Forestry legend Irving K. Barber will donate $2.5 million to Kwantlen Polytechnic University today to help more students attend university.
Barber founded Slocan Forest Products Ltd. in 1978, which Canfor Corp. (TSX:CFP) bought in 2003.
The donation is the largest that Kwantlen, which became a university two years ago, has ever received.
"I want this money to open the doors of post-secondary education to a segment of our society that would never otherwise attend university," said Barber. "I'm one of those 'second-chance' people."
Barber dropped out of school in Grade 11, but his Second World War service allowed him to later attend the University of British Columbia where he earned a degree in forestry.
Kwantlen said the money will be used to create the Irving K. Barber Endowment for Educational Opportunities, and fund programming to make it easier for students to transition to university-level study.