Zack collects a debt from the former Governor of the Bank of Canada by William Lishman Posted by John on October 15, 2012

Zack collects a debt from the former Governor of the Bank of Canada by William Lishman

Through a designer of commercial interiors I received a commission to do a wall mounted sculpture for the executive office of Red River financial in Toronto. As it turns out, it was to go in the office of James Coyne the former Governor of the Bank of Canada. We were under pressure to get it done and to meet a very tight deadline. Zack and I had worked night and day for a couple of weeks. We’d taken it in and installed it in his office on the 47th floor of one of those financial towers on Bay street. I billed the interior designer a week or so later, but weeks went by, then months and despite several phone calls no payment was forthcoming. We were short on work at the time and money was in short supply. Zack kept bugging me about being paid his share. I told him I didn’t know what to do, his retort was just go in there and demand the money. I say “I can’t do that. I’m supposed to be paid by the interior designer and now he is not taking my calls”.

“Well I can collect,” Zack says.

“Then go for it,“ I said, thinking he would go to the interior designers office.
Zack doesn’t go to the designers office. Instead he gets a buddy to drive him downtown. He takes the elevator up to Coyne’s office and walks in. He announces to the receptionist that he has come to see James Coyne. She asks him if he has an appointment, to which he responds, “don’t need one!” He walks on by, directly into Coyne’s office. Coyne is in the middle of a meeting, and looks up in surprise. Zack looks him straight in the eye as he had done with the cop that had intended to arrest him for the bottle of rum. He points at the sculpture which is a focal point of the room and says “do you want that sculpture or not?“ Coyne, a bit shocked, retorts “of course I do.” Well then pay for it right now or I’ll rip it off the wall and take it home. Coyne stands up walks out with him, asking how much is owed. Zack produced a copy of the original bill with the amount and Coyne directs his secretary to write a cheque immediately.
This was all recounted to me by Zack. all I know is he came back that day with a cheque payable to me for the full amount owing with James Coyne’s signature on it.

Hmm wonder where the sculpture is now?