Conservation award honours slain philanthropist Glen Davis 10 years after death

TORONTO -- A new $10,000 conservation award named after the slain philanthropist Glen Davis aims to honour his contribution to Canada on the 10th anniversary of his death.

The World Wildlife Fund's Canadian chapter and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society say the Glen Davis Conservation Leadership Prize, to be awarded in May, is meant to preserve the Toronto businessman's legacy.

Davis was the leading supporter of WWF-Canada's endangered spaces campaign from 1989 to 2000, which led to the creation of more than 1,000 new nature reserves, parks and wilderness areas.

He was also a strong supporter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, particularly through its local chapters.

Davis, 66, was shot and killed in an underground parking lot in May 2007 following a meeting with the World Wildlife Fund, one of many environmental causes he supported financially.

The multimillionaire's godson, Marshall Ross, later admitted masterminding the murder, pleading guilty to first-degree murder. Two other men were also convicted of first-degree murder in the killing.

Court heard Ross was upset with Davis because he was "squandering the family money" and Ross believed the killing would solve his money problems. Ross owed $2 million to Davis's company, something he was struggling to repay.

Davis's namesake prize will go to help a conservation activist do things such as pay rent and buy groceries, in recognition of the financial hardship that often accompanies that type of work, the organizations behind the award said in a release.

The successful candidate will have either played a key role in bringing meaningful protections to identifiable land or marine ecosystems in Canada, or be on the cusp of doing so, or led a foundational initiative regarding species or spaces that that leaves Canada measurably better off.

The winner must also have a demonstrated personal financial need.