Canadian screen industry veteran Paul Bronfman has died at the age of 67 following a decades-long diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Bronfman (pictured), who was first diagnosed with MS in 1995, passed away in Toronto on Wednesday (Feb. 26).

As chairman and CEO of Comweb Corporation and chairman/CEO of William F. White International (WFW) until its 2019 sale, at which point it joined the Sunbelt Rentals group, Bronfman was instrumental in providing equipment rentals, facilities and services to the Canadian industry as well as Americans working north of the border.

Born in Montreal in 1957, as a member of one of Canada’s most recognized families in the worlds of business, culture and entertainment, Paul Bronfman always forged his own path. The son of Edward Bronfman and nephew of Peter Bronfman, co-owners of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens from 1971 to 1978, he set himself apart from the pack by pledging allegiance to rival team the Toronto Maple Leafs. That served to foreshadow the young Bronfman’s eventual move away from Montreal to Toronto, to attend university.

In the mid-1970s, another Montrealer of note – rock promoter Donald K. Tarlton (aka Donald K. Donald) – hired Bronfman as a roadie for popular Canadian rock band April Wine. And while Bronfman would go on to serve as an assistant production manager for UK prog-pop band Supertramp, he left the rock world behind at the turn of the decade, scoring a gig at the Pathé Sound post facility in Toronto as a studio coordinator.

As the 1980s were drawing to a close, Bronfman’s career in television production moved to another level. As VP of business development at Astral, which handled distribution for U.S. super-producer Stephen Cannell (The Rockford Files, The A-Team), he learned that Cannell was looking into establishing a production studio in Vancouver. While Astral ultimately passed on the opportunity, Bronfman saw the chance to strike out on his own, and partnered with Cannell to launch North Shore Studios in 1988, which would serve as the production centre for The X-Files among other projects.

Just a year later, Bronfman teamed with Bill White, founder of Canadian production equipment supplier William F. White and became CEO and chairman of the business, and acquired it soon after. As the production services industry exploded in Canada, WFW became a national, and then international, business, with offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Halifax and Budapest.

In the 1990s and into the 21st century, Bronfman continued to blaze new trails in the Canadian production industry, as a founding partner in Toronto’s Filmport Studios in 2007, which two years later became Pinewood Toronto Studios. He sold his minority stake to the Pinewood Group in 2023.

Throughout his long career, Bronfman also served on the board of directors at the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, the Banff Television Foundation Board and the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA).

“Those who served on the CMPA board with Paul will fondly recall his ardent belief in the potential for Canada’s sector to be a world-class global production hub,” said CMPA CEO Reynolds Mastin in a statement. “His leadership, generosity and dedication helped shape the thriving industry we have today and his impact will be felt for generations. Our deepest condolences to Paul’s family, friends and colleagues. He will be greatly missed.”

Via the Comweb Foundation, Bronfman also supported the Toronto International Film Festival, Atlantic International Film Festival, the Banff World Media Festival and the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

From 1990 to 1996, he served on the board of the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), rejoining in 2017. He also was the lead funder for the CFC’s cinematography intensive launched in August 2024 for female-identifying directors of photography via the Paul Bronfman Family Foundation.

“We are deeply saddened by Paul Bronfman’s passing. His dedication to improving our film and television industries will have a lasting impact,” said maxine bailey, CFC’s executive director. “As a key member of CFC’s Board of Directors, Paul was instrumental in paving the way for emerging artists, particularly below the line talent, the crew, the backbone of our industry. He was a true visionary and a beloved figure whose presence will be missed. We are forever grateful for his contributions to the CFC and the community as a whole.”

Beyond the myriad organizations Bronfman had worked with, other tributes are being offered by producers whose work, and careers, benefitted from his expertise and love for the business.

“Paul was a great man, a fierce champion of Canada and of our television and film industry,” said Mark Montefiore, New Metric Media founder and CEO. “He supported my career in the early days through the culture he created at William F. White’s which helped young filmmakers by renting state of the art equipment for basically free. For that I was forever loyal [to] White’s for the next 20 [plus] years and still now.”

“I love this business for the people,” Bronfman said when inducted into Playback’s Hall of Fame in 2010. “It’s the greatest collection of people of any business anywhere.”

Bronfman is survived by his children, Alexandra, Andrew and Jonathan; his grandchildren Nathan, Eve, James, Ella, Jack and Jane; and brothers David and Brian. His funeral will take place Sunday (March 2) at Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto.

With files from Barry Walsh, Mark Dillon