“It helps people appreciate that there is some real value in experience,” Zingle says.
The 2021 Top 7 Over 70 winners: Front row, seated: Marg Southern and Bonnie Kaplan; Back row, left to right: Don Taylor, Miiksika’am , Sherali Saju, Louis B. Hobson and Murray McCann. Christina Ryan photo. Top 7 Over 70 founder Jim Gray echoes the sentiment, noting it’s been remarkable to see the achievements of Top 7 Over 70 winners over the last six years. Those winners have included an 80-something cardiologist doing groundbreaking research on the use of cannabis to treat heart inflammation; a 90-something visionary bringing a professional soccer team to the city; and a mathematician who still taught, mentored and published at age 101.
“There’s no limit to what seniors are doing,” says Gray. “And the Top 7 Over 70 program is celebrating their successes, with a focus on new achievements or accomplishments that have been started after age 70.Article contentThe Top 7 Over 70 program also raises funds for its sister organization,, an education and capital group which also matches scale-up businesses with accomplished senior executives to stimulate the economy.
It’s increasingly important that seniors’ contributions are recognized as vital cogs in society and economy. After all, over the next 20 years, Canada’s senior population — those age 65 and older — is expected to grow by 68 per cent, says the Canadian Institute for Health Population.Winners will be announced in early September and celebrated at a gala at the Hyatt hotel on Oct. 23, 2023.