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Walter Schroeder selected to receive the 2022 International Horatio Alger Award


Recipient to be honoured at Washington, D.C. ceremony in April 2022 –

MONTREAL, QUEBEC – Walter Schroeder, Founder of DBRS Limited, has been chosen to receive the International Horatio Alger Award in 2022, the Horatio Alger Association of Canada announced today.

The International Horatio Alger Award is presented each year by the Washington, D.C.-based Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Inc. It is awarded to contemporary role models whose experiences exemplify that opportunities for a successful life are available to all individuals dedicated to the principles of integrity, hard work, perseverance and compassion for others. Recipients of the Award become lifelong members of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada and its American affiliate and serve as role models for its young scholarship recipients.

“This year, we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of our Association, and we can think of no better way to enter our second decade than by inducting this outstanding individual into our ranks,” said Prem Watsa, President of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada. “Walter Schroeder exemplifies the can-do attitude that our Association celebrates, and we have no doubt that he will serve as a great role model for our Scholars. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I welcome him into our Association.”

Walter Schroeder founded DBRS Ltd. in 1976 with less than $1,000. The company opened its first location, a tiny 1,500-square-foot office, in Toronto and built the company into the largest debt rating agency in Canada and the fourth largest in the world. Since selling DRBS in 2014, Mr. Schoreder has served as chairman of Colonial House Capital Ltd. An active philanthropist, he is also the creator and executive producer of No Change in the Weather, a theatrical production showcasing some of the finest Newfoundland songs.

“What a thrill is it to join the Horatio Alger Association of Canada,” said Mr. Schroeder. “I am particularly excited to meet the Association’s scholarship recipients and provide them with the support they need.”

Mr. Schroeder will be formally inducted into the Association in Washington, D.C., during the 75th Annual Horatio Alger Awards, which take place April 7–9, 2022. Additionally, he will be honoured by the Horatio Alger Association of Canada at its annual Excellence Gala fundraiser on October 28, 2019 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

About the Horatio Alger Association of Canada

The Horatio Alger Association of Canada, the Canadian affiliate of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., is a charitable organization dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honours the achievements of outstanding individuals who have succeeded in spite of adversity by bestowing to them the Horatio Alger Award and granting them lifetime membership into the Association. Through the generosity of Horatio Alger Members, the Horatio Alger Association of Canada awards scholarships annually to deserving young people in every province and territory. Members of the Association include Alain Bouchard, Dominic D’Alessandro, Murray EdwardsSerge GodinWayne GretzkyJay S. Hennick, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Rebecca MacDonald, the late G. Wallace F. McCain, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Jim PattisonGerald W. SchwartzIsadore SharpPrem Watsa and Rick Waugh. For more information, visit www.horatioalger.ca. The Association can also be found on TwitterFacebook and Instagram.

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Contact:

Tom Kott, HATLEY Strategy Advisors, 514.316.7082, [email protected]

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