Order of Manitoba - Official Register

22nd lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1999 to 2004.

Governor general of Canada from 1979 to 1984 and Canadian High Commissioner to Australia after that. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1958 and to the House of Commons in 1965. He served as premier of Manitoba from 1969 to 1977.

17th lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1970 to 1976. Prior to that he was general manager and president of a family business and established his own real estate business in 1960. He was a councillor for the Town of Tuxedo and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1996.

19th lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1981 to 1986, the first woman to hold the post in Manitoba. Her career has included banking and merchandising and she has served on the St. James-Assiniboia and Winnipeg city councils. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1994.

21st lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1993 to 1999. He has served as president of the Manitoba Metis Federation and the Metis National Council and a founding vice-president of the Native Council of Canada. He has received awards for his public service, including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award 1996.

Premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. He was a businessman before and after his service in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War and was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1949. He served as a senator from Manitoba from 1978 to 1992.

Premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988. He practised law in Selkirk until he was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1969. More recently, he as been an associate professor in the political science department and the Law School of the University of Windsor.

Executive chairman, CanWest Global Communications. With a career that spans law, lecturing, writing, politics and business he was twice elected to the Manitoba legislature and is a laureate of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. He has received several honorary doctoral degrees and has won several international awards for entrepreneurship. More recently he has become one of Winnipeg’s most generous philanthropists.

Distinguished cardiologist. He is known throughout the world for his work in cardiovascular education and research. A prolific writer, he has recently co-authored a history of medicine in Manitoba and has been in many civic and cultural activities including serving as national president of the United Nations Association of Canada.

Musician. He began his rock and roll career in Winnipeg in the 60s, first with The Devrons and then with The Guess Who, known for classic songs such as "American Woman." He and fellow band members were inducted into the Canadian Recording Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 1987, and in 1999 into the Manitoba Music Hall of Fame.

Played an instrumental role in bringing the 1967 Pan American Games to Winnipeg. An outstanding volunteer for community and sport organizations in Manitoba he has been actively involved in the Special Olympics and continues to be involved with sport activities at the International Peace Garden and the upcoming National Aboriginal Games.

Played an instrumental role in the development of the Keystone Centre in Brandon and in the establishment of the PMU industry in Manitoba. A life-long resident of Western Manitoba he served as commissioner on the Grain Handling and Transportation Commission, is past president of numerous organizations including the Manitoba Winter Fair, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba and the Agricultural Institute of Canada. He is also a member of the Manitoba Agriculture Hall of Fame.

A champion of healthy lifestyles for Manitoba Natives. A member of the Opaskwyak Cree Nation, he was one of the first Aboriginal graduates of the University of Manitoba and continues to live and work in the North developing education programs for Native people and promoting the traditional Aboriginal way of life. A strong advocate of volunteerism he has served on many community boards and committees.

Has an unparalleled record of service to Winnipeg and Canada’s Jewish community. He has led cultural organizations, community service groups and been a confidante of prime ministers in both Canada and Israel. He also served on the board of the Bank of Canada for 17 years.

Businesswoman and volunteer. One of the founding members of Folklorama and a board member of the Folk Arts Council she was the first woman president of the Manitoba Restaurant Association. Active as a volunteer in her professional and community life she also served on a number of sports and athletic organizations including the National Advisory for Fitness and Sport which focused on opportunities for aged and handicapped athletes.

A dedicated volunteer, she has been involved with the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival for 30 years. Dedicated to improving the socio-economic conditions of Northern Manitoba she has served on numerous commissions, task forces and boards dedicated to this end. She is also active in assisting First Nations and non-status Aboriginal activities and events and now serves as chairman of The Pas Health Complex Foundation.

Sculptor. He has been commissioned to sculpt monuments in the United States, Argentina and Brazil and his works can be found in galleries around the world. Over 200 of his bronze sculptures are on display at Assiniboine Park. He has been active in artistic organizations and was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1989.

Former chief justice of Manitoba. He retired in 1990 after serving 33 years on the bench. His public service since that time has included chairing the Francophone Governance Implementation Support Team and acting as a "screener" for trade complaints related to the Agreement on Internal Trade.

Former mayor of Winnipeg. Serving 27 years in public office, including 14 as mayor of Winnipeg, he was instrumental in the creation of the Core Area Initiative, the North Portage and Forks Redevelopment corporations. In 1993 he was admitted into the Order of Canada. With a long history of community involvement and dedication he is currently chairman of the St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation and Honorary Consul General of Japan in Winnipeg.

Co-founder and first executive co-ordinator of Winnipeg Harvest. A past chair and founder of The Canadian Association of Food Banks, he has served on the boards of the National Anti-Poverty Organization, the West Broadway Community Ministry and The Prairie Theatre Exchange. He is also currently serving as a member of the national Council on Welfare.

Cross-cultural educator and consultant. Educated in India, the United States and Canada, she has dedicated the last 32 years to improving inter-ethnic relations and leadership in the performing arts. Instrumental in the establishment of the India School of Dance, Music & Theatre, she has served as chair of the Manitoba Intercultural Council, the Multicultural Education Resource Centre and numerous boards and committees all dedicated bringing new ideas to education and a new dynamism to Manitoba’s Cultural scene.

Educator. With a career spanning more than four decades and five countries, he has received honours and awards for his leadership and achievements in education, social justice, peace and anti-racism. Since retiring in 1998 he continues to be involved in activities dedicated to the well-being of children and young people in Canada.

President of the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg. Actively involved in numerous organizations, she has received many honours for her community work. She is currently serving as a board member of The Forks North Portage Partnership, as co-chair of the North Main Task Force, as a member of the Heritage Council of Manitoba and as a member of the Manitoba Round Table on Sustainable Development.

Former chairman of James Richardson & Sons Limited, his business dealings covered grain, oil and gas, real estate, securities, pipeline construction, freight hauling and the airline industries. He also served on the boards of many national companies and was the first Canadian born governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. His community affiliations include the University of Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, The Manitoba Theatre Centre, St. John’s Ravenscourt School, the North American Wildlife Federation and the Western Canada Aviation Museum.

Nuclear scientist and volunteer. Instrumental in the development of the Whiteshell Laboratories and the Town of Pinawa, he continues to be involved in many seniors’ activities and organizations. He also helped set up the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency and has served as a member of the Canadian Executive Services Organization working on projects to assist First Nations Bands in Manitoba.

Former artistic director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet for 30 years. During that period the company developed an international reputation for excellence, and produced and showcased a number of world-renowned dancers and choreographers. His awards and honours include the Order of Canada.

An oilseed breeder who conducted ground-breaking research that helped transform rapeseed into canola. He taught at the University of Manitoba until his retirement in 1986. He is a provost in the Order of the Buffalo Hunt.

Now in his 11th season, the longest serving artistic director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra-conductor partnership has been one of the most creative in North America. Tovey has appeared with virtually all major orchestras in Canada and Great Britain. In addition, he has also appeared with orchestras in Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia and the United States. In September, he will become the music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Among his numerous awards is an honorary associateship from the Royal Academy of Music.

Elected in 1973 as a Liberal Member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, he was re-elected in 1977. In 1979, he was elected as Liberal Member of Parliament representing the riding of Winnipeg – Fort Garry, later Winnipeg South and was re-elected every term since that time until his retirement from federal politics in 2000. During his tenure in Ottawa he served as Minister of Employment and Immigration, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Minister of Transport, Chairman of the Western Affairs Committee of Cabinet, and following a period as Official Opposition Critic in various capacities, he was appointed Minister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification. Since 1996, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. While travelling the world as Foreign Minister, he also searched for ways to promote Manitoba. He marketed the Port of Churchill, championed the Mid-Continent Trade Corridor, engaged the International Joint Commission to work with Manitoba and neighbouring states to reduce the kind of flooding experienced in Manitoba in 1997. He secured federal resources and support to host events like the Pan Am Games and the United Nations Conference on War Affected Children. From his advocacy for his home province came the Core Area Initiative, the Winnipeg Development Agreement, the Forks-North Portage Partnership and the Canada-Manitoba Infrastructure Program.

Acknowledged as one of Canada’s most thoughtful and respected economists, his contributions track the historical circumstances and political context in which economic policy was formed. Clarence Barber is Professor Emeritus of the University of Manitoba, and a former University Distinguished Professor of the University of Manitoba. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, this country’s highest recognition of scholarly excellence. In 1988 he received an honorary degree from the University of Guelph and a month later the Order of Canada. Dr. Barber implemented Canada's Royal Commission on Farm Machinery in the late sixties; he served as Commissioner on Welfare Review for the Province of Manitoba in 1972, and he was a member of the Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic Union and Development Prospects. Professor Barber has had a remarkably successful academic career, publishing some seminal pieces and is the only member of the Economics Department at the University of Manitoba to have ever served as President of the Canadian Economics Association. Dr. Barber was Economic Advisor and Director of Research for the Manitoba Royal Commission Flood Cost-Benefit from 1957 – 1959. Without his careful study, and persuasive evidence, the floodway might not have become the protector of the City of Winnipeg against the flood waters.

Heather Bishop has championed many causes in her lifetime. She has fought for rights for women since the late 1960’s and was instrumental in closing the gender pay scale gap. In the early 70’s she appeared on radio and TV and at educational institutions to speak out against homophobia. Throughout her life she has been a part of the ongoing struggle against racism. Heather is a carpenter, plumber, electrician and auto mechanic. She helped initiate and taught the first Pre-Trades Training for Women courses in Canada at Red River Community College. She was a founding member of the Women in Trades organization, which has grown to become a national organization of stature. Heather Bishop is best known for her work as a musician. She performs to both children and adults and has received many awards including Juno nominations for most promising female vocalist and best children’s recording. She is the recipient of two U.S. Parent’s Choice Gold Awards and a NAPPA Gold Award for her children’s releases. Heather has toured the world and performed with almost every major symphony orchestra in Canada and some in the U.S.A. Heather received the YM-YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 1997, was the first recipient of the Spirit of Smith Street Award for outstanding community service to the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgendered Communities in 2000, and the Manitoba Awards for the Gay Community in 1992. She was a founding member and is the president of the Manitoba Audio Recording Industry and sits on the board of Manitoba Film and Sound. She has given her time to Habitat for Humanity and voluntarily teaches math to deaf adults.

Mr. Colomb lives in Pukatwagan, and at over 80 years of age, still traps his own fur. He continues to work tirelessly with the youth of his community to interest them in trapping and the land-based lifestyle. A former Chief of the community, he has served as a band councillor, ambulance driver, and fire chief for the community. He has undertaken such projects as a wild rice operation at the community, along with many other endeavours. Hyacinth was Manitoba’s first trapline officer, a community representative for the Natural Resources Department. As a result of his success, that program was expanded to other communities and remains a very important aspect of Department of Conservation programs in the North to this day. His whole life has been one of service to others and he has been an outstanding role model for his community.

A registered Engineer by profession, Mr. Filmon served as a member of the Winnipeg City Council prior to his first being elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1979. He served as leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party from 1983 until his retirement from politics in 2000. Mr. Filmon served as Premier of Manitoba from 1988 to 1999. During this time, he led the province through difficult constitutional discussions and directly contributed to the economic and social progress of our province. Among his community activities, he has served as President of the University of Manitoba Alumni Association, President of the Association of Canadian Career Colleges, Member of the Senate of the University of Manitoba, Director of the Administrative Management Society and Director of the Red River Exhibition Board.

Richard Martin was a long time resident of Manitoba and worked hard to improve the quality of life for working people and all Manitobans by seeking to advance social and economic justice and rights. His work as a trade union activist began while he was employed as an electrician by INCO in Thompson in 1968. He rose through various union positions and in 1978 was elected President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour. One of Mr. Martin’s projects, the Manitoba Federation of Labour Occupational Health Clinic, became the first of its kind in Canada. He served on the University of Manitoba Board of Governors from 1983 – 1984 and helped establish the Manitoba Labour Education Centre to assist people to advance their understanding of labour relations and the multitude of issues they cover. In 1984, Mr. Martin was elected Executive Vice President of the Canadian Labour Congress. In 1997, he was elected President of the 43 million member Inter-American Regional Labour Organization, headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela. By the time of his retirement in 1999, Mr. Martin was widely recognized for his efforts to improve human rights, not only in Canada, but also throughout Central America and South America.

Carol Shields has received wide acclaim for her novels, poetry, short stories and plays. Her ability to portray the complex lives of ordinary people has made her one of the most celebrated English-language writers in the world. She has received numerous awards for her writing, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Governor General’s Award. Dr. Shields is Professor Emerita at the University of Manitoba. In 1996, Dr. Shields became the fifth Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg and is now the Chancellor Emerita. She has received honorary doctorates from several Canadian universities, including the University of Winnipeg, was inducted as a member of the Royal Society of Canada, and has received both a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Order of Canada. Winnipeg is the setting of many of Carol Shields’ works. She sees the city as a place where people’s lives are intricately interlinked and where it is easy to feel connected to the community. Novels such as The Republic of Love, The Stone Diaries, and Larry’s Party have portrayed the city in its best light.

