Sir Christopher Ondaatje, FRCGS (1933–2026)
Sir Christopher Ondaatje, businessman, philanthropist, explorer, author and Olympian, died on July 20, 2026, at the age of 93. His remarkable life carried him from British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to Canada, where he rebuilt his family’s lost fortune before devoting his later years to exploration, writing and philanthropy. His generosity transformed cultural institutions across Canada and Britain, while his adventurous spirit earned him recognition as one of Canada’s foremost modern explorers.
Born in Kandy, Ceylon on February 22, 1933, Ondaatje was sent to England as a child and educated at Blundell’s School in Tiverton. Following the collapse of his family’s fortunes and the death of his father, he set out to rebuild their legacy. In 1956, at age 23, he arrived in Toronto with just £10 in his pocket.
He quickly established himself in Canada’s financial world, becoming a founding partner of Loewen, Ondaatje, McCutcheon & Co., Canada’s first institutional brokerage firm, before building the publishing and investment company Pagurian Corporation. By the late 1980s he had amassed a considerable fortune, but chose to leave business behind to pursue his lifelong passion for exploration.
“I don’t want to die with financier written on my gravestone,” he once said, believing that philanthropy and exploration would become his greatest achievements.
Inspired by the Victorian explorer Sir Richard Burton, Ondaatje spent decades retracing Burton’s expeditions through Africa and the Indian subcontinent, documenting his journeys in acclaimed books including Journey to the Source of the Nile, Sindh Revisited, Hemingway in Africa, Woolf in Ceylon, The Man-Eater of Punanai, and his memoir The Last Colonial. He regarded tracing the Semliki River to Lake Albert in central Africa as the pinnacle of his exploratory career.
Earlier in life, he had represented Canada at the 1964 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck as a member of the Canadian bobsleigh team.
His philanthropy reflected the breadth of his interests. His gifts supported institutions including
the National Portrait Gallery and Royal Geographical Society in London, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the National Ballet School of Canada, Massey College at the University of Toronto and numerous literary, educational and cultural organizations throughout the Commonwealth.
Among the organizations closest to his heart was the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. An Honorary Fellow of the Society, Ondaatje received the Gold Medal — its highest honour — in 2013. That same year, the Society established the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration, awarded annually to Canadians who exemplify excellence in exploration.
“Sir Christopher was an important advocate for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and his support came at a critical time in the life of the Society,” says John Geiger, CEO of the RCGS. “Others will write about his many accomplishments, but it’s not an overstatement to say that the Royal Canadian Geographical Society might not exist today, at least in its current form, without his advice, faith and example of leadership.”
Geiger adds Ondaatje’s legacy will continue to inspire future generations, “I am proud that his
name, like that of another great Canadian, Alex Trebek, will always be prominent in the RCGS.”
In 2019, shortly after moving into its new Ottawa headquarters at 50 Sussex Drive, the Society
opened the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Reading Room, a comfortable, private library for the use of
Fellows and friends. The Reading Room is being renewed this year and is scheduled to reopen
in the fall of 2026.
The art deco space will reflect the places and expeditions that shaped Ondaatje’s life, incorporating elements from Asia, Canada, the United Kingdom and Africa. The library features a tucked away Hemingway bar to celebrate one of his best-known books. When visitors look up at the ceiling, they will see a constellation of lights in the shape of the astrological sign of Ondaatje’s birth.
Appointed to the Order of Canada in 2000 in 1992, Ondaatje received many honours throughout his life, yet remained driven less by recognition than by curiosity.
Although often mentioned alongside his younger brother, Booker Prize-winning novelist Michael
Ondaatje, Sir Christopher established a legacy entirely his own — as financier, explorer, author
and philanthropist whose influence will endure through the institutions, explorers and readers he
inspired.
Sir Christopher Ondaatje is survived by his wife, Valda, and their three children. The Society has lowered the flag above its headquarters in his honour.
