Fondation Gaspé Beaubien
Over and above all the achievements that have marked his professional and philanthropic life, Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien always showed a deep love for the members of his family, who were his first passion.
Married to Nan-b for 70 years, he loved and inspired his children, enlarged family, and his grandchildren. He left his mark on the history of Montreal, Quebec and Canada. Director of Operations for Montreal’s World's Fair (Expo 67), President of Télémédia, President of the Canadian Fitness and Sports Council, Founding President of ParticipACTION, Co-President of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, Co-President of the Business Families Foundation.
References
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien's graduation picture, Harvard Business School. Boston (Massachusetts, USA), 1952.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien giving a speech, 1962.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien, mayor of Expo 67, at the board.
Press clipping of Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien and Jean Drapeau, mayor of Montreal, with the Expo 67 model.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien and Queen Elizabeth II during a reception at Rideau Hall, the Governor General's residence in celebration of the Canadian Centennial, Ottawa (Ontario, Canada), [between June 29th and July 5th 1967].
Robert Bourassa, Premier of Quebec, Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien, CEO of Télémédia, and Roch Demers, vice-president of Télémédia during CKAC radio station's 50th anniversary celebration, 1973.
The Right Honorable Jeanne Sauvé, State Minister of Science and Technology, Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Broadcasters Association and CEO of Telemedia, and The Right Honorable Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada), [1973 or 1974].
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien giving a speech upon obtaining an honorary PhD from York University, Toronto (Ontario), 1982.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien on the front page of Report on Business Magazine, A Man and his World: Telemedia's Philippe de Gaspé Beaubien, 1986.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien and the 14th Dalaï-Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, Indonesia, 1992.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien, 5 years old, [ca. 1933]
Raymond de Tremblay and Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien, at 18 years old, paddling their way from Montreal to New York, June 19th, 1946.
Nan-b and Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien during their wedding reception in Boston (Massachusetts, USA), January 28th 1956.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien with his children Philippe III, François and Nanon.
François et Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien at Expo 67's site, ca. 1966.
Nan-b, Nanon, Philippe II and Philippe III de Gaspé Beaubien on a family trip in Africa, 1989.
Philippe II and Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien at their Westmount residence, 90's.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien and his grandson, Philippe IV. 1997.
The de Gaspé Beaubien family at their family Manor. From left to right, 1st row: Tatianna and Aidan de Gaspé Beaubien-Mattrick. 2nd row: Nanette, Philippe IV and Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien, Nanon de Gaspé Beaubien-Mattrick, Philippe III, Philippe II and François de Gaspé Beaubien, 1998.
Nan-b and Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien, 1998.
Philippe II and Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at the Manor, 2006.
Philippe II and Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien with all their grandchildren. From left to right: Tatianna, Estelle, Arielle, Louis-Alexandre, Aidan et Philippe IV.
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien and his granddaughter Arielle, 2012.
"I love my Quebec. I love my family and my extended family. I'd like to help them. I've been through a lot of the problems they're facing now. My advice to them is:

Never give up. You're capable. You have the strength within yourselves to deal with the problems you face. Don't give up!”
Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien 
Following the huge success of Expo 67, in 1968, he took over the management of Télémédia and, until 2000, developed a media conglomerate comprising 26 radio stations, 17 magazines and 24 weekly newspapers in both official languages across Canada. He also founded and chaired ParticipACTION.

Philanthropist

Philippe and Nan-b created the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation in 1990 and launched the Institute for Family Enterprise, which later became the Business Families Foundation. They developed business centres that offered training across Canada and then worldwide. In 2012, they joined their grandchildren in creating AquaAction, whose mission is to protect freshwater in North America and to ensure that it is accessible, clean and abundant, thanks to talented young entrepreneurs.

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Testimonials

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My deepest heartfelt condolences to the family and those fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to have met him. Lucky were those who experienced his devotion and love to his family and his country. For over 3 decades I have seen the family grow through my camera lens and what always stood out was his ability to read everything important in the room. Just a glance away most importantly, was Nan-B. She was ink to his quill, and he, paper to her ink. A love letter and bond like no other.

Asbed Palakian

Our warmest condolences to you Nan-b and to your family for this big loss. I identify with Philippe living a spiritual life, and his passion for his family. Joseph and Natalie

Joseph Ribkoff

Philippe II exemplified passion, purpose, elegance and integrity. An astonishing intellect and visionary, he valued people from every walk of life and was generous in all the ways that matter. Expo 67 brought the world to Montreal and showcased Canada to the world. It was a magical time and so poignant as we come together with Canadian pride. An era is over with his passing. My heartfelt condolences to the de Gaspé Beaubien family - his greatest love.

Inez Jabalpurwala

My deepest condolences to Nan-b, Philippe and François and the entire family in your sadness and grief. May you always cherish your memories and reflections of the many exciting and impressive chapters in his life and your good times together. I have fond memories of working with him and Nan-B in Davos in supporting the great work of the Institute for Family Enterprise. May he rest in peace and may his memory always be a blessing.

Andrew Lindsay

I had the great honour of working with the extraordinary de Gaspé Beaubien family and their future-forward foundation. I was inspired by their tremendous energy, indomitable entrepreneurial spirit and deep commitment to protecting Canada’s freshwater. My heartfelt condolences to the de Gaspé Beaubien family who I have no doubt will carry on Philippe II’s immense legacy - of entrepreneurship and environmental stewardship - for generations to come..

Désirée McGraw

Dear Nan-b, Francois, and the wonderful de Gaspé Beaubien family, Please accept my deepest condolences. Monsieur's visionary spirit, generosity, and devotion to both family and community left a lasting impact on all who knew him. I will miss him deeply, he inspired, and continues to inspire, us all. His legacy of kindness and leadership will live on in our nation's history. It lives in you. Wishing you peace and comfort during this difficult time. With heartfelt sympathy, Soula

Soula Chronopoulos

Dear Nan b ,de Gaspe , Nannette and family . Please accept my deepest condolences. His goodwill and determination has been an inspiration to all of us. His lessons will continue for generations to come. His legacy will live on though all of his family and every Canadian he has touched. He will forever be remembered as one of Canadas great visionaries

Steven Carroll

References

Press release – Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien passed away

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Obituary – Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien – 1928 – 2025

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The story of Philippe II and Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien

Watch the biography (50-minutes documentary)

Tribute to Philippe II de Gaspé Beaubien

See the video (password: Hommage)

Photos

Download

De Gaspé Beaubien Museum

Link to the de Gaspé Beaubien Museum section

AquaAction

Link to the AquaAction website