Daniel STOFFMAN

DANIEL STOFFMAN 1945-2023 Daniel Paul Stoffman, writer, journalist, translator, wit, cocktail mixologist, Blue Jays fan, left us too soon. He died on July 3, at Vancouver General Hospital at 78, of pneumonia, after a struggle with Lewy Body disease. He was the eldest child of Dr. Isaac Stoffman, a Vancouver GP, and Freda Stoffman, a poet who encouraged his literary bent. As a boy, he was an all-star catcher in Little League and developed a love of newspapers (and horses) as the only teenager on his street with a subscription to the Daily Racing Form, a gift from his New York uncle who was that paper's publisher. At the University of British Columbia, he became editor of the student newspaper, The Ubyssey. There he met his wife, Judy Bing, who shared his love of print and of travel. At 17, Daniel had spent a year in London working in a pub; within a short time he was put in charge of the place when the owner noticed that he was the only employee who didn't fiddle the till. After UBC, he returned to London and took a master's degree at the London School of Economics, before returning to Canada where he went to work for the Toronto Star as a film critic and eventually, national reporter. He wrote 13 books, including business histories of McCain Foods, Barrick Gold, Boston Pizza, Cadillac Fairview, Canadian Tire, and articles and books about public policy such as Who Gets In, which grew out of his research as an Atkinson fellow. His best known book was a lively analysis of Canadian demographics Boom Bust and Echo, co-authored with economist David Foot. In 1996, it topped the Globe's non-fiction best seller list for the year. Daniel Stoffman is survived by his wife, Judy; daughter, Nicole; son, Jacob; a sister, Phyllis Ruth; and brother, Larry Stoffman (Connie Broatch); nephews, Eli Stoffman and Joshua Shames; and nieces, Zaria Stoffman and Solaye Snider. Donations in Daniel's memory may be made to PEN Canada or the Committee to Protect Journalists.