Gwen Wishart of Gladstone began her nursing career at the local hospital in Gladstone in 1955 and advanced to the position of Matron in 1967 and was later the Director of Acute Care until her retirement in 1989. After her retirement, she continued to work for seven years as a nurse in a community nursing home. During her career there were countless times when she volunteered her time and energy to maintain the quality of medical care on which her community depended, including sandbagging during floods to protect the facility. She also found herself on various advisory boards and committees, overseeing and offering her expertise to health care affiliated organizations. Mrs. Wishart is a founding member of the local volunteer ambulance service and a recipient of the Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal. She was instrumental in forming and maintaining the Palliative Care Committee. She spends time sitting with patients who have no local family or friends. She is the committee’s treasurer, has long been a part of the health auxiliary, has served as President and Regional Representative, and has been a citizen representative on the District Advisory Committee for the Regional Health Authority – Central Manitoba District. She has been trained as an educator for the Arthritis Society. In addition, she has been a member of the I.O.D.E., the Gladstone Area Seniors Support Program, Citizens on Patrol & Citizens Advisory Council on Crime, Meals on Wheels, and also served for two years as President of Manitoba Child and Family Services. 2002

Bill Brace is a retired RCMP officer who resides in Clandeboye where he had a hobby farm which included a petting zoo, a magic museum and police museum. He invited personal care homes and the general public for visits and would take his animals to personal care homes, schools and the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. In 1982 he founded the Society of Young Magicians in Canada. He was the first director in Canada, appointed by the Society of American Magicians, and held the position for 15 years. At one time, there were more registered members and chapters of the Society of Young Magicians in Manitoba than any other place in the world. Bill has gone on to create the Interlake Magic Club for people who no longer qualify for the Society of Young Magicians. He created the Philip Hornan scholarship in memory of a young promising magician who passed away at an early age. The scholarship is fully funded by Mr. Brace without any fund-raising. He has been called Canada's greatest magician by friends in the magic circle, not for his performances, but for his countless hours of volunteering to help others.

Saul Cherniack served as a captain in the Intelligence Corps of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. A lawyer by profession, Mr. Cherniack has a history of public service dating back to 1950 when he was elected to the Winnipeg School Board. He served four years as a school trustee, followed by service as a Winnipeg Beach councillor (1958-59), City of Winnipeg alderman (1959-60) and councillor for the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg (1960-62). Mr. Cherniack was first elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1962, was finance minister from 1969 - 1972, and again from 1973 - 1975, when he relinquished the portfolio. As minister for urban affairs he was one of the main architects of the creation of a single city embracing the metropolitan area of Greater Winnipeg. He retired from politics in 1981 when he was appointed Chairman of Manitoba Hydro. In 1984 he was appointed to the Privy Council of Canada and from 1984-92 served on the Security Intelligence Review Committee. Active in the Jewish community, he is a past president of the Winnipeg Jewish Welfare Fund and a past national vice-president of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

Father Darveau served as a priest in Northern Manitoba for more than 50 years. He served the First Nations communities of Brochet, Lac Brochet and Pukatawagan and was instrumental in the development of Lac Brochet. He built four churches in these communities and built and operated a community television station with religious and social aim. As a resident of these communities he also served as a counsellor, dental assistant (before the establishment of the medical outpost) and was a source of strength for the weak, sick and needy. There is an airstrip in Brochet due to his leadership. On more than one occasion he risked his life to rescue people who were snow bound with the temperature exceeding 40 below Celsius. This gentle priest, retired, has left a legacy of love and kindness in Northern Manitoba. His life was a model to the thousands who knew him.

Mrs. Deol, who immigrated to Canada in 1967, is credited with developing the Caroline McMorland School for the Mentally Handicapped in Marathon, Ont., from a church basement operation. This program is now integrated into the local high school system. In 1975 she and her family moved to Beausejour where they operated a farm and became active in the community. She continued as a resource teacher in Beausejour and then at Maples Collegiate until 1991. Mrs. Deol has been involved in a long list of community organizations. Some honors and awards given to Mrs. Deol include Outstanding Community Service Award, Recognition of Service Award and Award Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Sikhs in Canada.

Professor Dhalla established the world-renowned Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, located at the St. Boniface General Hospital Research Centre. He has published 550 research papers and trained 120 scientists and leaders. Dr. Dhalla has served as editor of a major medical journal, edited 34 cardiovascular books and organized several international conferences. He developed two international organizations to promote cardiovascular education and research throughout the world. He has also founded a publicly traded company for cardiovascular drug development. Dr. Dhalla has received 76 honours from countries around the world, including the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, as well as being honoured by several universities.

Tina Keeper is best known by all Canadians for her lead role in the hit CBC series "North of 60", but her roots in the Aboriginal arts community span the last 20 years. She has been involved in countless grassroots theatre and artistic projects. She is a Gemini Award winning actress who has recently expanded her efforts from acting to producing and directing. She has written, directed and produced 13 segments for A-Channel's "The Sharing Circle". A description of Tina Keeper's accomplishments would be incomplete without considering the impact her efforts have had on the Aboriginal community over the years. Among her most recent works is the production and direction of a theatre program for youth on the issue of suicide intervention awareness, which toured Manitoba First Nations communities. She is a notable community leader who has championed the health and well-being of her people. She willingly gives her time to speak with youth in Aboriginal communities about healthy lifestyles.

Raised in Portage la Prairie, Mr. Lyon served a total of 21 years in the legislative assembly of Manitoba and 15 years on the Court of Appeal. First elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1958 he was sworn in as Attorney General at age 31 and became the youngest cabinet minister in the Roblin government. He was re-elected in 1959, 1962 and 1966 - holding the additional portfolios of Public Utilities, Municipal Affairs, Mines and Natural Resources and Tourism and Recreation. In 1975 he became leader of the Progressive Conservative party and from 1977-81 was Premier of Manitoba. It was during Mr. Lyon's term as Premier, and most notably when he was national chair of the Canadian Premiers Conference from 1980-81, that he played a central role in the patriation of the Canadian Constitution. Other accomplishments during his term as Premier included the expansion of community based health services, increasing the availability of social services to those in need and reducing most levels of taxation. His government is also credited with modernizing the financial accountability procedures of government. In 1982 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed Mr. Lyon to the Privy Council of Canada. Mr. Lyon was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1986 and retired from this position earlier this year. He is an active life-long supporter of many wildlife organizations most notably Ducks Unlimited and the Delta Waterfowl Foundation.

Mr. McGuinness has been a publisher and vice-president of Southam Press and vice-president and editor of the Brandon Sun. He has been a freelance writer for Reader's Digest and CBC, and a weekly columnist for community newspapers. He served for 17 years as commentator on rural life for Peter Gzowski's CBC radio show "Morningside". After 15 years as writer-commentator for the weekly CBC radio show, "Neighbourly News from the Prairies," he was invited to write a print version. It continues now, in its 21st year. It appears in 65 community newspapers. He has authored several books on social history. He received the Order of the Buffalo Hunt for being an "interpreter of the rural scene" and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Brandon University for his work as a rural activist. He also received the McWilliams Gold Medal for best Manitoba history book of 1985. He is a director of the International Peace Gardens, Chair of the Building Committee of Keystone Centre, Chair of the Employment Preparation Project, a training centre for Aboriginal single mothers, and a director of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba among others.

Leonore M. Saunders has done a great deal of work to better her community and to enhance the status of women. In 1974, Leonore, then President of the Winnipeg Council of Women, publicly advocated for the formation of the Manitoba Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Leonore has made outstanding contributions to women's equality through her dedication to the councils of women of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada. She has been involved in all three levels of the Council preparing resolutions, presentations and briefs to governments on such issues as immigration, prostitution, pensions, pornography and child care. She has also worked on committees dealing with the environment, home care, medicare, and urban/rural development. Always willing to challenge the status quo, Leonore is an excellent role model for women.

Murray Smith has contributed to excellence in teaching. He has been a leader in the teaching of mathematics. He has been an advocate for teachers and for the rights and well-being of teachers, both active and retired. He has supported women's issues in the teaching profession, advocating for equality in the teaching profession and for women in general. He has advocated for teacher pension issues. He has volunteered many hours of his time working for the Manitoba Society of Seniors, not only in executive positions but also in working with individual seniors assisting them with their income tax returns. Murray Smith has been the President of the Manitoba Teachers'Society and has been on the board of Creative Retirement, an organization involved with learning for and by seniors. Presently he co-chairs the Manitoba Council on Aging. He has worked for teachers and children throughout this province for decades and continues to do so.

Dr. Ursel completed her doctoral work and then published a book on the results, entitled Private Lives, Public Policy: 100 Years of State Intervention in the Family. She has spent most of her life's work at the University of Manitoba and also five years with the provincial government addressing the issue of violence and abuse in our society. In 1990 she was a founder and co-director of a research centre called Family Violence and Violence Against Women (1992 - 1997). She expanded the research centre to become RESOLVE (Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse). She is Director of RESOLVE Manitoba. She has served on the board of Osborne House and Child and Family Services. Dr. Ursel chaired the Lavoie Implementation Committee and all 91 recommendations of that committee have been acted upon. She also served on the City of Winnipeg domestic violence working group that concluded its report in 2000. She has been invited to speak throughout Canada, Australia and China on family violence and she is also a participant on many national research projects.

Monty Hall was born and educated in Winnipeg and went on to a career in broadcasting, rising to world fame as host of one of the longest-running game shows on television, 'Let's Make a Deal'. As the International Ambassador for Variety Clubs International, and as a founding member of the Variety Club of Manitoba, Monty Hall has dedicated himself and worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for disabled and disadvantaged children in our province and around the world. The Variety Club of Manitoba contributed funds to build the CNIB's Children's Room in Winnipeg (for Occupational Therapy services). This donation was made in honour of Monty Hall and his brother Robert Hall, and dedicated to the memory of their parents Rose and Maurice Halparin. Subsequent donations (at Monty Hall's urging) were made to provide new equipment and toys for visually-impaired children using this facility. He maintains a close relationship with his home province and is truly an outstanding ambassador for Manitoba.

Elaine Ali has over 25 years of experience in the broadcast industry and is currently the senior vice-president, CTV Stations Group with overall responsibility for all of CTV's 27 owned-and-operated local stations. Until recently, she was both president of WTN, as well as vice-president and general manager of CKY-TV, the CTV affiliate in Winnipeg. Her passion for the Canadian broadcast industry and more specifically, for the development of women in that industry has made her one of Canada's true pioneers. She has been a member of Canadian Women in Communications since its inception and was the first woman nominated to the board of the Broadcasters Association of Manitoba in 1988. She is dedicated to community work and sits on the board of the United Way of Winnipeg, where she is also vice-chair of the Marketing Committee. She is chair of the Lieutenant-Governor's Youth Experience Program and served on the St. Boniface General Hospital Board from 1997 until 2002.

Leonard Bateman served all his professional life in the energy industry. He was senior engineer for most of the years involving the Nelson River planning studies and implementation. He became CEO of Manitoba Hydro in the 1970's and oversaw the development of the infrastructure upon which the entire present Nelson River electrical output is based and from which it derives its present reliability and profitability. Mr. Bateman provided the engineering leadership to avert the pressures to install coal burning generating plants rather than hydro capacity on the grounds that the coal alternative was less risky and would provide less expensive energy. Twenty-five years (and approx. 450 million tonnes in avoided carbon dioxide emissions) later we can take note of the foregoing with a great sigh of relief. He took the initiative in getting National Energy Board approval for the construction of the major electrical transmission connection with the U.S. This line still provides all of the present capacity to export renewable energy, enabling annual sales of $400 - $500 million per annum. He has been an active member of "Creative Retirement" in recent years.

Art Coulter has worked to promote the City of Winnipeg and its citizens. His contributions have been in the areas of labour relations and social services. He continues to work on behalf of seniors in the community in the areas of housing and safety and remains an advocate for social justice. After serving in the Second World War, Mr. Coulter worked for Canada Malting, the Winnipeg Labour Council and then the Manitoba Federation of Labour. Art Coulter was involved in the politics of the municipal, provincial and national levels. He was elected to Winnipeg City Council in 1958 and then to the Metro Council of Greater Winnipeg. A founding member of the New Democratic Party of Canada, for many years he was official agent for the Honourable Stanley Knowles. A founding member of the United Way of Winnipeg (Chair, 1971), Meals on Wheels, Manitoba Blue Cross (Chair, 1973), Manitoba Medical Services Foundation, Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg (Chair), he has also served on the Board of Directors of St. Boniface General Hospital, Workers Compensation Board (Chair) and the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club.

A Chartered Accountant, Charlie Curtis joined the Finance Department of the Manitoba Government in 1967. He became deputy minister in 1976, a position he held for 20 years, until his retirement in 1996. In April, 1997, Mr. Curtis was appointed as executive-in-residence for the Faculty of Management at the University of Manitoba. He also serves as a member of the boards of Manitoba Hydro Electric, Centra Gas, Crocus Investment Fund, Mizuho Corporate Bank (Canada), Legal Data Resources Corp. and the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange. He is also a member of the Investment Committees of the Civil Service Superannuation Board, Winnipeg Foundation, Museum of Man and Nature, and the Law Society of Manitoba. He has acted as Chairman of Manitoba Hydro, Chief Executive Officer of the Manitoba Energy Authority and Acting Chief Executive Officer of MTX, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Manitoba Telephone System. He is a long time member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg and since 1974 has been the Club's honorary treasurer.

Dr. Du was born in Vietnam and came to Canada in 1962. A very successful pediatrician in Winnipeg, for more than 30 years, he also made regular trips to the North to serve the people of Cross Lake and Norway House. Dr. Du is the President of the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre. He chaired the 50th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusive Act which was repealed in 1947. He was instrumental in having a sculpture commissioned to commemorate the Chinese railway workers. The sculpture was unveiled in June 1998 and is situated in the Leo Mol Garden in Assiniboine Park. Dr. Du initiated, and was successful, in the donation of Pandas for a six month exhibition in Winnipeg in 1989. He has given his time to serve on the boards of a multitude of community organizations. Dr. Du received the Order of Canada in 1985, and has been recognized numerous times with other awards.

