Mike and Matthew Waddington
- ka0687
- Jun 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 24
2015 Newmarket Honourees

“We want to encourage others to give back with integrity and authenticity and to
inspire the next generation.”
Matthew and Michael Waddington grew up in Newmarket and graduated from Sacred
Heart Catholic High School. Matthew went on to earn a Biology degree from the University of
Western Ontario. Michael gained his commercial pilot’s license and completed the aviation
program at Conestoga College before joining his older brother in running the Canadian Plastics Group Ltd., an aerospace manufacturer of detail parts and small assemblies, started by their father in 1972. Matthew is a husband and father of two, and Michael is married.
Their Portrait was taken on location in front of one of the more current pieces of
machinery at their facility in Newmarket. This is significant to Michael, because it is a wonderful reminder of what they have accomplished as a team for the past ten years working for the best interests of their families and their staff. For Matthew, the significance lies in the fact that their business is the source of their charitable contributions. “It is also the center of all staff engagement, and the source of our employee driven initiatives,” Matthew said. “CPG represents a family legacy which Mike and I are proud to continue.”
Growing up, some of Michael’s friends spent time at The Hospital for Sick Children. He
observed early on how important the facility and the staff are and said, “I wanted to express my appreciation for helping or trying to help the people I knew, but was having trouble putting it down into words. I eventually sent them a donation of $50 with a note saying, ‘I think the best way for me to thank you for helping my friends is to help you help others.’ I realize in the grand scheme of things $50 by itself is not much, but if everyone helps out, a little goes a long way.”
Three of the charities CPG supports are SickKids Foundation, Heart and Stroke and
GetRecD. Their involvement with the first two organizations is in honour of Matthew’s son,
Alexander who was born in 2009 with a complex form of congenital heart disease. Alexander
has undergone three open heart surgeries to date, and thanks to the wonderful team at
SickKids, and the research funded by Heart and Stoke, is doing well today. Matthew and
Michael cannot begin to express their gratitude to these two organizations for what they have done. “Alexander’s situation has opened my eyes to a world I was only vaguely aware of before,” said Matthew. Michael said, “I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to say that everyone locally knows someone who has spent time at SickKids, but our story hits close to home.” Matthew was always deeply moved by the children in the SickKids commercials and wondered how families coped with such challenges, and in many cases such loss, but it was not until he found himself at the SickKids Cardiac Critical Care unit with his two-day-old son that his perception was forever changed. He knows first-hand the benefits that families receive when people give back and said, “We can never give enough back to repay them for what they’ve given us.”
The adage that, ‘It takes a Village to raise a child’ reminds them of how they benefited
from the community they grew up in, so coming back to that same community in their
professional careers has given them the opportunity to continue that good will. GetRecD is a
local nonprofit that directly supports Cancer patients by raising money through recreational
events in unique and fun ways. When asked to name his most memorable moment in giving
back, two came to Matthew’s mind, “CPG rode the Heart & Stroke Foundation Big Bike for the
first time in 2014, where we won the ‘spirit’ award,” he said. “This was special because it
demonstrated how engaged our team was in support of the event. The second memory is
seeing my son’s name on the SickKids donor wall for the first time. It was an emotional moment for our whole family to see the culmination of our efforts and those of our friends and colleagues represented in that way.”
Michael said, “We grew up with family members who taught us to appreciate what we’ve
been given. We grew up without a sense of entitlement.” He knows all too well that life is not
always fair, but says, “We have an opportunity in life to make small sacrifices which can create big results when everyone is willing to pitch in. Everybody needs help at some point in their lives and those who can offer it have a responsibility to do so.”
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