebec. Allan cherished his prairie upbringing, but he knew the world wasn't flat. Allan graduated with a BA/LLB in 1964 and was admitted to the Saskatchewan bar in 1965, becoming an Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Regina for two years, where he was awarded the prestigious Arthur J. Moxon Scholarship and the C.M.H.C. Fellowship for graduate studies abroad. He seized the opportunity and graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, with a Master of Laws degree and was subsequently called to the Ontario bar in 1968. He then joined a major Canadian law firm in Toronto called Thompson Rogers, and helped in establishing their municipal law litigation practice. Allan practiced law in Toronto for the next 59 years and had well over 100 active cases at the time of his death. A life-long fighter for the underdog and the disadvantaged, he would spend his career fighting for what's right, repeatedly and successfully taking on large, entrenched interests, regardless of whether they were corporate, institutional, or government, frequently against long and difficult odds. In 1974, he founded his own firm, specializing in the fields of Litigation, Expropriation, Environmental, Land Development, and Municipal Planning. He was responsible for setting at least a dozen case law precedents. The magazine Toronto Life profiled him in a 1986 cover article titled "Who's in Charge at City Hall?" wherein then city counselor Jack Layton sarcastically invited Allan to take his seat in the Mayor's chair "because he's running the city anyway". Allan's work to rezone the waterfront helped lead to the Toronto skyline we have today. Allan was most proud of facilitating the development of many groundbreaking and well known Toronto projects during the 1980s, including World Trade Centre, Ten Queens Quay, Yorkville Hazleton Lanes, Sporting Life and Yonge and Shephard. Passionate about making an impact on his community, and a life-long Conservative Party activist, he rose to the position of Youth President, Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, joining both the Provincial Executive Committee and the Federal Executive Committee in Ottawa in 1966 at an exciting time of leadership transition. A fierce believer in the value of public service and participating "in the arena", he held deep respect for and maintained wonderful friendships with public service-minded people across the political spectrum, and across the world. He was extremely proud of his "Arkansas Traveler Award", presented to him personally by President Bill Clinton for his contributions to economic development. Allan was a significant contributor in business, politics and legal fields and was the youngest Ontario Queen's Counsel (Q.C.) (now King's Counsel) ever appointed. Survived by his loving wife, Kit; sons, Patrick Allan (Seema) of New York, Andrew (Karen), and Michael (Laura) of Toronto; and 8 grandchildren, Amelia, Georgia, Harrison, Conrad, Bronwyn, Addison, Ainsley, and Alina. And, of course, his beloved fur babies, Tucker, Oscar and Lizzie. Pre-decreased by his mother, Mary Blott; father, James (Jim) Blott; older brother, Art Blott; father-in-law, Group Captain Franklin "Sammy" Sampson; and mother-in-law, Catherine "Kay" Bate Sampson. Please join us for a service at The Cathedral Church of St. James to be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, December 5, followed by a reception at the Albany Club of Toronto (where Allan was the longest serving member!) at 2 p.m. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made in Allan's name to The Cathedral Church of St. James: https://stjamescathedral.ca/donate/give online/tribute-memorial-offerings/ Or donations can be made in Allan's name to a variety of causes he supported at app.Wshingwell.com. Sign in, and select The Blott Family.