
Windfall
Viola MacMillan and Her Notorious Mining Scandal
by Tim Falconer
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Waterstones
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 18 Feb 2025 | Archive Date 14 Jan 2025
Talking about this book? Use #Windfall #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
The fascinating true story of Viola MacMillan and the scandal that transformed the Toronto Stock Exchange
Viola MacMillan had it all: success, money, respect … and even influence. But in 1964, after three decades in the mining industry, one of the most fascinating women in Canadian business history was the central character in one of the country’s most famous stock scandals.
MacMillan was a prospector who’d gone on to put together big deals, develop lucrative mines, and head a major industry association — all at a time when career women were a rarity. But she still dreamed of “a major discovery.” Early in July 1964, shares in her company, Windfall Oil and Mines, took off. In the absence of any information about what Windfall had found on its claims near Timmins, rumours and greed pushed the share price to a high of $5.70. MacMillan stayed quiet. Finally, after three weeks of market frenzy, Windfall admitted it had nothing. When the stock crashed, so many small investors lost money that the Ontario government appointed a royal commission to examine what had happened. Meaningful changes at the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Ontario Securities Commission followed.
Windfall: Viola MacMillan and Her Notorious Mining Scandal is biographical history at its finest: the unlikely story of a trailblazer who, although convicted and imprisoned, would later receive the Order of Canada.
Viola MacMillan had it all: success, money, respect … and even influence. But in 1964, after three decades in the mining industry, one of the most fascinating women in Canadian business history was the central character in one of the country’s most famous stock scandals.
MacMillan was a prospector who’d gone on to put together big deals, develop lucrative mines, and head a major industry association — all at a time when career women were a rarity. But she still dreamed of “a major discovery.” Early in July 1964, shares in her company, Windfall Oil and Mines, took off. In the absence of any information about what Windfall had found on its claims near Timmins, rumours and greed pushed the share price to a high of $5.70. MacMillan stayed quiet. Finally, after three weeks of market frenzy, Windfall admitted it had nothing. When the stock crashed, so many small investors lost money that the Ontario government appointed a royal commission to examine what had happened. Meaningful changes at the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Ontario Securities Commission followed.
Windfall: Viola MacMillan and Her Notorious Mining Scandal is biographical history at its finest: the unlikely story of a trailblazer who, although convicted and imprisoned, would later receive the Order of Canada.
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781770419957 |
PRICE | US$19.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 296 |
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Reader (PDF)
NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)
Download (PDF)
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Cooperating with the Holy Spirit
Rev. Dr. Suzanne Nicholson
Christian, Nonfiction (Adult), Religion & Spirituality
Rev. Dr. Suzanne Nicholson
Christian, Nonfiction (Adult), Religion & Spirituality
The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits
Jennifer Weiner
General Fiction (Adult), New Adult, Women's Fiction
Jennifer Weiner
General Fiction (Adult), New Adult, Women's Fiction