Wally Fox-Decent was professor of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba from 1962 - 1995. He has provided exemplary service in management relations as a special mediator and arbitrator in critical labour issues and as chairperson of the province's main advisory committees on labour relations. He chaired the Review Committee on Improving Workplace Safety & Health, the first comprehensive assessment of the act in 25 years, with extensive public hearings and community input. He has mediated a number of difficult management disputes and has led a number of provincial task forces on constitutional reform, national unity and aboriginal child welfare. He has a distinguished military service record. A former Chief of all reserves and cadets for Canadian Forces, he holds the rank of Rear Admiral, Reserve. In 2000, he was General Campaign Chair for the United Way of Manitoba. From 1992 to the present, he has been Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Workers Compensation Board.

Dr. Lorimer is a tireless advocate for improvement in education. He established the Manitoba Association of School Superintendents in 1956 and served as its first president. He was appointed deputy minister of Education in 1967 and served until 1978. He was Superintendent of Schools, Winnipeg School Division No. 1 from 1953-66. He provided leadership to Winnipeg's largest public school system when increased urbanization; industralization and advances in technology challenged its competency to provide students with an appropriate instructional program. Dr. Lorimer provided the leadership needed for the creation of special programs for the gifted, the mentally handicapped, the hard of hearing, the slow learning, the hospitalized, the home-bound and the emotionally disturbed. Under his leadership the first nursery classrooms in Manitoba were established in 1965. He played a key role in establishing a program of adult education in 1966 at Argyle School, and provided leadership to expand the services of the Child Guidance Clinic to include children in other school divisions/districts. A past president of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, he also served as chairperson of the Advisory Board in Manitoba's Department of Education. In 1965, he was elected President of the Canadian Education Association.

Loreena McKennitt is self-managed, self-produced and the head of her own internationally-successful record label Quinlan Road. She has won critical acclaim and multiple sales awards of nearly 13 million albums sold worldwide. She has composed and contributed music for the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, the National Film Board of Canada documentary series Women and Spirituality. Her film soundtrack contributions include Highlander III, The Santa Clause and Jean-Claude Lauzon's feature film Leolo. Television soundtrack use includes TNT's epic miniseries The Mists of Avalon, Due South and Northern Exposure. She is an active member of her community in Stratford, Ontario and oversees several charitable undertakings in the fields of water safety and family, childhood support services. She has supported the Morden United Church Building Fund by hosting a concert and appeared at the opening of the 1996 Manitoba Summer Games held in Morden. Ms. McKennitt was the headline performer for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at the Manitoba Legislative Buildings on October 8, 2002.

Dr. Arnold Naimark is an outstanding educator, administrator, scientist, community leader and the first Chairman of North Portage Development Corporation, Forks Renewal Corporation. Highly regarded nationally, he served as President of the University of Manitoba and is currently Professor of Medicine and Physiology at the University of Manitoba and Director of its Centre for the Advancement of Medicine. Dr. Naimark is the Founding Chairman of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and of the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee. He serves on the Council of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, as a director of the Robarts Research Institute and Genome Prairie and on the national Statistics Council. He is director of several voluntary, public and private sector organizations. Dr. Naimark's current activities are focused on the advancement of scientific research and development, health innovation, institutions and government agencies. He was invested into the Order of Canada in 1991, and has received several honorary degrees and numerous awards.

Neila Premachuk is a true northern pioneer. She came to The Pas from Ukraine in the 1920's. She was a woman entrepreneur before the term was coined. After her husband's death, she ran the local store in The Pas from the early 1920's to 1960 and in Lynn Lake from 1960-75, returning to The Pas in 1980. She also ran a fly-in fishing and hunting lodge, catering to U.S. fisherman in the 1960's and 1970's providing employment to many local hunting and fishing guides. One of the visitors to her fly-in lodge worked for Walt Disney resulting in her being requested by the company to find animals to appear in Disney movies in the 1960's. In the summer of 2000, she was invited to tea at Buckingham Palace to honour her work to develop the north and its residents. She was also honoured by the local RCMP detachment in 1998 for more than 50 years of community service to The Pas.

After losing his right arm in an accident at work, Clarence Tillenius taught himself to paint with his left hand. The work that has resulted is now recognized throughout the world. In 1954, he began a series of large paintings of Canada's wildlife and wilderness landscapes. Hundreds of thousands of reproductions of these paintings and their accompanying texts have been distributed across Canada and around the world. Clarence Tillenius is one of Canada's foremost wildlife artists. He has done beautiful dioramas for the Manitoba Museum and for other museums in Canada and the U.S.A. He has also written several books on wildlife. The Conservatory at Assiniboine Park houses a large collection of his paintings - many of them personally donated by Mr. Tillenius. Mr. Tillenius will be 90 years of age in August, 2003 and still continues to paint.

Phil Fontaine has been an articulate and effective spokesperson for aboriginal peoples in Canada for more than 30 years and has been a unique bridge between aboriginal and non-aboriginal citizens. As Chief of the Sagkeeng First Nation, he revolutionized the educational system on the reserve which later became a model for other reserve communities. He served as Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, from 1990 - 1997. During his term, he negotiated the historic Framework Agreement Initiative which put in place the terms for the ultimate accession to full self-government of the First Nations of Manitoba. In 1997 he was elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations - a position he occupied for three years. During this term he negotiated the founding and funding of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Phil Fontaine has worked tirelessly on behalf of the First Nations peoples of Canada to improve their housing, education, medical care and self respect. He contributes personally, professionally and materially to every good cause. He personally has financed the Southeast Blades of the MJHL and is currently Chief Commissioner of the Specific Claims Commission.

Born in Glenboro, Manitoba, 1938, John Harvard's career has spanned broadcasting, politics and a five-year term as Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba. His volunteer service has benefitted many public agencies. As Manitoba's Lieutenant Governor, June 30, 2004 to August 4, 2009, he celebrated outstanding citizenship and service to the Province of Manitoba, honouring individuals in every part of the province. Elected a Member of Parliament for sixteen years (1988-2004), Mr. Harvard chaired several House of Commons standing, all-party committees: Government Operations; Heritage; and Agriculture. He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers of Public Works, Agriculture and International Trade. In 2001-02, Mr. Harvard chaired the Prime Minister's Task Force on the Four Western Provinces. From 1996 to 2000 he was Chairman of the Canada-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Association and from 2001-2004 he was Chairman of the Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association. Through 2002 and 2003, he was a Member of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and was deeply involved in the Committee's study of Canada's global relations with Islamic countries. Mr. Harvard is currently a Board Member of a number of organizations, including: the Icelandic Foundation, Canada; the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg; Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank's Poverty and Hunger Committee; the Patron's Circle of the Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute; and the Duke of Edinburg Awards. Mr. Harvard also served as Vice-Prior of the Society of St. John. He is a member of the Canadian Club and of Professional and Business Association (PROBIS). His volunteerism with the Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute has involved developing courses, workshops and round-tables since the organization's inception and he has spoken frequently at events for young immigrant students. He has also lectured in the University of Winnipeg's Political Science Department. A member of the Privy Council of Canada, Mr. Harvard was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2004, and while Lieutenant Governor served as the Order's Chancellor. He received the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon in 2000; an Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Manitoba in 2005, and, in 2009, he was inducted as a Knight of the Society of St. John.

Len Cariou has demonstrated excellence and achievement in the visual and performing arts field. His first professional appearance as an actor was at Winnipeg's Rainbow Stage in the 1960 production of "Damn Yankees". He went on to perform for several years at the Manitoba Theatre Centre and from there launched a very extensive acting career at Ontario's Stratford Theatre, the Guthrie in Minneapolis and on Broadway where he stared in two award winning musicals and earned best actor nominations. He returned to Winnipeg and became artistic director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre for the 1975/76 season. Over the years, he has performed in many parts of the world and in many different theatres, movies and television. He has won many awards for his work. He is credited as being one of North America's finest classical actors. He has benefited Manitoba through his outstanding talent and his ongoing commitment to Manitoba and to the arts community in particular. He is honorary chair of the MTC Endowment Fund He played a victim of Alzheimer's and donated his services, raising millions for Alzheimer research. The Winnipeg Chapter of the Alzheimer foundation benefited from a special gala screening of the film.

At age 20, Thérèsa Champagne entered the Congregation of the Missionary Oblate Sisters whose mandate it is to tend to the needs of the poor and make bilingual and religious education a priority. Sister Champagne taught for more than 34 years in public, private and residential schools through the Prairie Provinces. Northern Manitoba needed someone to serve as a pastoral minister to the Cree, Métis and white population living in outlying communities of the Keewatin-LePas Archdiocese. She travels between the communities of Thompson, Thicket Portage and Wabowden ministering to the needs of the community.

Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov has devoted the past decade to palliative care research. His program of research has explored various psychosocial issues in the end of life care. Because of his work, more is known about the prevalence of depression in patients nearing death, and health care providers are better able to detect and treat clinical depression in the terminally ill. His studies on "Desire for Death" (published in the American Journal of Psychiatry) and "Will to Live" (published in The Lancet). The work on depression and suicidal thinking in patients receiving palliative care is bed rock in any consideration of legalizing assisted suicide. This work persuaded the Special Senate Committee, to support improved end-of-life care for all Canadians. His work on dignity is ground breaking. Chochinov and colleagues have brought light, clarity and relevance to this important concept. Dr. Chochinov's work has been widely recognized and he has been the recipient of several awards and honors. He has been a lecturer and invited scholar to most academic institutions across North America and abroad. He has been a Medical Research Council of Canada Scientist, and a Canadian Institute of Health Research Investigator. He is the recipient of this country's only Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care, and with recent funding has established one of Canada's only palliative care research units designated to study psychosocial issues as they pertain to end of life care. He has spearheaded the development and launch of the Canadian Virtual Hospice, an interactive network for patients, families and health care providers, dealing with life-threatening illness and loss.

Dr. Friesen is a highly qualified doctor who received his MD degree in 1958 from the University of Manitoba and was trained as an endocrinologist at the New England Medical Center in Boston. His research work on growth hormones at McGill University resulted in the therapy of growth hormone in dwarf children, which treatment is now being used all over the world. Among in his peers, he is considered a “living legend" in the field of endocrinology due to his research into the isolation and purification of human prolactin, which stimulated numerous investigators to study the characteristics and mechanisms of action of this hormone. His research showed that an excessive amount of circulating prolactin was responsible for infertility in women. This laid the foundation for the development of a highly effective drug "Bromocriptine" for the treatment of infertility. He is the author of more than 460 publications in the field of endocrinology. He serves as President of the Medical Research Council and was a prime moving force for starting the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He is the Founding Chair of Genome Canada and has served as President of several other national organizations.

Virginia Guiang immigrated to Winnipeg in 1969 from the Philippines. A teacher by profession she has volunteered and contributed to her community in the following ways: A founding member of the Cosmopolitan Group of Winnipeg, she served as president of the Philippine Association of Winnipeg (1988-91) and, cultural director of the Philippine Folk Dance Ensemble (1970-78). She is a founder and adviser of the Filipino Domestic Workers Assoc. of Manitoba and a founding member of the Coalition of Filipino-Canadians on Violence Prevention, 1995. Serving as a member of the Mayor’s Race Relations Committee (1986-1990), she is also a tireless supporter of the Manitoba Women’s Advisory Council, Multicultural Grants Advisory Council and the Board of Directors of St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation. She initiated and played a role in the acquisition of the new Philippine Cultural Centre, where she introduced and teaches citizenship classes, English as a Second Language, organized an annual event for Filipino Seniors, and teaches the Pilipino language at the Centre. She has successfully organized and run a campaign for clemency on behalf of a Filipino domestic worker sentenced to die in the United Arab Emirates as well as prayer vigil's for others in need.

The Honourable Benjamin Hewak is a former Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba, having served in that capacity for 17 years. Prior to that, he served as a Judge in both the County Court of Winnipeg and the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba. He is the first person of Ukrainian descent to have held the position of Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench in Manitoba. Under his term as Chief Justice, he brought significant changes and improvements. It has been said of that that "he has changed the face of the court system in this Province and changed and improved the system of justice in Manitoba." He has served his community in the following ways: former Alderman of the City of West Kildonan; former President of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation; former Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors of Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble; former President and Member of Hoosli Ukrainian Male Chorus; former Chairman of the Seven Oaks Hospital Foundation; former Member of the Holy Family Nursing Home Advisory Board; former Member of St. Andrews College Advisory Board; former Member of Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Cultural Centre (Oseredok) and Member of the Canadian Judicial Counsel He is a recipient of a Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Manitoba and was inducted into the Hall of Distinction of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival

Vern Hildahl served in the armed forces during World War II. He coached and managed many community sports teams, was a founder of the Harrow Recreation Centre, the first president of the Harrow School Parents Association, a Boy Scout Leader and active on the executive of his church. In 1945 he joined the Canadian Forestry Service. In a career that spanned 35 years with the federal government and 10 years in a shared position with the Manitoba government and City of Winnipeg, Vern conducted research and contributed scientific papers on Forest Tent Caterpillar, Cankerous and Spruce Bud Worm infestations. It was his contribution to the understanding of Dutch elm disease that earned him international recognition. During the 1950's, Eastern Canada and the U.S. saw its American Elms obliterated by Dutch elm disease. Vern Hildahl extensively researched the outbreak of the disease and became convinced the Native Elm Bark Beetle, an insect that had been here long before the outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease was responsible. Scientists from all over North America and Europe were coming to Winnipeg to hear Vern Hildahl lecture on the subject. He convinced local authorities to commit funds to his program to control the disease by an aggressive sanitation program which involved pruning dead branches from trees, removing dead trees and properly disposing of elm wood. Cities like Winnipeg, Chicago, and Syracuse implemented his program, the loss of elms was around 2% per year, compared to 95% loss in other communities who did not implement his program.

