By Simon Hopkins
Described as a pillar of Hintonburg, Giant Tiger’s long-time manager retired this fall after decades in the community.
John Ferguson owned and managed the Giant Tiger in Hintonburg for over 30 years. Friends, family and community members gathered for a farewell party on Sept. 29 at the Carleton Tavern to celebrate the longtime owner and his partner, Pat Henderson.
Former colleagues stood at the front and told stories of Ferguson’s generosity over the years, like giving hundreds of hot dogs a year to community organizations for fundraising barbecues, according to Hintonburg Community Association member Cheryl Parrott. He also contributed to the longtime Christmas Day at the Carleton Tavern, which the Parkdale United Church also supported. The Christmas Day event provided food and gifts for those with nowhere to go over the holidays until its cancellation after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parrott said Ferguson donated warm clothing to give to those who needed it.
“Thank you, John and Pat, for your love for this community,” said Parrott.
“I considered myself fortunate to be in a position to help,” responded Ferguson.
The Giant Tiger was impacted twice by fire over Ferguson’s term as manager. According to Parrott, after the first fire, he reached out to the community association for help moving food that could spoil in the freezers. The following day, dozens of vans came to the store to collect the perishable food and take it to food banks and shelters across the city instead of a dumpster.
Ferguson said he helped his employees find other employment while the store was closed for repairs.
“The first fire, we were closed for five months – we had 22 staff at the time,” he told KT. “Every single staff member came back and was reemployed five months after because I made sure they were looked after.”
The West Wellington champion also helped set up donations for the community association’s fire fund, which was created to support businesses impacted by a fire. According to Parrott, the jar at Giant Tiger pulled in a couple of thousand dollars in change.
The speeches from community members were followed by certificate presentations by both Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper and MP Yasir Naqvi, congratulating John and Pat on their retirement. John was inducted into the Order of Ottawa in 2023.
“Our businesses are supporting our residents, and our residents are supporting our businesses. It’s this big virtuous circle,” Leiper said in his speech. “I don’t think there’s anybody in Hintonburg who better demonstrates that connection than yourself, John.”
Ferguson echoed something he said the founder of Giant Tiger had once told him, many years ago.
“When your customers are your neighbours, you want to do things right,” he said. “I tried to give back in every opportunity that I could.”
In turn, the community gave to Ferguson and helped him when he needed it. Following a bad storm, Giant Tiger had been left for days with no power.
He hired a refrigerator truck to park next to the store to prevent food from spoiling. Ferguson and his employees carried boxes of food from the store’s grocery section down a flight of stairs and across the length of the store to the truck. He said people saw what was happening and offered to help, pitching in.
They were able to save everything. “We didn’t lose a single egg,” the outgoing owner said.
In their retirement, Ferguson and Henderson are enjoying exploring Ottawa. For years they would drive by various attractions in Ottawa and say to themselves, “We ought to go there someday.” Now, they finally are.
