Canada Life and the Health Sciences Foundation Celebrate 39 Years of Giving
Published Monday, March 2, 2026
A $100,000 cheque presentation at the Health Sciences Foundation for cardiac services from Canada Life (formerly London Life) in 2011. (From left to right) Dan Bissonnette, Tom Mihaljevic (Canada Life Thunder Bay), Bob Zanni Sr., Peter Bruni Sr., Mark Bruzzese (Committee Chair), Ed Rigato, John Adams, Lisa Stein (former Cardiac Services Director), Dallas Pedri, Michael Rigato (SVP Canada Life), Jim Cava, and Ab Cava.
Cardiac, the heart, but just the start of a long, sustainable relationship
What a legacy! Not only has the Canada Life Cava Memorial Golf Tournament withstood the test of time, it sparked a remarkable relationship of giving. Canada Life donated over $400,000 in the last 39 years to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, including to the Our Hearts at Home Campaign for Cardiovascular Surgery.
The Canada Life Cava Memorial Golf Tournament started as many community events do: people coming together in the face of tragic loss to do some good in honour of a loved one. After Frank Cava passed away from a heart attack in 1986, family, friends, and co-workers from Dominion Motors launched the golf tournament in his name to raise funds for local and regional cardiac services.
Mike Rigato, VP Advanced Advisor Practices at Canada Life, played in the first-ever Frank Cava Memorial Golf Tournament in 1987. At the time, he worked in the Thunder Bay office of London Life – now known as Canada Life – and the company supported the tournament from the start.
“It's a core belief of ours that we support the communities where we live and work,” Rigato said, adding that Canada Life gives 1% of its pre-tax income to local charities. “The Foundation's Mission and Values clearly align with ours. We want to make a difference in those communities. In Thunder Bay, supporting local healthcare makes a huge difference, so people don't have to travel.”
Jen MacRae, Senior Program Manager, Community Relations at Canada Life, agreed. She used the example of cardiac care and the new CVS Program coming to Thunder Bay.
“Health is one of our top priorities as a company,” MacRae said. For her, closer-to-home care is a particular focus. “We want to be able to support cardiac care in the North and bring that expertise to a regional hospital like Thunder Bay's, so patients travel less. That makes cardiac care far more accessible to everyone. And it's not just cardiac, but all areas of healthcare.”
In fact, Thunder Bay might see its future in London's story. Not too long ago, London-area residents would routinely travel down Highway 401 for healthcare in Toronto. Today, London itself is a healthcare hub for southwestern Ontario, providing care to patients from across the province – including Thunder Bay. Once the Cardiovascular Surgery (CVS) Program opens at the Hospital, Thunder Bay will also be a cardiovascular hub for the region. These are the types of programs Canada Life loves to support.
In Thunder Bay, that support began with the Frank Cava Memorial Golf Tournament. Today, the tournament also celebrates Ab Cava and Jim Cava – Frank's brothers – who have since passed.
“It's more than a golf tournament,” said Rory Cava, Ab's son. “It's a relationship we have between the Foundation and Canada Life.”
It's also a family reunion of sorts. Cava estimates that up to a third of the tournament's golfers are from out of town, planning their summer trips home around the tournament. After all this time, there have been some changes…
“As Canada Life has grown and evolved over the years, so has our event,”
Cava said, adding that he hopes the next generations at Canada Life will carry on that spirit of community giving. “Now, we're welcoming our fourth generation of participants. That's something we can really be proud of.”
MacRae agreed, noting that many people in the community come together to help make the Cava Memorial Golf Tournament happen. “Part of what makes the tournament special is that there's an ongoing commitment from the volunteers over the years as well as Canada Life,” she said. “This is a relationship that's deeply rooted in the community.”
Over the years, Canada Life has become one of the top benefactors of the Health Sciences Foundation. Cardiac care has often been the focus over the years, but Canada Life supported many other areas of healthcare when needed. These include the Exceptional Cancer Care Campaign, support for the Ibn Sina Simulation Lab, and the construction of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre itself, which opened in 2004.
As that strong relationship evolved, it enabled the tournament to support other local organizations including the Boys and Girls Club, the George Jeffery Children's Foundation, and many other community-based charities. This wouldn't have happened without Canada Life, the Health Sciences Foundation, and the tournament committee all working together.
But for Rigato and Cava, cardiac hits closest to home. Almost everyone on the golf tournament committee has experienced the effects of a cardiac event, either personally or through a loved one.
“I vividly recall being in town and going on a tour of the second Cath Lab, which we had supported,” Rigato said. “We walked through with these 75-, 80-year-old gentlemen who had been supporting cardiac care for over 20 years at that point. You could see it on their faces – they had this immense pride that we were able to help bring a world-class Cath Lab to Thunder Bay. It was an intensely meaningful moment and almost unbelievable for them.”
Now, another 15 years on, we're on the verge of bringing full cardiovascular surgery services to Thunder Bay, also thanks in part to Canada Life. We can only imagine the pride they'd all be feeling today.
Article by Graham Strong