Born in Israel, Sam Katz moved to Winnipeg in 1951. He is president and owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club. He is credited with the construction of Winnipeg's ballpark, CanWest Global Park, home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club. Mr. Katz has made CanWest Global Park "fan friendly", encouraging family attendance. The architecture of the park has included not only a park-like setting but also a view of Winnipeg's skyline, reflecting his concern for the enhancement and beautification of the city. Sam Katz is the founder of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Field of Dreams Foundation which has donated over $150,000 to charities and non-profit organizations. Other interests have included President and CEO of Showtime Productions, co-founder Walker Theatre Performing Arts Group, and CEO of Nite Out Entertainment. Other business interests include Lemax Manufacturing, Rumor's Comedy Club, Grapes Restaurant, Green Gates Restaurant and Pasta la Vista. He is listed in "Manitoba 125 - A History, Volume 3 Decades of Diversity" as one of history's 125 most influential Manitobans.

In private enterprise and in voluntary service, Arthur Mauro has contributed to the economic, civic and cultural life of Manitoba. His contributions span the law, higher education, charities, health services, advanced research, national and provincial aspects of public policy sport, aboriginal affairs, community development, business development, the fine arts, and national unity. As a lawyer, he is a leading expert in the field of transportation, especially as it relates to the North, and he is counsel to Manitoba's largest law firm, Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson. He was the CEO of Investors Group and a director of a number of Canada's major businesses. As an educator, he has been a lecturer and Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. The son of Italian immigrants, he has served as Honourary Vice Consul of Italy. His community service record includes serving as: chair of Winnipeg Community Chest, chair of St. Paul's College Board of Directors, chair Winnipeg Art Gallery Foundation Inc., chair Province of Manitoba Skills Training Advisory Committee, chair 1991 Grey Cup Festival Committee, hair of the Board of St. Boniface Hospital, chair Winnipeg Jets Steering Committee, chair of Negotiations on Internal Trade, chair The Catholic Foundation of Manitoba, deputy chair of St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation, president of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, director of North Portage Development Corporation, director Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, member - Dorais Charities Inc., member - The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, director - Business Council of Manitoba, member - The Council for Canadian Unity, member - Winnipeg Millennium Council.

Don Robertson, a Cree from Norway House became an ordained United Church Minister and dedicated his life to the welfare of his people. He has been particularly committed to education. Prior to his work in the field of post-secondary education, Dr. Robertson served in pastorates in Melita and Russell, Manitoba. At Brandon University, he was the director of the Indian-Metis Project for Action in Careers through Teacher Education, and the Director of the Brandon University Northern Teacher Education Program, sometimes called BUNTEP. At Red River College, Dr. Robertson served as the Dean of Aboriginal Education and Institutional Diversity. He has served as the Superintendent of the Manitoba Indian Education Association and the Director of Education for the Island Lake Tribal Council. Prior to his retirement in 2002, he served as the Executive Director of the First Nations Education Resource Centre for two years. In 1999 Dr. Robertson was named Chair of the Council on Post-Secondary Education (COPSE) and has served with great distinction.

Val Werier was born and raised in Winnipeg. He served as a navigator in the RCAF in Bomber Command in the Second World War, completing a tour of operations overseas with the rank of flying officer. After the war, he joined the Winnipeg Tribune as a reporter. In turn, he became city editor, news editor, associate editor and columnist. When the Tribune folded he became a columnist with the Winnipeg Free Press, a position he still holds. He has written extensively on heritage and the natural and physical environment, long before they became popular causes. He has received many national awards. His writings have had a profound impact on the community, resulting in social and environmental changes in Manitoba. With a deep affection for the province, he has championed the protection of Lake Winnipeg, as well as Manitoba's parks and waterways. He has written about the vulnerable in society over his 55 year career.

June Marion James was born in Trinidad & Tobago where she completed her elementary and secondary schooling. Arriving in Manitoba in 1960, she graduated with her M.D. from the University of Manitoba in 1967. She holds Specialist Certificates in Pediatrics and Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology for which she was named a Fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Canada) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. An Assistant Professor in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. James runs a private practice at the Winnipeg Clinic. Since her election to the Clinic’s Executive Council in 1999, she has held a series of positions there, becoming Chairman and President of the Winnipeg Clinic Medical Corporation in 2003. Dr. James was also elected as Councillor of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba in 1994, where she held a number of positions, including President of the College for the 2001/2002 term. Apart from her professional contributions, she has made significant contributions to the community as a member of the board of a number of organizations. She was involved with the Caribbean Canadian Association in a variety of executive positions, was a charter member of the Congress of Black Women (Manitoba Chapter) and played an integral role in the development of the Harambee Housing Corporation. Other Board memberships include -- the Winnipeg Foundation, the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation and the James Robinson Chair of Black Studies, Dalhousie University. She has served as President of the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature and the Manitoba Museum Foundation. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards recognizing her contributions to both her profession and community, including, The Schering Fellow Travel Award and the Cross of Lorraine, presented by the Canadian Lung Association, Asthma Program.

Born in Winnipeg, Randy Bachman has become a legendary figure in the rock-and-roll world through his talents as a guitarist, songwriter, performer and producer. He has earned over 120 gold and platinum album and singles awards. His songwriting has garnered him the coveted number one spot on radio play lists in over 20 countries and he has amassed over 40 million records sold. His songs have been recorded by numerous other artists and placed in dozens of television, movie and commercial soundtracks. His first scored Billboard radio chart success was with The Guess Who in 1965 performing the song Shakin’ All Over. The Guess Who went on to virtually own the pop charts with an unprecedented run of five million-selling singles, all the product of the gold-plated Randy Bachman-Burton Cummings songwriting team. By 1970, The Guess Who had sold more records than the entire Canadian recording industry to that point, even outselling The Beatles that year. Bachman left The Guess Who at the height of their success to spend more time with his family. He formed Brave Belt in 1970 and eventually Bachman-Turner Overdrive eclipsing his earlier triumphs. Randy Bachman has played an integral role in the evolution and growth of the Canadian music industry and continues to serve as both an inspiration and impetus for others to succeed.

Gladys Evelyn Taylor-Cook has volunteered with and been a mentor to troubled Aboriginal youth and adults throughout Manitoba for nearly three decades. A recognized First Nations Dakota elder for 18 of those years, she is a role model in First Nations communities. For the past 26 years, she has spent an average of three days a week volunteering at the Agassi Youth Centre and the Women's Correctional Institute in Portage la Prairie. Acting as both an advisor and mother figure, she forms a special bond with the inmates whom she assists on their journey to recovery. She has also participated in numerous sharing circles for sexually-abused inmates. In addition, over the past 30 years, Taylor-Cook has been a volunteer with the St. Mary's Anglican Church in Portage la Prairie and the United Church in Beausejour. For 12 years, she has been a respected member of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP). She has received numerous awards for her volunteerism including the Governor General’s Award, the Order of Rupertsland and the Manitoba Volunteer of the Year.

Dr. Albert D. Friesen, who holds a PhD in protein chemistry, is largely regarded as a founding father of biotechnology in Manitoba. He was the first full-time employee and eventual president of the Rh Institute, overseeing the development and pharmaceutical approval of WinRho for the treatment of Rh disease in unborn and newborn infants. He has been instrumental in the founding and early stage development of several other health-industry companies including ABI Biotechnology, Viventia Biotech Inc., Genesys Pharma Inc., Medicure Inc., the Manitoba Science and Technology Fund, DiaMedica Inc. and Genesys Venture Inc., a life-sciences startup incubator. The founder of the Industrial Biotechnology Association of Canada (IBAC) and past chair of its board of directors, his other significant contributions include being:

• A former member of the Manitoba Health Research Task Group, Economic Innovation and Technology Council, National Planning Council, XVII World Congress of the International Society for Heart Research and the committee to establish the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg.
• A former member of the board, Canadian Hemophilia Society (Manitoba Chapter) and the Manitoba Health Research Council and a former chair of the Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship.
• The current director and chair of the board of Wellington Mennonite Personal Care Inc., director of the board of the Eden Foundation and chair of the Business of Science Symposium (Winnipeg). His also a current member of the American Heart Association, the Aboriginal Summit Steering Committee and the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council.

Irene Grant’s efforts on behalf of women span over 70 years, nearly six decades of which were as a member of the Business and Professional Women's (BPW) Club of Winnipeg. She joined the BPW in 1945 when she returned from service with the navy WRENs. In 1945, when she resumed her teaching career, she broke the barrier that kept married women from teaching in Winnipeg. Active with the Manitoba Teachers Society since the 1950s, she served on the committee that was instrumental in changing the retirement policy forcing women to retire at age 60, five years earlier than their male counterparts. She also worked successfully towards achieving pay equity. Grant has represented the BPW at the local, provincial and national levels, serving as president of the Winnipeg club and on the provincial executive as well as being programs and projects chair on the national board. During this time, she helped lead BPW's sponsorship of numerous workshops and seminars addressing the needs of working women. Grant also worked with the Family Law Reform Committee to effect passage of the Family Maintenance Act and the Marital Property Act and, from 1972 to 1982, she was the citizen’s advisor to Legal Aid Manitoba. She helped found the Fort Garry Women's Resource Centre and presented at the 1978 federal Task Force on Canadian Unity. For 12 years, she served as a member of the Land Use Committee of the Manitoba Environmental Council and chaired the environment committee for the Provincial Council of Women of Manitoba for a three-year period. Other awards and honours include the Government of Canada Person’s Day Award, a life membership in the International Peace Gardens and a life membership in the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs.

Dr. Chander Kanta Gupta is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Manitoba and the only recognized uro-gynecologist in the province. She is active on the staff of the St. Boniface, Victoria and Seven Oaks general hospitals as well as the Health Sciences Centre. She is highly regarded for the outstanding contributions she has made to women's health in Manitoba in her roles as clinician, teacher, role model, mentor, patient advocate and lobbyist. She was a pioneer in performing Manitoba's first tension-free vaginal-tear (TVT) procedure to correct urinary incontinence in females. This minimally-invasive procedure has improved the quality of life for countless women, allowing them to regain their self-confidence and self-respect. Gupta has also been an active member and proponent of Manitoba's Hindu Community for more than 30 years and has served on the board of the India School of Dance, Music and Theatre. Other awards and honours include: the 2004 Manitoba Medical Association Physician of the Year Award and the 2001 and 1994 Teacher of the Year Award given by the department of obstetrics and gynecology.

Edward Head, honorary senator of Manitoba's Métis Nation, has enriched communities across Manitoba while working tirelessly towards the betterment of his people. He has known their struggles and rose to be a leader in Manitoba, serving as president of the Manitoba Métis Federation from 1975 to 1976 and continuing to act as a mentor and leader within the organization ever since. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of Native Communications Incorporated (NCI). He has provided strong leadership on issues of Métis hunting rights, for which he was named the lead commissioner for the Commission for the Métis Laws of the Hunt. Today, Head provides advice and works on many of the issues faced in natural resources including co-management and Manitoba Hydro. He is also active with the Métis Survivor Family Wellness Program.

Terry Hind has served the people of Manitoba through his exemplary career and also in his service to many charitable and sporting organizations. In 1954, he became the general manager of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club and developed the organization through nine years of service. He was elected a City of Winnipeg alderman from 1962 to 1965. He also served the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as assistant general manager and general manager until 1970. He was instrumental in establishing juvenile, junior and senior baseball league teams and serving as coach and manager of many championship teams. He was a gifted pitcher in senior leagues. He was general manager of the Winnipeg Maroons hockey team which won the Allen Cup in 1964 and was responsible for taking the Maroons to Europe on two occasions to play against European teams. He has contributed to many charitable organizations including:

• Winnipeg Harvest, member of the Sunshine Club fundraiser
• Manitoba Marathon, board chair
• Meals on Wheels, board member for three years
• Sir Hugh John McDonald Memorial Hostel for Wayward Boys, eight years
• United Way of Winnipeg, Speakers Bureau chair
• Member of the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Hockey Foundation.

Martin Johnson is a former battalion chief with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service who has made a mark on Manitoba and its people in a number of ways. When he retired in 2003, Johnson had been a firefighter for more than 40 years, 25 of which he served as a union executive holding positions from vice-president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg to president of the Manitoba Professional Fire Fighters Association. He was an originating member of the Winnipeg Firefighter Safety Committee and is considered directly responsible for the advancement of safety for firefighters in Manitoba. The founder of the Firefighters Burn Fund, he has also been its leader for the past 27 years. The burn fund has raised millions of dollars for burn treatment and fire and burn prevention. It has created two burn units in Winnipeg – the Manitoba Firefighters Burn unit (adults) and the Firefighters Burn Fund Children's Burn Unit – which serve the citizens of Manitoba, northwest Ontario and Nunavut. The charity has also purchased advanced burn-care equipment for Winnipeg hospitals and has funded advanced training for many of Manitoba's burn ward doctors and nurses at courses throughout North America. Johnson was also instrumental in founding the Burn Camp, the first firefighter-sponsored camp of its kind in North America, where child burn survivors are able to enjoy a normal camp experience while learning to deal with the traumatic physical and psychological scars caused by a serious burn. Today, there are over three dozen Children's burn camps in North America and the concept has spread to Europe and Asia. Johnson has been a cub leader (nine years), a past president of the Winnipeg Ringette League and a ringette ice convener for Transcona. As the past president of the Manitoba Professional Fire Fighters Association, he advocated and lobbied for the reinstatement of heart and lung coverage under the Workers Compensation Act. Johnson accepted the Laureate Award of Excellence from the Health Sciences Centre Research Foundation on behalf of the Firefighters Burn Fund.

