Len Potechin celebrated his 100th birthday on June 29, 2026. To mark this remarkable milestone, Kate McGregor, Chair of the Communications and Marketing Committee, visited Len at his home to discuss a century of life, his entrepreneurial spirit, community involvement, and the enduring importance of family. His wife of 75 years, Mary, and their middle daughter, Reva Goldberg, joined them for the conversation.
1. What brought you to our congregation?
I am a member of four synagogues. Mary and I got married at Machzikei Hadas in 1951. We started attending Agudath Israel in 1954, when it was located at 30 Rosemount Avenue. I used to be a regular at KBI, attending morning and evening minyan. I now attend occasionally since I stopped driving.
2. What are your earliest memories of growing up in Montreal?
My father immigrated to Montreal from Russia at 17, where he met my mother, who also came from Russia. I am the second of their three sons.
From an early age, I enjoyed playing sports, including junior hockey and running. At age 12, I worked at my mother’s family’s restaurant and grocery store, the Forum Delicatessen, which was located half a block from the hockey arena. My responsibilities included cutting smoked meat for sandwiches and operating the cash register.
My father was in the nightclub business, and when I was 16, I worked at one of the three nightclubs he owned, the Queen’s Café. I took care of the cash and made sure the waiters paid for what they served.
I went to Dalhousie University but left before getting a degree to join the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.
3. Tell me about the move to Ottawa
In 1945, our family moved to Ottawa because of Maurice Duplessis, the Premier of Quebec, who revoked my father’s three liquor licences. That same year, my father opened a restaurant called The Golden Grill at 303 Bank Street. My brother Norman and I worked 16-hour days at the restaurant until 1958.
I started selling real estate in 1956. I got my broker’s licence two years later. I earned the following designations: FRI (Fellow of Real Estate Institute), CPM (Certified Property Manager), and CRE (Counselor of Real Estate).
I met my wife Mary in Ottawa. We have three daughters, and with their spouses, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Mary and I have 83 descendants!
4. How did you get into real estate?
My brother Norman and I bought an apartment building days before Mary and I left on our honeymoon. While we were away, Norman called to tell me about a great offer. We sold the building for an $8,000 profit. That was a lot of money at the time. Then I went to work for Bert Katz, a leader in the country’s real estate industry, who encouraged me to take some real estate courses. After a year with him, I opened my own business, Regional Realty, in 1958. In 1984, I handed the business over to my son-in-law, Steve Gordon. And I still went to the office daily until COVID. I’m proud of the fact that the business is into its third generation.
My philosophy is “You can’t go wrong owning land.”
5. You are well-known for your community work, and I see numerous awards and plaques on the wall. Can you tell me about the ones you are most proud of?
Oh boy. I’m proud of the Open Skies initiative I spearheaded, which enabled direct flights from Ottawa to the US. I’m proud too of my work on 416, a project focused on completing Highway 416.
Also, I was Chairman of the Ottawa Board of Trade, Chairman of the Ottawa-Carleton Economic Development Corporation, President of the John Howard Society, Director of the United Way, a member of the Board of Trustees of The Royal Ottawa Hospital, Campaign Chair of CHEO, and a member of many other worthy organizations.
I have been awarded the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada (1992), the Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and the Order of Ottawa (2024).
I’m called “Mr. Ottawa” and “The Man Who Gets Things Done.”
6. If you could have dinner with any Jewish figure, past or present, who would you choose and why?
Al Foreman, my uncle through marriage. He was a Canadian lightweight boxing champion who held the record for the fastest knockout. He knocked out Ruby Levine in 1.5 seconds.
Al taught me how to fight when I was training at the YMHA in Montreal. At the start of World War II, he joined the Royal Air Force as an air gunner.
7. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I’m 100 years old, and I’ve been going to a trainer two times a week for the past two years. I think I would lose mobility if I stopped going. That’s what keeps me going.