David Caplan

Former provincial Infrastructure and Health Minister David Caplan died last week after a “tragic fire accident” in his north Toronto home, according to his family.

Caplan was responsible for leading the modernization of the province's infrastructure and planning for future population and economic growth. He released a long-term $30 billion plus infrastructure investment strategy called ReNew Ontario, which used a private financing model expanding and building new hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, and transit and transportation systems.

“It’s his legacy,” said Clive Thurston, President of the Ontario General Contractors Association. “It had never existed before. To his credit he reached out to the industry and asked us to work with him…to play a significant role in setting up the whole ministry. It was a lot of work and he took it from its infancy to what we see today.”