As a special feature in this edition, we’re delighted to introduce Legend’s Corner, a space dedicated to celebrating the remarkable Canadians in our midst, beginning with Barry F. Lorenzetti, who, in turn, takes up the pen to engage inspiring voices in thoughtful conversation, as you keep scrolling…
As founder, chairman and controlling shareholder of BFL CANADA, Barry F. Lorenzetti helms a business enterprise with scale and staying power.
He spent his career shaping ventures in insurance, media, hospitality, and entertainment, sectors that reflect a range of pursuits, including his passion for the arts under the Lorenzetti Group.
But what speaks most to his heart is his family, including his wife of 10 years, Carine Watier, as well as his three children, Maggie, Justin, and Jenna, and the philanthropic accomplishments that his family foundation has realized over the years.
So when the conversation turns to what Lorenzetti considers truly lasting, it’s no surprise that he doesn’t talk business. He talks about his uncle Arthur.
Lorenzetti describes childhood memories of Friday nights at the family dinner table with his uncle Arthur, a Second World War veteran who served with the Canadian contingent that helped liberate Holland.
“Uncle Art didn’t have much,” says Lorenzetti. “He dressed modestly and lived modestly. My mother, who was his sister, took care of him and she would always make excuses for his behaviour. The language available then was limited, and she used the term ‘shell-shocked’, a common euphemism used before post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was diagnosed and understood.
“He was a hero,” Lorenzetti continues. “But he lived with trauma.”
Like so many others who paid the long tail cost of selfless service to King and Country, Arthur eventually took his own life.
Lorenzetti carried the loss with him, along with a responsibility to honour his uncle’s memory. “It took me time to understand it all. My mother had been very protective.”
“But I always said, if ever I became a man of means, I would create a foundation that focused on veterans and PTSD.”
In 2015, that personal promise manifested itself in the creation of the Barry F. Lorenzetti Foundation. Today, the Foundation’s mission has expanded its reach in support of a variety of programs surrounding mental health, while staying true to Lorenzetti’s original commitment.
His eldest daughter, Dr. Maggie Lorenzetti Dorfman, a clinical neuropsychologist, leads the Foundation’s family mission, which, in addition to veterans, also supports mental health care programs for youth and young adults, a bereavement program for families who have lost a child, as well as psychiatric services, all throughout various major Montreal institutions.
“Our Foundation supports clinical care, where immediate needs are addressed and the funding goes to work immediately,” Lorenzetti emphasizes. “No research funding, just real-world care.”
He also knows how to enjoy the life he has built. His car collection, housed in a showroom in Knowlton, includes luxury brands alongside other collectibles prized not for their market value, but for sentimental reasons.
Barry’s garage is more than a curated collection of cars; it’s a gallery of defining moments and memories, rooted in passion, family, friend-ship, and time shared in good company.
Whether spending time in the Eastern Town-ships, in Florida, or in Napa Valley, Lorenzetti has come to appreciate that a life well-lived, spending time with family and friends, and a glass of wine with a fine cigar in the right company are both a privilege and a reward.
While he’d never call himself a legend, there is something quietly epic about the leisure life Lorenzetti leads, and he is often considered by those closest to him as something of a renaissance man. His contributions to business and philanthropy have earned him the Order of Montreal (2021) and, most recently, the Order of Canada (2025).
Such accolades never overshadow his seriousness of purpose, but rather mirror Lorenzetti’s worldview that success means little unless matched by the conviction to make a difference.
“I’m the eternal optimist,” he chuckles with good-natured self-awareness.
“I believe that with the right kind of leadership, the world around us can mature and move forward in harmony.”
