Gordon Edward KAISER

1944 - 2024

Gordon Kaiser passed away peacefully on May 16, 2024, surrounded by his family, at Mt. Sinai Hospital following a brief illness. Gordon is survived by his loving spouse of 18 years, Charlene Bain, who stood by him through triumphs and challenges, sharing in his joys and supporting him through his endeavours. Gordon's remarkable spirit, intellect, and generosity opened her world and provided their lives together with endless opportunities and unforgettable experiences. Gordon is also mourned by his five children: Christine (Chris Bentley), Kelly (Kevin Bean), Gordon Jr. and their mother Terry, and Jennifer (Alen Sadeh) and Colleen and their mother Sandra. Gordon took extraordinary pride in the achievements of his children and provided them with unwavering support. The Kaiser Kids are grateful to Charlene for the important role she played in nurturing Gordon's relationships with his family, fostering a loving environment that Gordon treasured. Gordon was over the moon about his three grandchildren: Wesley Bean (15), Emerson Bean (13), and Bennett Sadeh (7 months). Gramps loved being in their company, whether cheering on Wes and Emmy at one of their hockey games or cooing with baby Bennett. Gordon also leaves behind his brother, Ken Kaiser (Helen), of Vancouver. Born in Victoria on March 9, 1944, to Ted and Laura (née Vereecken), Gordon spent his early years growing up in numerous cities across Canada before entering St Michael's College at the University of Toronto in 1963, where he completed his undergraduate degree in economics, and Queen's University in 1966, where he obtained his law degree and a Master of Economics. To pay for school he worked as a porter for CN Rail and prided himself on being able to survive an entire shift on a single OH Henry! candy bar. After his family, Gordon's passion was his work. He began his career at Gowlings law firm where he joined as a partner after being recruited by Gordon Henderson. Over his legal career, Gordon appeared in the courts of five provinces as well as the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Gordon was also a bold entrepreneur, pushing innovation in the early days of the telecommunications industry. In the early 1990s he bought a fledgling subsidiary of telecom giant Nokia and built a California-based paging company, CUE, which represented the largest American FM subcarrier network at the peak of the paging industry. In the last few decades, Gordon's work focused on energy policy, law, and arbitration. He was especially passionate about protecting the public interest. As Vice Chair of the Ontario Energy Board, Gordon's dissenting opinion in an April 2007 hearing on the jurisdiction of the Board in setting low-income energy rates was a major factor in overturning the ruling and helped lead to the establishment of programs which keep electricity costs down for low-income households. Gordon brought this philosophy of law that promoted, above all, fairness, to his role as Alberta's Market Surveillance Administrator. He came to this public service role at a pivotal time and fearlessly advocated to ensure Alberta's restructured market benefited from competition. In recent years, Gordon was increasingly concerned about climate change and his work focused on energy regulation in the context of low-carbon transitions. Through his pivotal role initiating and sustaining the CAMPUT Energy Regulation Course, Gordon was responsible for educating a generation of regulators. He served as an Adjunct Professor at Queens University, the University of Toronto and the Osgoode Hall Law School. Along with Bob Heggie, he founded and co-chaired the Canadian Energy Law Forum, was a founding editor of the Energy Regulation Quarterly and authored eight books. Gordon's generosity often extended to his students and colleagues; growing up his kids never knew how many would turn up for dinner. Gordon's larger than life personality extended to every facet of his life. He enjoyed a good meal with good friends. When he wasn't working, he was happiest playing tennis at Cottingham or the Badminton and Racquet Club or bringing people together at the National Club where he was a member for more than 27 years. For many years, he was an involved member of the Beaches community and was often seen walking the boardwalk with his three standard poodles Jack, Charlie and Max. More recently he enjoyed a glass of wine on his deck on Marlborough listening to the CP train pass through, spending time at his beloved cottage in Cap-Brûlé, New Brunswick, and vacationing in Palm Springs. Gordon was a devout Catholic and his faith inspired his generosity. For those wishing to honour Gordon, donations may be made to the Saint Elizabeth Foundation (foundation.sehc.com), which Gordon served on the Board and supported for many years. His family wishes to thank the staff of Team C of 12 South at Mt. Sinai Hospital for the exceptional care they gave to Gordon. Gordon's family will remember him at a private funeral mass and invite friends and colleagues to celebrate his life at the National Club, 303 Bay Street, Toronto, on June 6th, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.