A Cree from Grand Rapids, Man., by the late 1960s, Ovide Mercredi had begun his role as a political advocate for First Nations Peoples. A graduate of the University of Manitoba faculty of law (1977), he is well-recognized on the national stage as a lawyer, a negotiator and an activist who believes in Mahatma Gandhi's approach to political activism. He served two terms (1991-1997) as the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), becoming the longest-serving national chief. Actively involved with the constitutional law and Aboriginal constitutional reform issues, in 1992 he led the First Nations delegation during the constitutional discussions that resulted in the Charlottetown Accord which recognized a legal duty to honour treaties and Aboriginal self-government as a distinct third order of government. Prior to his election as national chief, Mercredi served as AFN vice-chief for the Manitoba region and was an active member of the AFN national executive committee. In 1989, he represented the AFN in Geneva, seeking improvements to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. He also acted as AFN spokesperson and representative at the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Working Group. He has served as commissioner of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. He was also a member of the Alcoholism Foundation of Manitoba and the Senate ad hoc Committee on Native Studies. He has spoken in India, Australia, Great Britain, Scotland and Germany, and has lectured at various American universities. He published a collection of his speeches in his book In the Rapids – Navigating the Future of First Nations. Mercredi is currently a professor of native studies at the University of Sudbury. Other awards and honours include an honourary doctorate in civil law from Bishop’s University in Quebec (1994); the Thakore Foundation Award in recognition of his work toward the accomplishment of justice and self-government for First Nations Peoples in Canada (1993); an honourary doctorate in civil law from St. Mary's University in Halifax (1992) and a nomination by the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation for World Peace for the Gandhi Prize.

Former chairman of James Richardson & Sons Limited, his business dealings covered grain, oil and gas, real estate, securities, pipeline construction, freight hauling and the airline industries. He also served on the boards of many national companies and was the first Canadian born governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. His community affiliations include the University of Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, The Manitoba Theatre Centre, St. John’s Ravenscourt School, the North American Wildlife Federation and the Western Canada Aviation Museum.

Glenora Slimmon was raised in Saskatchewan and began her career of service there working for the 4-H Extension Division of the University of Saskatchewan until 1957 when she took the position of women's editor with Country Guide magazine. Her next position was with Federated Co-operatives. She was president of the Consumers’ Association of Canada from 1966 to 1969. From 1972 to 1974 she worked with the Barbados government on a CIDA-sponsored project. This was followed by three years with CUSO during which she organized the farmers of Barbados into co-operative production and marketing groups. In 1977, she and her husband retired to Brandon where she continued her co-operative development activities with Westman Media Co-operative, Brandon Farmers’ Market (as a founder), Seniors for Seniors Co-op Inc. and Parkview Housing Co-op. She has continued her association with Seniors for Seniors as the full-time volunteer director. She also sits on a number of regional health committees.

Maurice Strong, a senior advisor to the secretary-general of the United Nations and former senior advisor to the president of the World Bank, is one of the world’s most influential political and environmental activists. Strong served on the board of directors of the United Nations Foundation, a UN-affiliated organization established by Ted Turner’s historic $1-billion donation. He is also a director of the World Economic Forum Foundation, chair of the Earth Council, former chair of the Stockholm Environment Institute and former chair of the World Resources Institute. Born in Oak Lake, Man., Strong has amassed a fortune in a career spanning over five decades at some of Canada's most prestigious companies. He has run several companies in the energy and resources sector including the Power Corporation of Canada, Ontario Hydro and Petro-Canada. He is currently the chair of Technology Development, Inc., which funds research in the groundbreaking field of applying nanotechnology towards creating affordable and eco-friendly energy sources. In 1970, he led the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Geneva, after which he became the executive director of the UN's environmental program. Strong also co ordinated the UN's emergency relief efforts in Africa in the mid-80s and was in charge of the historic 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. He recently took part in the reorganization of the UN's University for Peace, located in Costa Rica, and continues to help the university redefine its mission for the 21st century. Other awards and honours include appointment as a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1999 and being chosen to receive the Distinguished Canadian Leadership Award in 2003.

Neil Bardal, a third-generation funeral director (Neil Bardal Inc.) and proud Icelandic Canadian, has been a leader in the Canadian Icelandic community and a major force in promoting the Icelandic culture and history of Manitoba. He is a former honorary consul general of Iceland (Gimli) and past president of the Icelandic National League of North America. Director of the Canada Iceland Foundation and a cabinet member of Valuing Icelandic Presence at the University of Manitoba, he has also given much to the wider Manitoba community including being a member of the Rotary Club and the board of Riverview Health Centre Foundation. The son of a Hong Kong veteran, he stays keenly involved in the activities of the Hong Kong Veterans Association. Bardal lives in Husavik, just south of Gimli. In 2000, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon, the highest honour bestowed by Iceland.

An Olympic medalist on the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Botterill has played on Canadian teams in four world championships as well as starring on the Harvard University women’s hockey team for four years. In 2001, she was named Manitoba’s female athlete of the year, tournament MVP in the hockey world championships and the Patty Kazmaier Award winner as the most valuable player in U.S. women’s college hockey. A silver medal winner at her first Olympics at Nagano in 1998 and a core player on the gold medal team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Botterill made her third Olympic appearance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and, with two assists in the final game, helped lead the Canadian women’s team to yet another gold medal.

22nd lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1999 to 2004.

Albert Cerilli has devoted his life to improving the lives of working people in Manitoba through his activism and commitment to human rights and social justice. A former regional vice-president of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers, his efforts to improve labour conditions began in 1950 when, as an employee of the Canadian National Railway, he worked to achieve a five-day, 40-hour work week and to ensure that placement, wages and bargaining rights were free of discrimination. After retiring from the Manitoba Federation of Labour, he served as president of the Manitoba Federation of Union Retirees and on the Executive Committee of the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada. In 1994, he became the first labour scholar-in-residence in the labour studies program at the University of Manitoba and was also integral to the development of the high-school Workers of Tomorrow Program which increases student awareness of workplace health and safety issues.

Eileen Collins has demonstrated a life-long commitment to her community. Indeed, there are few organizations, facilities or events in Pilot Mound and the surrounding area in which she has not played a leadership role. She was instrumental in the formation of the Pilot Mound Housing Corporation as well as the Fraser Development Corporation and she currently serves on the board of the corporation involved in the construction of a $2.2-million Millennium Recreation Complex. Throughout, she has promoted the use of local contractors and tradespeople. Her community service also includes being past chair and 17-year trustee of the Pilot Mound School Board, member and committee chair of the Pilot Mound and District Chamber of Commerce, secretary of the Pilot Mound Community Development Corporation and president and long-standing member of the Hospital Aid organization.

22nd lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1999 to 2004.

Manitoba’s Clara Hughes is one of only four people to ever win a medal at both a summer and winter Olympics. Growing up playing hockey and ringette in Winnipeg, she earned a silver medal at the national championships in her first year of speed skating. When the provincial speed-skating program folded, she became a cyclist and won two Olympic bronze medals at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. After her second Olympic Games in Sydney, she returned to speed skating and won a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and, in 2006, was awarded a gold and silver medal at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Following her medal victories, she generously donated $10,000 to the Right to Play non-profit charity, an organization that uses sports and play programs to help improve the lives of disadvantaged children in the Third World.

Winnipeg speed skater Cindy Klassen was the most decorated skater at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, winning five medals: one gold, two silver and two bronze, the most ever achieved by a Canadian athlete in a single Olympic Games. She was also chosen the Canadian flag-bearer at the games’ closing ceremonies. A bronze medal recipient at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics in the 3,000 metre speed-skating event, she went on to receive the overall title at the World Speed Skating Championship in 2003. An outstanding 2005 season, which saw her set four world records and win eight world medals, culminated in her being chosen for the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award by the Canadian Press as Canada’s athlete of the year. Fresh from her Olympic triumphs, Klassen won the gold medal in the women’s 3,000 metres at the speed skating World Cup Final held in the Netherlands in March 2006.

A Dakota elder, Rev. Donald Pratt is recognized throughout his community and nation for helping to keep the Dakota culture and language alive through his ministry and community service. Born in 1918, he briefly attended Elkhorn Residential School and, with only a Grade 3 education, continued to teach himself. He was ordained an Anglican Minister in 1974. He worked for the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, the St. Alban’s Parish in Oak Lake, as well as many First Nations in Canada and the United States. He is a respected historian and translator of documents from English to Dakota and vice versa for several organizations. He worked with the Sioux Valley Dakota Oyate government as a committee member and elder until 2003 and currently sits on the Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services board as one of the elders. Now retired, he continues to minister at St. Luke’s Anglican Church and offers his services whenever called upon.

In the mid 1970s, Len Smith of Churchill envisaged the creation of a tundra vehicle from which people could safely view polar bears in their natural environment. A mechanic with the Department of Public Works at Fort Churchill at the time, he first converted an old school bus, combining it with parts of a gravel truck, a snowplow, a front-end loader and the tires from a crop sprayer to thrust the homemade wide-body cab three metres into the air, safely out of reach of curious bears, to create the first Tundra Buggy. Since then, his Tundra Buggy Tours have come to attract 9,000 to 10,000 international visitors a year to Churchill, the Polar Bear Capital of the World. An essential part of Churchill’s economic viability, the polar bear tours also benefit other Manitoba communities such as Thompson and Winnipeg. In 2003, Frontiers North Adventures assumed majority ownership of Churchill’s Tundra Buggy company which continues to thrive. In 2004, Smith was recognized by the minister of culture, heritage and tourism and Mayor Michael Spence for his outstanding contribution to the Churchill tourism industry. Today, Smith is retired and lives in Florida.

Winnipeg’s own rock-and-roll legend, Neil Young has made an outstanding contribution to the field of music, while giving his time and energy to help people in need. Born in Toronto in 1945, he moved with his mother to Winnipeg in the 1960s where he formed Winnipeg-based bands The Esquires, The Classics and Neil Young and the Squires. A former member of Buffalo Springfield and Crazy Horse, he also performed with super group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for more than 30 years. A three-time Juno Award winner and member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, he was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1985, after participating in England’s Live Aid benefit concert, he became, along with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, a founding member of Farm Aid and continues to sit on its board. In 2005, Young participated in the Canadian segment of the Live 8 concert to promote the elimination of world poverty. In addition, with his wife Pegi in 1986, he founded the Bridge School for children with speech and other physical impairments for which he continues to organize and hold an annual benefit concert.

Evelyn Hart is the internationally renowned, former principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet who has shared her gift of ballet with the citizens of Manitoba and the world for almost 30 years. Beginning her dance training at the Dorothy Carter School of Dance in London at the age of 14, Miss Hart came to Winnipeg in 1973 to study at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Professional Division. She joined the Corps de Ballet in 1976, was promoted to soloist in 1978 and became principal dancer in 1979. In 1980, after winning a bronze medal at the World Ballet Concours in Japan, she came to international attention when she became the first Canadian to be awarded a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. Since then, she has received numerous other awards and honours, including her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1983 and promotion to Companion of the Order in 1994. She was named Manitoba’s Woman of the Year in 1987, and received honorary doctorates from the University of Manitoba and McMaster University in Ontario. In 2000, she was given the Chalmers Award for her contribution to dance in Canada. She was also inducted into Canada’s prestigious Walk of Fame on June 23, 2000 and received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2001. Evelyn Hart has toured throughout North America, Europe and Asia with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and has also appeared as a guest artist with leading ballet companies throughout the world. Despite a demanding schedule, she has always made time to support fundraising events and charities in Manitoba and Canada, including acting as co-chair of Manitoba’s Heart and Stroke Capital Campaign.

Gail Asper is president of CanWest Global Foundation, corporate secretary of CanWest Global Communications Corp. and managing director of The Asper Foundation which is currently spearheading the establishment of the $311-million Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. Asper is well known for her support of the arts and her volunteer efforts encompass a myriad of causes. She has served on the boards of numerous not-for-profit groups and was the 2002 campaign chair for the Winnipeg United Way Campaign which raised a record $13.8 million under her leadership and is now president of the board of United Way. She has also served as president of Manitoba Theatre Centre and co-chaired its successful $6-million capital campaign and ongoing $10-million endowment campaign. She sits on the board of directors for the National Arts Centre Foundation and is a governor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among numerous honours, she is the recipient of the YMCA/YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Community Voluntarism (2002); the Children’s Charity of Manitoba, Gold Heart Humanitarian of the Year Award (2004); and the Governor General’s Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts (2005).

22nd lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1999 to 2004.

22nd lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1999 to 2004.

A registered Engineer by profession, Mr. Filmon served as a member of the Winnipeg City Council prior to his first being elected to the Manitoba Legislature in 1979. He served as leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party from 1983 until his retirement from politics in 2000. Mr. Filmon served as Premier of Manitoba from 1988 to 1999. During this time, he led the province through difficult constitutional discussions and directly contributed to the economic and social progress of our province. Among his community activities, he has served as President of the University of Manitoba Alumni Association, President of the Association of Canadian Career Colleges, Member of the Senate of the University of Manitoba, Director of the Administrative Management Society and Director of the Red River Exhibition Board.

Born and raised in Altona, Elmer Hildebrand is one of Manitoba’s broadcasting pioneers. He started work with Golden West Broadcasting in 1957 and became general manager in 1965. Under his leadership, the company grew from two AM stations in Altona and Steinbach to a chain of 28 radio stations across the prairies. He is a founding member and past president of the Broadcasters Association of Manitoba and served as president of the Western Association of Broadcasters and chair of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. A strong supporter of communities across southern Manitoba, he is president of Altona Mall Developments and Elmer Hildebrand Communications Inc., which owns three additional radio stations in Saskatoon, Sask. He built the first shopping mall in southern Manitoba, and served as president and commissioner of the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League for many years. In 1997, he was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Radio Southern Manitoba and Hildebrand has been there for every one of those years.

22nd lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1999 to 2004.

