Hiram Walker built what is still the largest distillery in North America in Walkerville, Ont., now a part of Windsor, Ont. Walker’s whiskey empire was sold in the 1930s and again in the late 1970s, but the City of Windsor, which incorporated Walkerville, is still grateful and is raising funds for a large statute of the entrepreneur that will sit across from his former offices.
Pernod Ricard and Beam Suntory are both successors to part of Walker’s liquor business and each donated $5,000 to the statute project, bringing total funds raised to $145,000. The city hopes to cover a significant part of the $400,000 cost of the project.