six months after the death of his son. Estate After his death, Burns' estate was assessed at $3.8 million ($ million in )—having fallen significantly due to the Great Depression. In 1996, Maple Leaf Foods purchased a majority of Burns Foods for an undisclosed amount. Some Maple Leaf products retain the Burns name but many have been rebranded. Alberta's Greatest Citizen As part of its 125th anniversary, the Calgary Herald organized the search for Our Greatest Albertan. In what is considered the largest citizen journalism project in the province, readers originally nominated 125 people for consideration. A Top 10 list was culminated from months of thought, debate, and votes from the public. Along with Burns, the list included former Premier Peter Lougheed, former Mayor and Lieutenant-Governor Grant MacEwan and Famous Five member Nellie McClung. On October 16, 2008, at a gala at Heritage Park, Burns was named the province's greatest citizen. The Herald commented that "His story is the story of Alberta. His struggles, his dreams, his success and philanthropy define the very core of our western character." Influence on ranching Burns was a major force behind the growth of ranching in Alberta. He purchased large herds of purebred Hereford stock, which he used to help fellow ranchers improve the blood lines of their own cattle. A pioneer of cold-weather ranching, Burns put up 250,000 tons of hay for winter feed and convinced other ranchers to utilize winter feeding methods themselves. He renovated the corrals and feeding pens on his ranches and introduced modern feed-lot techniques to finish cattle for market. Namesakes Buildings Burns Manor, Calgary Burns Block, Calgary Burns Block, Nelson Burns Block, Vancouver Burns Building, Calgary Burns Stadium (former home of the Calgary Cannons), Calgary, Senator Patrick Burns Building at SAIT Polytechnic, Calgary Senator Patrick Burns School, Calgary Land Burns Bog, Delta, British Columbia (Named after Burns' brother, Dominic) Mount Burns, Alberta Neighbourhoods Burnsland, Southeast Calgary Burns Industrial Park, Calgary Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary Parks Senator Patrick Burns Memorial Rock Garden, Calgary Blakeburn Park, Port Coquitlam Roads Burnsland Road, Calgary Burns Ranch Road, Olds Burns Road, Winnipeg Patrick Street, Winnipeg Ranches The following is a list of ranches owned wholly or in part by Patrick Burns or his companies: OH/Rio Alto Ranch Bar U Ranch Bow Valley Ranch CK Ranch Ricardo Ranch Circle Ranch Walrond Ranch Bradfield Ranch Lineham Ranch Glengarry Ranch Flying E Ranch 76 Ranch Two Dot