Who’s the greatest Canadian innovator?

Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best have been crowned Canada’s greatest innovators

September 16, 2010

The line that separates invention from innovation is a fine one. Ideas like the importance of urban density or how to turn the circus into high art require unique minds to articulate them. At the same time, inventions like the telephone and basketball are inherently innovative—no one else had come up with them before.

With that in mind, we’re asking readers to elect the most innovative Canadian in history, whether that person changed the way we think (like Lester B. Pearson did by adding peacekeeping to the Canadian vernacular) or the way we live (like Alexander Graham Bell did with the telephone). We’ve picked our 16 favourites; now we’re asking you to vote for who you think is the greatest Canadian innovator.

With an overwhelming 85 per cent of the vote, Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best have been crowned Maclean’s greatest Canadian innovators, beating out Peter Robertson for the honour. Thanks to everyone who participated!