Supporting sport

Canadian Tire Corporation is involved in nine partnerships supporting a multitude of sports associations across Canada

Richard Reinders is the franchise owner of Cranbrook's Canadian Tire store. — Marie Milner photo

Richard Reinders, franchise owner of the Cranbrook Canadian Tire store since 1998, tries to keep his business life and his personal life in balance.

“I can completely separate myself from the business when I go on holidays,” he said, “but if there’s a particular problem going on while I’m at work, I do sometimes lose sleep over it until it’s resolved.”

Reinders is proud of the recent announcement that Canadian Tire Corporation, Ltd.—along with its subsidiaries Sport Chek, Sports Experts and others—has committed to provide support for the Canadian Olympic team for the next eight years.

That’s a win for everyone involved. Athletes will receive financial support—including employment—and the involved stores will have a healthy market share in sports equipment and Olympics-related specialty items. Merchandise bearing the Olympics logo are hot items, especially in the period preceding the event.

Along with the power of sport, Reinders believes in the power of education.

“That’s where change begins,” Reinders said. “If I had a superhero’s power, I’d like to instigate a society where children would learn to be more kind and respectful of others and more responsible in their behaviour. Then as adults, we’d have a society worth leaving to our children.”

Reinders said that he’d prefer to exercise his power from behind the scenes, though, as he doesn’t at all enjoy the limelight.

Canadian Tire has approximately 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets across Canada, and employs almost 85,000 people.