John Richard JASON

JOHN RICHARD JASONOn June 16, 2019, John passed away at the Algonquin Grace Hospice in Huntsville, peacefully in his wife's arms, at the age of 61 after a valiant battle with cancer. Beloved husband and best friend to Sarah (Boughen) and cherished superhero father to Emily, Noah and Gabriel. Son-in-law of Elizabeth Boughen, brother-in-law to Shaun, Elissa, Brett. Uncle to Sky, Kohana, Michael. John was predeceased by his parents Richard and Beatrice and brother Rob. Born in Montreal, John received his B.Comm from McGill University then moved on to achieve his MBA at Ohio University, followed by his LLB at Osgoode Hall. John was widely regarded as a leader in regulatory law across all sectors of the financial services industry, acting for financial institutions, regulators and regulatory agencies and advising on many of the most significant developments affecting the financial services sector that spanned over 30 years. John had an exceptional career in law and achieved the position of counsel or partner at some of Canada's leading law firms. John's interests took him outside the pure practice of law to become the Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Global Compliance Officer of the Bank of Montreal, while his entrepreneurial pursuits saw him become President and Founder of the Canada Compliance Group. John also had numerous public policy pursuits including Chief of Policy Development and Implementation for the legislative reform task force at the Canadian Department of Finance, and serving as a member of both the OSFI External Adviser Committee and the Department of Finance AML Advisory Committee. John authored many commentaries and blog posts on the financial services sector and has been quoted in articles appearing in the Globe & Mail, National Post, Canadian Lawyer and other leading legal and business publications. In addition, John was a frequent presenter at industry conferences and was a highly respected public speaker, known to bring clarity to complex issues. John also made time for guest lecturing at Osgoode Hall. The legal and regulatory community will miss John and feel his loss. Outside of work, John's greatest love was spending time with his family at their home on Lake of Bays. A lifelong skier, John went on to become a Level III CSIA instructor. John met his wife at Hidden Valley ski club and together they raised their family enjoying many days skiing at the club. John loved spending time with his family on the dock and on the water, bbq'ing and enjoying California reds and his favourite, the Bee Gees. Despite the pressures of his career, John chose to live his private life quietly away from the city. He revelled in the beauty of Muskoka and the peaceful sanctuary he and his wife created for themselves and their children. He derived great pleasure from watching his kids at their skiing competitions, baseball, dirt biking and many other activities. He loved to travel to ski or escape to the tropics. In spite of his illness and treatment over the past 11 months, John continued to travel. A highlight was an incredible sailing trip in the Grenadines where he was the most relaxed and happiest his family had ever seen him. John was inspirational; a leader and mentor, impacting many lives through his professional associations and as a father. He was dedicated to his career, yet managed to achieve that rare work/life balance, making time to be fully involved in his children's lives. John's greatest sadness in being diagnosed with cancer was the knowledge he would not live to see his children grow into the amazing adults he was guiding them to become. In the past year, despite the challenges of living with cancer, he got on with living, never complaining and remaining incredibly optimistic. John leaves behind saddened colleagues and a heartbroken family. He was a good man and the gifts he gave his children will live on in them. He was so loved and he will be so incredibly deeply missed. A celebration of John's life will be held at 2 p.m., August 11th at the Grandview O'Meara Golf Club in Huntsville. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Algonquin Grace Hospice, Huntsville to support their compassionate work. Online condolences may be left at www.torrancefuneralhome.com