Originally Published: 2010-07-18

Canada has never been the same since its super immigrant Frank Stronach, a lowly young Austrian tool and die maker, immigrated in 1954 and made Aurora into the capital of a worldwide auto parts empire extending to Europe, Asia and South America.
I met Frank at his Toronto restaurant in the late seventies, introduced by his long time lieutenant – a fellow 905er, Dennis Mills. At that time we were both in the Prime Minister’s Office. I was assistant Press secretary to prime Minster Trudeau and Dennis was getting his feet wet in politics as a communications advisor.
I left in no doubt that Frank, despite a then thick Austrian accent, was a force to be reckoned with. He explained enthusiastically – with diagrams he sketched – his vision of fair enterprise in which each employee would be a shareholder in his growing network of smaller plants making car parts. His strategy became hugely successful. And it was centered in operations based in the 905. When he gave an unprecedented $8 million to Southlake Hospital in Newmarket to build a cancer centre he said he did it for the 12,000 employees he employed in its catchment area.
Dennis who went on in 2004 to become a respected and endlessly innovative Member of Parliament, returned to become Chairman of MI Developments Inc., Vice Chairman of Magna Entertainment Corp., and Executive Vice President of Magna International Inc.
But in some ways he also served as Frank’s idea man persuading him, for instance, to build a whole new community from the ground up in Louisiana for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Magna Entertainment has been no gift for Dennis. What was originally an outlet for Frank’s love of thoroughbred horses has turned into a chain of racetracks in the United States, which has not been a success.
The basic auto parts empire remains an ever-growing, ever-changing story. It has survived the recession and continues to employ thousands – few 905’ers do not know someone who has worked at one time or another for Magna. And it has provided the first good job for many many immigrants in the region.

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