Former Lynn Lake resident Lynn Johnston has been entertaining and educating newspaper readers in 23 countries for more than 25 years with her For Better or Worse comic strip detailing stories of the fictional ‘Pattersons’ based on her own family. Syndicated in more than 2,000 papers reaching a potential 220 million readers every day, it is proudly Canadian and extremely sensitive to social and cultural concerns. Recent story lines have included student teaching in a northern community and visits to relatives in rural Manitoba. Johnston was the first female and first Canadian winner of the Reuben Award and was honoured as Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonist Society in the United States, which also recognized her work in 1992 as the Best Syndicated Comic Strip. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1991 and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1994.

A member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, Verna J. Kirkness is associate professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia. A leading advocate of Aboriginal education, her work has gained international acclaim. Beginning in 1954 she taught in provincial, then federal day and residential schools in Manitoba. In the 70s, she was instrumental in introducing Cree and Ojibway as languages of instruction in several Manitoba schools. Kirkness went to UBC in 1981 where, under her leadership, the Native Indian Teacher Education Program became one of the most successful in the country. In 1987, as the first director of the First Nations House of Learning, she worked to extend support to all Aboriginal students at UBC and oversaw the First Nations longhouse project. She is a member of the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation and the Council on Ph.D. Studies for Aboriginal Scholars at the University of Manitoba, founder of the World Indigenous People’s Education Conference and has been published extensively including seven books. Kirkness was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1998.

An economist with a keen research mind, Dr. S. June Menzies has spent decades tirelessly advocating for women and social justice. In the 1960s and 70s, she sensitized the public and pushed the government for the need to reform family law so women, at the time of divorce, would share equally in the accumulated benefits from a marriage. One of the first to tackle violence against women in the home, she dedicated half her family business space to create the first women’s shelter, Osborne House. She was central to the development of the original Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women, responsible for the framework for the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the first vice-president of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women. Recently president of the Life Members of the Provincial Councils of Women of Manitoba and volunteer and board member at the West Broadway Community Ministry Outreach program, she is currently a strong voice working for reform in mental health and governmental accountability in Manitoba. She was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1980.

Ken ‘Kenny’ Ploen is an icon in Manitoba’s sports history whose celebrated 11 years as quarterback with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are legendary. Born and raised in Iowa, after his entry in the Canadian Football League he made Manitoba his home. Fifty years ago, in 1957, he was recruited to Winnipeg from the University of Iowa Hawkeyes by new Blue Bomber head coach Bud Grant. From 1957 to 1967, he led the Bombers to six Grey Cup appearances and four victories. On retiring in 1967, his impressive stats included 1,080 completions of 1,916 passes attempted for 16,470 yards and 119 touchdown passes, making him the sixth all-time CFL passer and fifth all-time Bomber rusher with 2,931 yards. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1975, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1997, among other tributes. Since retirement, Ploen has been involved in numerous volunteer and charitable activities including Folklorama and the Winnipeg Humane Society as well as serving on the boards of the Manitoba Heart Foundation, the former Society for Crippled Children and Adults of Manitoba and Rainbow Stage.

During a more than 30-year career with the Political Studies Department at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Paul G. Thomas has significantly contributed to the field of public administration in Manitoba and Canada. Appointed the university’s first Duff Roblin Professor in Government in 1999, he received two university-wide teaching awards, is widely cited for his analyses of the activities of federal and provincial institutions, and has become an invaluable advisor to government departments and a respected political commentator on public governance. He has led or participated in public inquiries on health care, economic growth, urban governance, electoral reform and access to information. He served as an advisor to three committees of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and was the first chair of the Order of Manitoba Advisory Council. Presently, Thomas serves as first chair of the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety and the Government of Manitoba Regional Planning Advisory Committee and acts as a consultant to the Manitoba Aboriginal Justice Implementation Committee. In 2003, he was awarded the Vanier Medal by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, one of the highest recognitions for Canadian public administrators.

A member of the St. Theresa Point First Nation and respected elder, Ed Wood has dedicated his life to the betterment of the people of Island Lake and, more broadly, the First Nations people of Manitoba and Canada. Fluent in his own language of Oji-Cree and throughout a more than 50-year career, he has worked to promote and preserve Aboriginal culture in Manitoba. Stressing the importance of education, he has been actively engaged in efforts to pass on the language and traditional way of life to the youth of Island Lake. He has assisted Island Lake communities in the areas of health services, housing needs, political and economic development, and treaty land entitlement. The recipient of the Indian Business Development Group’s Businessman of the Year Award (1985), Wood currently serves as associate chair of the East Side Planning Initiative, the Wabanong Nakaygum Okimawin (WNO). A member of Manitoba’s Aboriginal Resource Council, he has been a consultant on First Nations governance, an advisor on economic and resource development, a First Nations political and policy analyst and a financial and business advisor. He has worked with First Nations in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.

A former country school teacher, while director of Child Development Services, he helped to establish clinical services in rural and northern Manitoba schools. Later, with the Department of Corrections, he sought to emphasize the rehabilitation of offenders by promoting work and education programs. He was central to the development of Project Prevention, one of the first crime prevention programs in Canada involving community volunteers and restorative justice concepts. He greatly assisted with the establishment of Child Find, is a co-founder of the Manitoba Teen Touch crisis line and served as Manitoba’s representative to a UN conference on crime prevention. The recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service Management, he has assisted with numerous community projects in Headingley where he is a member of the chamber of commerce and serves on the board of Camp Manitou.

She grew up on the trap line in Cumberland House, Saskatchewan, before moving to The Pas and subsequently Churchill in 1956. A volunteer with countless community events in Churchill, she has been a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation for more than 30 years and served as president of the Churchill Local for 14 years. Now an Elder at the Local, she has been a valued storyteller for the past 15 years helping to keep the Métis culture alive. After raising her family, she turned to the Aboriginal art form of caribou hair tufting and began to create unique pieces of art by sculpting in three dimensional layers to achieve a new look and new form now known as Myrtle’s Caribou Hair Sculptures. Her works of art, which celebrate scenes of the north, have been sold around the world.

The former president and CEO and current chair of the board of Friesens Corporation, he is a business leader and enthusiastic supporter of higher education and community life in Manitoba. Operating in Altona since 1907, Friesens is the largest independent book manufacturer in Canada. Named Altona’s “Citizen of the Year” in 2002, he served on the Rhineland School Division board and was active in the chamber of commerce and other local Altona organizations. As chair of the University of Manitoba’s most recent Capital Campaign “Building on Strengths”, he led the most successful fundraising campaign in the university’s history raising $250 million. His extensive service on boards includes The National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Fort Whyte Centre for Environmental Education and the Business Council of Manitoba. Among his many honours, in 2006 he was named Printer of the Year and was also named to the Manitoba Manufacturer’s Hall of Fame by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

A successful farmer, sometime poet and community leader, he is keenly interested in Manitoba’s Icelandic heritage. A founding member and shareholder of Northstar Seeds Ltd., he is a pioneer in the establishment of the leafcutting bee as a pollinator of alfalfa fields in Manitoba. He is also a founding member of the Manitoba Leafcutter Bee Association and founding chair of the Canadian Alfalfa Seed Council. Additional areas of community service include being a reeve of the RM of Bifrost and current chair of the Manitoba Farm Products Marketing Council. His extensive involvement with the Icelandic community includes as chair of the Esjan Chapter of the Icelandic National League of North America. In 2000, he was presented with the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon by Iceland’s President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson.

She is globally recognized for her contributions to the nursing profession. After receiving her nursing diploma in 1939, she worked in hospitals and clinics across Canada and began teaching at the University of Manitoba’s School of Nursing in 1962 where she became director in 1972. As president of the Canadian Nurses Association she contributed to the wording and scope of the Canada Health Act (1984), which gave nurses more power to treat patients. Having served as Canada’s representative to two World Health Assemblies, she is also a past president of the Manitoba Association of Registered Nurses and was first vice-president of the International Council of Nurses. Appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 1988, she is presently professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba’s faculty of nursing located in the building that bears her name: The Helen Glass Centre for Nursing.

Dean Emeritus at the faculty of education at the University of Manitoba, he was the first and only Filipino-Canadian to become the dean of education at a major university in Canada. A leader in the Filipino-community, he is an expert in the areas of multiculturalism, immigration and intercultural education. He served as president of the associations for multicultural education in Newfoundland and Manitoba, vice-president of the United Council of Filipino Associations in Canada and chair of the Manitoba Ethno cultural Advisory Council. He was instrumental to the development of the $2.3 million Philippine-Canadian Centre of Manitoba and served as its first president. His present service includes regional deputy commander (Western Canada) of the Order of the Knights of Rizal as well as being a member of the board of directors of the Winnipeg and Seven Oaks General Hospital foundations.

He has tirelessly worked to address the complex problems of Manitoba’s First Nations communities while promoting their spiritual, social, cultural and economic well-being. He is a senior pastor, president and founder of The Fairford Sanctuary, a National Missions Outreach Canada & Training Centre and District Director of Aboriginal Ministries with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. As a magistrate (1982-1992), he was a strong advocate for justice and fairness especially among Manitoba’s Aboriginal communities and influential in counseling Aboriginal offenders. Traveling, without remuneration, to First Nations communities throughout Manitoba, he has conducted workshops, seminars and conferences and has developed a written ‘vision plan’, designed to alleviate hardships which beleaguer many First Nation communities in Canada. He also sits on the board of the Interlake Regional Health Authority.

An environmental activist and member of the Poplar River First Nation, she worked unceasingly for eight years to secure interim protection for more than two million acres of Poplar River’s undisturbed boreal forest. By 2004, along with other community leaders, she had led the development of a precedent-setting, comprehensive land protection and management plan for this territory, while helping secure five more years of “interim protected status”. For her efforts, she was awarded the 2007 Goldman Environmental Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious grassroots environmental awards and $125,000 US from the Goldman Foundation. She is only the third Canadian recipient of this award. She is presently working with other First Nations in Manitoba and Ontario to safeguard an even larger region of First Nations’ boreal forest as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Former chairman of James Richardson & Sons Limited, his business dealings covered grain, oil and gas, real estate, securities, pipeline construction, freight hauling and the airline industries. He also served on the boards of many national companies and was the first Canadian born governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. His community affiliations include the University of Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, The Manitoba Theatre Centre, St. John’s Ravenscourt School, the North American Wildlife Federation and the Western Canada Aviation Museum.

He has made a mark through his artistic creations as a painter, bird carver and master-class bronze sculptor and his work is admired in collections around the world. The recipient of numerous commissions in North America, his sculptures are displayed in many locations in Manitoba including Winnipeg’s Portage and Main, the Riverbank Park in Selkirk and the Ducks Unlimited Discovery Centre in Brandon. Equally admired for his commitment to community, he has donated many art works for fundraising to such organizations as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Fort Whyte Centre. He is a member of the board of directors of CancerCare Manitoba, contributed to the Bears on Broadway Project and assisted with the Golden Boy restoration. He has also served on many rural organizations including the chamber of commerce and volunteer fire department in Glenboro.

An internationally recognized aging and health-care researcher, her work has particularly benefited the elderly in Manitoba and across Canada. A member of the Order of Canada, her career has included academic, research, advisory and government positions. Among a long list, she is a professor and senior scholar in the Department of Community Health Sciences and research associate of the aging in Manitoba Longitudinal Study. She is also a former chair of the Manitoba Health Services Commission. One of her most valued contributions to the public health of Manitobans was as director of the Office of Continuing Care where she was responsible for the development and implementation of its single point of access Continuing Care program, the first provincewide home care program in Canada. This program has served as the model for subsequent programs in other Canadian provinces and elsewhere in the world.

In the mid 1970s, Len Smith of Churchill envisaged the creation of a tundra vehicle from which people could safely view polar bears in their natural environment. A mechanic with the Department of Public Works at Fort Churchill at the time, he first converted an old school bus, combining it with parts of a gravel truck, a snowplow, a front-end loader and the tires from a crop sprayer to thrust the homemade wide-body cab three metres into the air, safely out of reach of curious bears, to create the first Tundra Buggy. Since then, his Tundra Buggy Tours have come to attract 9,000 to 10,000 international visitors a year to Churchill, the Polar Bear Capital of the World. An essential part of Churchill’s economic viability, the polar bear tours also benefit other Manitoba communities such as Thompson and Winnipeg. In 2003, Frontiers North Adventures assumed majority ownership of Churchill’s Tundra Buggy company which continues to thrive. In 2004, Smith was recognized by the minister of culture, heritage and tourism and Mayor Michael Spence for his outstanding contribution to the Churchill tourism industry. Today, Smith is retired and lives in Florida.

A successful businessman, philanthropist and leader in the Manitoba Muslim community, he is president and CEO of Peerless Garments LP and founder and chair of the Alhijra Islamic School. He is a past president of the Manitoba Islamic Association, founder of Winnipeg’s Muslim Mosque and a co-founder and vice-president of the Islamic Social Services Association of Manitoba. He is a supporter of various charitable organizations such as CDS Military Families Fund, Canadian Museum of Human Rights and the St. Boniface, Concordia and Health Sciences Centre Foundations. He also works to facilitate integration and settlement of immigrants from war-torn countries to Manitoba. Dedicated to the promotion of tolerance, respect and understanding, he sits on the board of the Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. He was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2003.

She is a passionate and visionary advocate for Winnipeg’s social service sector, especially in her work to improve the quality of life of seniors and the disabled, and has impacted the development of social policies at the local, national and international levels. She has also led many community support organizations including the Volunteer Centre of Winnipeg, the Age and Opportunity Centre Inc. and the Klinic Community Health Centre. She is a member of the Canadian Association on Gerontology and past president of the National Advisory Council on Aging, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (Manitoba Chapter) and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. She was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1995. She continues her advocacy work as a consultant and advisor on disability issues.

