Riverside Welcomes Back Mr. Nate Leipciger — Honouring a Legacy of Humanity and Connection

October 23, 2025

Riverside Health Care was deeply honoured to welcome Mr. Nate Leipciger, Holocaust survivor, engineer, and lifelong advocate for education and remembrance, back to La Verendrye General Hospital this week for a special visit with the Board and Leadership Team.

Mr. Leipciger’s remarkable life and career span nearly a century of resilience and impact. A survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau and other concentration camps, he emigrated to Canada after World War II, where he built a successful career in engineering and dedicated much of his later life to Holocaust education, advocacy, and mentorship.

Before becoming known worldwide as an educator and public speaker, Mr. Leipciger forged a deep connection with Northwestern Ontario through his work as the founding president of Leipciger, Kaminker, Mitelman & Associates Ltd. (LKM), an engineering firm that played an instrumental role in shaping several of Riverside’s health care facilities.

Through LKM, Nate was part of building both the Rainy River Health Centre and the Emo Health Centre from the ground up and contributed to major redevelopment and expansion projects at La Verendrye General Hospital. The majority of his work at LVGH began in 1998, culminating in the completion of the Phase IV Expansion Project in 2006. His influence remains woven into the fabric of our facilities, seen in everything from the underlying mechanical systems to the thoughtful spacing and design that make these buildings work as places of care and community.

During his visit, Mr. Leipciger reflected warmly on those years, recounting his fond memories of the people of Riverside and the kindness he experienced while working here:

“You judged me on the basis of being a human being, not where I came from, not what I believed, but on who I was,” he shared. “I was able to work with you to produce this beautiful addition to the hospital and the renovation. It took years, and the staff went through many years of having to work under difficult conditions, and I was part of that.”

As we toured areas such as our Laboratory, Patient areas, Emergency Department, and Surgical Suites, his stories added depth and meaning to the familiar halls we walk through every day. With a gentle smile, he softly said, “Déjà vu,” standing once again in the areas he helped bring to life decades ago. Recalling when the birthing suites were first being designed, Nate explained that they were “a novel idea. Not many examples to work from… but rooms about making people feel like at home.”

His tour through the hospital’s mechanical and electrical spaces brought visible joy as he revisited the very rooms he helped design and plan. At one point, he instinctively remembered the way, pausing with a smile.

The afternoon also included heartfelt conversations with members of the Leadership Team who recalled sitting at tables with Nate decades ago - reviewing plans, making adjustments, and working through details, memories that have clearly stood the test of time.

He went on to reflect on his years in the district and the deep sense of belonging he felt here, “I worked in the North for 40 years…and I always found myself being loved as another human being, as being part of this community, and for that, I thank you, and for that I’m suggesting that you were responsible for my wellbeing.”

It was wonderful to hear Nate speak so fondly about our organization and the impact Riverside and our communities here in the district had on his life. That’s something we always hope to achieve - whether it’s offering trusted care close to home, supporting families through milestones, or standing beside patients through treatment and recovery. Our history at La Verendrye General Hospital and Riverside as a whole runs deep, and the lives we’ve been a part of are immeasurable. It’s the incredible people here who continue to help shape those stories, and we’re so fortunate that one of those people we have as part of our Riverside story is someone as remarkable as Mr. Nate Leipciger.

Riverside’s Board and Leadership Team extend their deepest gratitude to Mr. Leipciger, Mr. Ben Mast, Arla Litwin, and Simon Busse from the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for joining us and sharing in this meaningful moment.

Nate’s reflections remind us that Riverside’s story is not just about infrastructure and progress, but about people - people who care deeply, connect genuinely, and leave lasting marks on both our organization and our communities.

To learn more about Mr. Leipciger’s incredible story of survival, resilience, and advocacy, visit the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center or read his biography on Wikipedia.