Peter John Gzowski was born on July 13, 1934, in Toronto, Ontario.

He was a Canadian broadcaster, writer, and reporter. He attended Ridley College, St. Catharines, and the University of Toronto but left to work for the Timmins Daily Press. In 1957, he became city editor of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald in Saskatchewan. He worked for Maclean's magazine (1958), Toronto Star, and The Star Weekly in the 1960s. From 1969 until 1970, he broadcast his first regular radio show, "Radio Free Friday," and in 1971, he became the radio host of the CBC's "This Country in the Morning." From 1976 until 1978, he hosted the CBC television show "90 Minutes Live". In 1982, he returned to his former morning radio program, now renamed "Morningside," where he remained until 1997. In 1986, Gzowski held the first fundraising golf tournament for literacy. The Peter Gzowski Award is an award given annually by the Peter Gzowski Invitational golf tournament to recognize contributions to adult literacy in Canada. He received honorary degrees from the University of New Brunswick (D.Litt., 1984) and Trent University (LL.D., 1988) and became a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1998. In 1999, he was appointed Chancellor of Trent University, a position he held until his death.

He died on January 24, 2002, in Toronto, Ontario.

H. & A. Allan Company was a Montreal-based shipping firm. Hugh Allan (1810-1882) was a commission merchant and partner in Edmonstone, Allan & Co. since the early 1830s. In 1863, his brother Andrew Allan (1822-1901) joined the company, and it became known as H. & A. Allan, a part of Allan's family empire. In 1897, Andrew Allan amalgamated the various branches of the Allan shipping empire under one company, Allan Line Steamship Company Ltd., of Glasgow.

Horace Billings, & Co. was a merchant company based in Brockville, Ontario, that operated a general store. They also published several titles including "The American juvenile keepsake" (1835) and the "Encyclopædia Americana" (1834-1847). The company was bankrupt by 1838.

H. Jones & Co. was a company in Kingston that did business with Robertson Masson & Co.

H. A. Nelson & Sons was a Montreal-based manufacturer and wholesale dealer of accessories and toys with a branch in Toronto. In 1841, Horatio Admiral Nelson (1816-1882), an American-born merchant, manufacturer, and political figure in Quebec, became co-owner of Nelson & Butters, manufacturers of brooms, brushes and other articles made from wood, e.g., toys, sleighs, picture frames, washboards, sporting goods, etc. In 1861, the company became Nelson, Wood & Co. and, in 1874, H. A. Nelson and Sons. The company was incorporated in 1896. A warehouse fire forced its closure in 1901.