Former president and CEO of the Great-West Life Assurance Company and chancellor emeritus of Brandon University, he is one of Manitoba’s most highly-respected business and community leaders. A founding member of the Manitoba Business Council and former chair of the Conference Board of Canada, he continues to serve as a director on numerous boards including Great-West Lifeco Inc. (Canada and U.S.). Deeply committed to higher education, he has served on a provincial commission on post-secondary education and is a past-chair of the University of Manitoba’s Development Council. A strong supporter of the arts through his philanthropy and service, he is a former director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and served as a governor of the Banff Centre for the Arts. In 2002, he was appointed a member of the Order of Canada.

One of the first female television broadcasters in western Canada, she has been a staple on Manitoba television for more than three decades. She has worn many hats at CTV television including producing the news, providing weather coverage and hosting public affairs shows. Her commitment to the arts and to her community is seen in her reporting and her volunteerism. Over countless summer weekends she has donated her time to festival appearances throughout Manitoba. She has served on arts boards and been involved in many charity fundraising campaigns. In the past 17 years, as main spokesperson for the United Way CTV Koats For Kids program, she has helped drive donations of more than 136,000 winter-wear items for Manitoba children in need. She has received several honours including the YM-YWCA Woman of Distinction Award (2004).

A world-renowned screenwriter and director of both feature and short films who has stayed fiercely true to his roots; filtering his experiences as a Manitoban through his own creative lense. His first feature film, “Tales from the Gimli Hospital” (1988) gained him international attention. He has showcased the talents of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in “Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary” (2002) which won an international Emmy and gave Isabella Rossellini beer-filled ‘gams’ in “The Saddest Music in the World” (2003). Throughout, his films have remained as innovative as they are inspirational. Recently, his homage to his hometown, “My Winnipeg” (2007) garnered awards and accolades and brought acclaim to Manitoba. In 2007, he became the first artist-curator of the UCLA Film Archives.

He is the long-time artistic director of the Cercle Molière, Canada’s oldest theatre company. In a career spanning 40 years, he has made an exceptional contribution to the development of French theatre and the promotion of French language and culture west of Quebec. He has produced and directed close to 200 shows at Cercle Molière, strongly promoting Manitoba’s francophone playwrights and creating links between the francophone community and all Manitobans. He is also the founder of le Festival Théâtre Jeunesse and co-founder of l’Association des théâtre francophones du Canada. He has lent his talents to a number of boards including serving as vice-president and co-founder of l'Association des compagnies de théâtre de l'Ouest and on the board of directors of The National Theatre School and Prairie Theatre Exchange. His honours include the 2008 Manitoba Arts Award of Distinction.

He is a Sayisi Dene elder who has served his people and his country with distinction and has played an important role in improving the quality of life for Canada’s Aboriginal veterans. Joining the Canadian Forces in 1962, his service took him to Cypress and Germany for peacekeeping duties and to Quebec during the FLQ crisis. He left the Forces in 1971 and enjoyed a long career with Corrections Canada. Since his 2000 retirement, he has been travelling the province, visiting schools and other venues to promote awareness of the contributions and sacrifices Aboriginal veterans have made. Among others, he is a member of the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry Association and the National Aboriginal Veterans Association. His work with the latter was instrumental to the installation of the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument in Ottawa in 2001.

22nd lieutenant governor of Manitoba from 1999 to 2004.

A native Manitoban and graduate of the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Medicine, he is an internationally renowned physician-scientist and expert in infectious diseases who has significantly contributed to global health. His leadership roles with the National Microbiology Laboratory (Winnipeg), the Centre for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention (Ottawa) and Canada’s Public Health Agency as chief scientific advisor are testament to his expertise and groundbreaking research efforts. He showed exceptional leadership during the SARS crisis and is at the centre of the international response to the H1N1 flu virus. He has authored several landmark studies in the HIV/AIDS fields and his management of international collaborative research has been cited as the “paradigm” to follow. His current focus is on the mechanisms of HIV resistance; crucial studies in the development of vaccines and treatments for HIV infections. In 2007, he was appointed an officer in the Order of Canada.

She is the only female officer with the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) to have held every rank from constable to superintendent. Throughout her 28-year career, she has been a pioneer, role model and a source of inspiration to women in policing across Canada. In 2004, she became the first female in WPS history to be promoted to the rank of superintendent. Currently, she oversees Investigative Operations including Homicide and Major Crimes. She is a member of the Canadian and Manitoba Associations of Chiefs of Police, as well as the International Association of Women Police. In 2002, she founded the Winnipeg Police Service Policewomen's Network. Its mandate includes recruitment, retention, mentorship and support of female officers. A strong advocate of higher education, she received her MBA in 2006. Among her honours, she is the recipient of the Governor General's Exemplary Service Medal.

President emeritus at the University of Manitoba, she is a distinguished scholar, teacher, researcher, scientist and administrator. Her tenure as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba (1996 to 2008) inspired a significant period of growth and renewal for the university while contributing to the social, economic and cultural well-being of the people of Manitoba. She promoted accessibility at the university, particularly among Aboriginal and international students. Under her leadership, enrolment increased, academic programs expanded, research funding grew to more than $100 million annually and collaborative research with scientists around the world flourished. Her committee and board service is extensive including on the boards of the St. Boniface General Hospital and Manitoba Museum Foundation. Nationally, among others, she sits on the board of directors of Power Corporation of Canada. She is a member of the Order of Canada.

She began her long-time association with the United Way of Winnipeg in the late 1970s. Throughout, she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to her community and the well-being of Manitobans. A former director of Outreach Services with the YMCA/YWCA of Winnipeg, she went on to fill many roles at the United Way including campaign director, director of major giving and director of resource development. Her expertise, compassion and respect for her community were keenly appreciated by the more than 70 agencies connected with the United Way. She also played an instrumental role in facilitating the establishment of the Fort Garry Women’s Resource Centre and Citizens’ Advocacy Manitoba. As well, she worked alongside others to initiate a program to supply disadvantaged women with donated furniture and household goods. Now retired from her full-time position, she remains a steadfast United Way volunteer.

Won the Order of Manitoba award on August 4th, 2009.

A pioneer in Manitoba’s film industry, she is an award-winning filmmaker; a writer, director and producer of immense talent. One of Winnipeg Film Group’s earliest members, her first short film, The Performer (1980), received the Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Frequently highlighting the works of acclaimed Canadian writers such as Carol Shields and Margaret Atwood, she is also one of the first filmmakers to bring stories of First Nations and Métis people to the screen. She has garnered Directors’ Guild of Canada and Blizzard awards for best direction; her television movie, Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story (2003), received the American Indian Film Festival Best Film Award; and her television mini-series, The Capture of the Green River Killer (2008), was one of Lifetime Network’s highest-rated series. A former director mentor for the National Screen Institute’s Drama Prize Winners, she continues to mentor new filmmakers.

She has made an outstanding contribution to community service in a variety of endeavours at both the local and national levels. A former president of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada and secretary of the Canadian Jewish Congress, her extensive board involvement includes the past presidency of the Winnipeg Jewish Federation and the Age and Opportunity Centre, and serving on the boards of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the United Way of Greater Winnipeg, St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg Library Foundation and the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. Appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1982, she is well known for her fundraising acumen and generosity to many Winnipeg social, cultural and educational institutions. Presently, she serves on the board of the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.

First elected New Democratic member of the legislative assembly (MLA) for Concordia in 1986, by 1990 he led the official opposition and was elected Manitoba’s 20th premier in 1999; a position he held for a decade winning three consecutive majority governments. Among his many legacies in office, he was a supportive partner to a number of urban redevelopment projects. These include Winnipeg’s Waterfront Drive, The Forks, the new Manitoba Hydro building downtown and Red River Community College’s Exchange-District campus, the millennium library, the MTS entertainment centre and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Elsewhere, his support was seen in the relocation of Assiniboine Community College in Brandon to maintain the history of the Brandon mental health site. Well known for his promotion of water protection and renewable energy, in 2005 he was recognized by Business Week magazine as one of the top 20 leaders in the world on climate change and clean-energy development. On Aug. 28th, 2009, he was named Canada’s 23rd ambassador to the United States.

A specialist in pediatrics and Aboriginal and newborn medicine, for more than 50 years he made an exceptional contribution to northern health care, particularly among the Aboriginal and Inuit children of communities in northern Manitoba and Nunavut. He graduated from St. Andrew’s University in Scotland in 1945, arriving in Canada in 1952. He became head of the department of pediatrics at St. Boniface Hospital while also working at Health Sciences Centre. His passion for northern health care began with his first trip to Rankin Inlet in 1956 as a medical consultant. He continued to fly bi-monthly to northern communities until well into his late 70s. A tenacious advocate for the needs of his northern patients, he has also promoted an interest in practising in the north among countless medical students and new physicians. He retired in 2007 at the age of 85.

Born in 1949 at Red Sucker Lake, Manitoba, he is a former band chief, provincial and federal legislator and long-time advocate for First Nations people and indigenous and human rights in Canada and abroad. As the MLA for Rupertsland (1981-1992), a first for a Manitoba treaty Indian, he also served as minister of northern affairs. In 1990, he gained national attention when he opposed passage in the provincial legislature of the Meech Lake Accord, a Canadian constitutional amendment, citing lack of adequate participation and recognition of Aboriginal people in the process. As the member of parliament for Churchill (1993-97), he was instrumental to the signing of The Framework Agreement Initiative with Manitoba chiefs. His international advocacy has taken him around the world including the International Court of Justice at The Hague, the United Nations in New York, and reconciliation meetings in Australia and New Zealand. Presently on the board of the National Centre for First Nations Governance, he continues to promote human and Aboriginal rights.

He has contributed immeasurably to Manitoba and Canada as a leader in the business sector, the grain industry, and through his support of the arts, education and Aboriginal communities. A former president of Cargill Limited, he has led and directed organizations and corporations across the country through numerous board and committee appointments. The founding chair of both the Business Council of Manitoba and CentrePort, his extensive directorships include the Conference Board of Canada and the Winnipeg Airports Authority. A staunch proponent of increased Aboriginal participation in the workforce, he has served as director of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and member of the Canadian Aboriginal Economic Development Board. His support of the Manitoba arts community includes service with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and as national chair of the campaign for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Endowment Fund. Among the honours he has received, he was the 2009 recipient of the University of Winnipeg’s Duff Roblin Award.

A former social worker, she has volunteered full time for more than four decades working to address issues of inequality while promoting social justice. Chair of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) Manitoba, her 20-year involvement has included service on its national board. She has contributed to the founding and chairing of an impressive number of societies including the Elizabeth Fry Society, served with the John Howard Society at the local and national levels and participated in the Solicitor General’s Task Force on Planning for Women Who Receive Federal Sentences. An executive member of the board of Community Living Manitoba, she has also lent her skills in the past to support a number of grassroots self-help groups such as Mothers’ Allowance (now Mothers on Social Assistance) and to lobby successfully for the security of lunch and after-school programs for children of working parents. She is a recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award.

She is the founder and volunteer director of the Osu Children’s Library Fund (OCLF), a not-for-profit charity established in 1991 to bring books and literacy into the lives of thousands of disadvantaged children and adults in Ghana, West Africa. From establishing her first community library in the capital city of Accra with the purchase of a 40-foot shipping container to building the two-storey Nima Maamobi Community Learning Centre in 2006, she has seen her efforts expand to towns and villages throughout the country. Member of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation since 2000, the OCLF now supports more than 150 community libraries in Ghana and other African countries. The libraries have become centres for child-and-adult literacy classes, food programs, and cultural and sports activities. Also active with many service organizations in the Winnipeg community, she is the recipient of the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal.

He played a vital role in the establishment of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). Building on the vision of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), the MCC Food Bank was expanded and reorganized in 1983 to include 13 other member church agencies and the CFGB was formed. As the CFGB’s first executive director (1983-1990), he helped it become one of the world’s largest private food-aid providers dedicated to famine relief and ending world hunger. This involved his successful negotiations with the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), to allow farmers to deliver and donate grain outside of the quota system to CWB handling facilities, and with the Canadian International Development Agency, to agree to match every CFGB donation on a four-to-one basis. A mark of the solid foundation he developed, by 2005 the CFGB had provided more than 944,000 tons of food to more than 68 countries.

The CEO of the Brandon Regional Health Authority (Brandon RHA), for more than three decades she has demonstrated exemplary leadership in supporting and developing health care in rural Manitoba and in increasing employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal people within the health-care system. She led the implementation of major mental-health reform in western Manitoba, moving from an institutional to community-based service, deemed a model for the country. She was central to the development and implementation of the Brandon RHA Aboriginal Workforce Initiative, also lauded as a model for Canada. She has served and continues to serve on numerous provincial and national committees, councils and task forces. Currently chair of the Regional Health Authorities Board of Manitoba, Inc., she is also a member of the Southwest Region Manitoba Métis Federation Knowledge Network examining how the health system can better serve First Nations people.

He has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the people of Cross Lake, particularly respecting life-changing opportunities he has provided to the community’s youth. A volunteer, unpaid member of the Cross Lake Community Council for 20 years, he serves in various capacities throughout the community. He is certified and involved in training for the Canadian Red Cross and for the province regarding emergency medical services and ground search and rescue. Concerned by the difficulties facing the area’s youth, he was instrumental in founding the Royal Army Cadets Corp #38 of which he serves as commanding officer. The program has taught skills, leadership and community citizenship to countless of the community’s youth, many of whom come from at-risk backgrounds, offering them inspiration to steer a positive course in life. The Cross Lake Cadet program has been recognized across Manitoba for its achievements.

