Tim Collings has made a significant contribution to British Columbia through his strong sense of vision, personal integrity and fortitude in bringing his vision to reality.
Tim invented the V-Chip technology that enables television users to filter content they consider offensive, particularly for their children.
The massacre of 14 young women at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989 compelled Tim to pursue a technological approach to enable social change. He began working on the V-Chip at Simon Fraser University in 1990. It is now installed in equipment used worldwide. His invention – legislated to be included in every television sold in the United States – instigated public discourse and led to a higher level of media literacy among the general public, particularly among parents.
Acknowledged as a Young Innovator, one of British Columbia’s ‘Top 40 under 40’, and one of this province’s ‘Top 50 Thinkers’, Tim’s humble approach to problem-solving has resulted in innovations of international significance.
Future innovators will be able to look to Tim as a positive example of how hard work, a great idea, persistence and enterprise can be combined to make a truly positive impact on today’s world.