A graduate of Grant Park High School and the University of Manitoba, he has dedicated almost 20 years to international relief work, often at his own peril. A registered nurse, in 1992 he joined the emergency medical group Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) which saw him dispatched to many of the world’s trouble spots including the Kenya-Somali border (1992), where he directed a 200-bed emergency bush hospital; and Afghanistan (1994-95), where he directed a Kabul war hospital project facing frequent air and artillery attacks; as well as working in Chechnya, Sri Lanka, Kosovo, Sarajevo and Pakistan. He has worked with the United Nations’ World Food Program (UNWFP) since 1998 and as a member of the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team; assignments taking him to Kosovo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gaza, Tanzania and Turkmenistan with emergency deployments to earthquakes/tsunamis in Indonesia and Pakistan. One of Life Magazine’s Heroes of the Year (1998), he is presently an advisor at the UNWFP in Somalia.

Whether as a musician, journalist, administrator, public servant or businessman, Jim Carr's contributions to Manitoba are as many and varied as his distinguished career. The founding president and CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba since 1998, his leadership is credited with creating productive channels of communication between government and the business community. A graduate of McGill University, he is a former oboist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and later became its director of development, a trustee and member of its board of directors. He also served as executive director of the Manitoba Arts Council. From 1988 to 1992, he was a member of the Manitoba legislative assembly and served as deputy leader of the Liberal official opposition. An accomplished journalist, he wrote for the Globe and Mail and sat on the editorial board of the Winnipeg Free Press (1992-1997). His extensive board service includes the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. He is also director emeritus of the board of the Canada West Foundation and was a founding co-chair of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council.

Patrick Choy is professor emeritus and advisor to the president of the University of Manitoba (U of M). He was the associate dean of research at the faculty of medicine at the U of M and the founder and director of the Centre for Research and Treatment of Atherosclerosis at the U of M and Health Sciences Centre. Globally recognized for his cardiovascular research and advocacy of healthy living, he is also a community volunteer and leader in Manitoba’s Chinese community. He spearheaded the formation of the East-West Alliance (2006) at the U of M, a prominent consortium comprised of 10 top world universities (e.g., Stanford and Oxford) working to address issues in global health. A former vice-president of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, he is currently vice-president of the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre. In 2005, Dr. Choy established the Winnipeg Chinese Community Fund (vested in the Winnipeg Foundation) to support initiatives which promote a better understanding of Chinese culture.

The son of Russian immigrants, Art DeFehr is a much-honoured businessman, humanitarian and philanthropist who has bettered the lives of Manitobans and others around the world. He is the CEO of family-owned Palliser Furniture in Winnipeg, a great Canadian success story in furniture manufacturing. A member of the Trilateral Commission and the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, he is also a past member of the World Economic Forum. His directorships include the Canadian Mennonite University and the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre. Dedicated to alleviating global poverty and hunger, he was a founding chair of the board of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. He has served as the United Nations high commissioner for refugees to Somalia and was the first director of the Mennonite Central Committee agriculture and refugee program in Bangladesh. Among other accomplishments, he played a significant role in creating the Lithuania Christian College in Russia and the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. He was invested as an officer in the Order of Canada in 2004.

A registered clinical psychologist and professor in the department of psychology at the University of Manitoba (U of M), Dr. De Luca is internationally recognized for her pioneering research and approach to treatment for victims of abuse, particularly child abuse. The first woman to become director of clinical training in the university’s clinical psychology graduate program, she also served as clinical supervisor of the Native Clan Organization and with the St. Boniface Hospital’s Child and Adolescent psychiatric program. Her research has been published worldwide and she has presented throughout North America on topics ranging from childhood trauma to the treatment of adult sexual offenders and the warning signs of youth violence. Involved with countless organizations focusing on solutions to violence and abuse, Dr. De Luca is the recipient of the 2008 YMCA-YWCA Woman of Distinction Award (health and wellness). She was awarded the 2010 Clifford Robson Award in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the profession of psychology.

Henry Idonije has devoted his years of ministry in Manitoba to humanitarian efforts and advocacy, especially on behalf of the poor and the homeless in Brandon. After he and his family immigrated to Manitoba from Nigeria in 1984, he completed his master’s degree in divinity at Providence College Theological Seminary in Otterburn. Even then, he and his wife were known for giving food to people in need from their own kitchen. In 1987, the family moved to Brandon and he became pastor of the Tabernacle of The Lord Church. Supported by his wife Choice, he continued his efforts on behalf of the less fortunate with the establishment of StreetLove (SLI) in 1988. During his time with SLI, it served thousands of meals, provided emergency shelter for nearly 1,000 individuals and referred 1,200 to counseling agencies. Pastor Idonije also served on the Brandon Homelessness Steering Committee and as the chaplain for the Brandon Police Service (2003-2009), a voluntary position.

Eugene Kostyra has had an exemplary career in public service in Manitoba, both in elected office and as a senior official. From 1973 to 1981, and again from 1988 to 2000, he worked with the Canadian Union of Public Employees holding the positions of Manitoba regional director and executive assistant to the national president. As a New Democratic member of the legislative assembly (Seven Oaks) from 1981 to 1988, he was also minister of several portfolios including industry, trade and technology, culture and recreation, and finance. After leaving office, he assisted governments in Canada and abroad with transition, democratic reform and community development including in Yugoslavia, Uganda and Serbia. From 1999 to 2006, he served as secretary to the Community and Economic Development Committee of Cabinet; the government’s lead staffer on many major economic initiatives (e.g., MTS Centre development). A key supporter of the Winnipeg Folk Festival since its inception, he is also active on many boards including CentrePort Canada, the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football Club.

Much admired in northern Manitoba for his dedicated, selfless service, he has been one of the driving forces behind the success of the annual Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival held each February in The Pas. What started in 1916 as a forum for area trappers to meet and compete has become a celebration of northern culture and heritage which attracts visitors from around the world, and Sonny Lavallee’s 28 years of service to the festival have been central to its success. As general chairman of the festival in 2011, he oversaw the most successful ever, drawing an estimated 30,000 people. In recognition of his commitment, he received the designation Honourary Trapper in 2000. A former Kinsmen and active community volunteer, among other endeavours, he has assisted with the Halcrow Lake Golf Club, the Sam Waller Museum and encouraged youth participation in sport. Mr. Lavallee was named 2009 Citizen of the Year by The Pas and District Chamber of Commerce and the local media.

President and chief executive officer of the United Way of Winnipeg since 1985, Susan Lewis has devoted more than 30 years to building caring communities. Under her leadership, the United Way has evolved from being strictly a funding agency to one that actively works with other agencies to bring together community resources in a strategic way to address significant social issues. As a result of her vision, the agency has been a trailblazer in such initiatives as the Youth Relations, Aboriginal Relations and Poverty Reduction councils. The latter brings together senior leadership and decision-makers from all sectors, together with community members, to seek and implement solutions to the complex issues of poverty. Appointed to the Premier’s Advisory Council on Education, Poverty and Citizenship since 2010, she is also active on several committees for the United Way of Canada and sits on the board of Imagine Canada, an umbrella organization defending the interests of charities across Canada.

Kathy Mallett is an esteemed leader in Winnipeg’s Aboriginal community and the community-at-large. Since 2009, she has been the co-director of the Community Education Development Association of Winnipeg (CEDA), an inner-city, non-profit organization which grew out of the community school programs of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD). For a decade prior, she was a founding member and executive director of the Original Women’s Network, a training program for Aboriginal women, and is a former co-ordinator of the Urban Native Child Welfare Coalition. Throughout her career, she has helped establish many other Aboriginal service organizations and economic development projects in Winnipeg including the Payuk Inter-Tribal Housing Co-op and the Aboriginal Ganootamage Justice Services. She is a founding member of the Ma Mawi Chi Itata Centre, a child and family resource centre, and was the first Aboriginal woman ever elected to the board of the WSD. Her numerous honours include a Manitoba Human Rights Commitment Award.

One of Manitoba and Canada’s premier children’s entertainers, Fred Penner is beloved by children and parents around the world. He has created a family-centred legacy based on his belief in our ability to “make a difference in the life of a child”; exemplified in his many charitable works dedicated to the well-being of children. Mr. Penner’s wife, Odette Heyn, was instrumental in setting his path of entertainment for children and their work in Sundance, a dance company for children, set the wheels of his career in motion. He has performed his award-winning songs, such as the classic, The Cat Came Back, at venues throughout North America. For 13 seasons, he crawled through a hollow log and greeted his television audience in Fred Penner’s Place. The series aired on CBC in Canada and on Nickelodeon in the U.S. An author and narrator of children’s books, he has spoken at many early-childhood education conferences. He has also been a spokesperson for such charitable organizations as UNICEF and World Vision. The recipient of two Juno awards, he has been a member of the Order of Canada since 1991.

Raymond Poirier is an administrator and businessman who has devoted more than 35 years to the protection, promotion and overall development of the francophone communities of Manitoba and Canada. During his involvement with the Société franco-manitobaine (SFM) in 1974 to 1978, he contributed to the creation of several important organizations including the Fédération de l’Âge d’Or du Manitoba (federation of seniors) and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada. He also co-ordinated the establishment of Francofonds a trust fund dedicated to helping to fund Franco-Manitoban initiatives. As founding president of the Fédération provinciale des comités de parents du Manitoba, he was pivotal to the formation of the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine. He was involved with the establishment of the Manitoba Association of Bilingual Municipalities (MABM) and oversaw the creation of its economic development council, the CDEM, in 1996, serving as its first president. A member of the Order of Canada (2003), he served as honourary consul of France in Winnipeg (1999-2007) and was made a knight in France’s National Order of Merit in 2007.

Miriam Toews is an acclaimed Canadian novelist, humourist and actor of Mennonite descent whose work has garnered international awards. Holding degrees in the arts and journalism, her writing encompasses both fiction and non-fiction in the genres of novel, memoir, magazine, newspaper and radio. She is the recipient of four McNally Robinson Book of the Year Awards for her novels Summer of My Amazing Luck (1996), Boy of Good Breeding (1998), Swing Low: A Life (2001) and A Complicated Kindness, her 2004 breakthrough novel. It also won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction and a film version of the novel is to be made in Winnipeg next year. She made her screen debut in the Mexican film Luz silenciosa which won the 2007 Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Her 2008 novel, The Flying Troutmans won the Rogers Writers Trust Prize for Fiction and she received the 2010 Writers Trust Engel/Findley Award for her overall body of work. Miriam Toews is presently on a promotional tour for her latest novel, Irma Voth.

The governor of the Winnipeg Jets and chair of True North Sports and Entertainment, which operates the Jets and the MTS Centre, Mark Chipman led the successful campaign to bring the National Hockey League back to Manitoba’s capital after a 15-year absence. As president of the Manitoba Moose from 1996 through 2011, his commitment to hockey was previously seen in his service with the International and American Hockey Leagues, where he was named Executive of the Year in 2005. The MTS Centre, which Mr. Chipman owns with his business partner, David Thomson, has helped revitalize Winnipeg’s downtown. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Mr. Chipman is actively involved in a number of community and youth sport development efforts such as the Winnipeg Jets True North Foundation, the charitable arm of the hockey team, and the Hockey Canada Foundation. A business leader who holds degrees in economics and law, he is an executive board member of the Business Council of Manitoba and was a founding member of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy board and has served on the board of the Hockey Canada Foundation since 2004.

Pauline Clarke is chief superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division and former superintendent of the division’s Inner-City District. She has gained international acclaim for her groundbreaking work in the area of inner-city education. For almost 40 years she has worked to enhance culturally appropriate and productive learning environments for her students, many from Aboriginal and newcomer populations. Her primary focus has been on providing programming which leads to student success and achievement. Ms Clarke has contributed to the development of world-renowned programming for students diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, initiated the Learning through the Arts program, and played a key role in the establishment of school programs such as the Children of the Earth High School and Niji Mahkwa School. Throughout she has emphasized assessment for learning, promoted professional development, encouraged the development of strong school leaders, and sought meaningful partnerships within the community and across the country to benefit her students. In 2005 she was presented with the YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction Award for her work in inner-city education. A member of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Education, Poverty and Citizenship, Ms Clarke has published and presented at conferences in Canada and abroad.

Centenarian James Elliott Coyne, the second governor of the Bank of Canada, holds a special place in our nation’s history and exemplifies the prominent role Manitobans have played in the public service of our country. Named Canada’s Newsmaker of the Year in 1961, his fiscal prudence and insistence on the autonomy of the central bank played a valued role in promoting this important principle of independence worldwide. Born in Winnipeg in 1910, he is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and a Rhodes Scholar. He began his career with the Bank of Canada’s research department in 1938 before filling several important positions including secretary of the Foreign Exchange Control Board, financial attaché with the Canadian Embassy in Washington, and chairman of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board. Mr. Coyne also served in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. As deputy governor of the Bank of Canada from 1950 to 1954, and then as governor from 1955 to 1961, his positions helped define the central bank’s ongoing relationship with the national government and the chartered banks.

Darlene Dziewit has contributed 40 years of exceptional service to working persons, to union members and to women. She became a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 831 in 1970. In 1977, she became the first woman the union hired on a full-time basis, going on to serve as a negotiator from 1987 to 2004. She was a member of the UFCW Canadian Council Women’s Advisory Committee and she is a founding member of the UFCW’s Women’s Network, later serving as its international chairperson. She also served on the National Political Action Committee for the UFCW and the Canadian Labour Congress. As president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour from 2004 to 2009, she was known as a consensus builder and was instrumental in many positive changes made to the Employment Standards Code such as family and bereavement leave. Ms Dziewit has been a member of the University of Manitoba’s board of governors and the United Way of Winnipeg’s campaign cabinet and is presently chair of the Manitoba Gaming Control Commission.

As an Aboriginal executive in a major Canadian corporation, Len Flett created significant opportunities for First Nations people in more than 100 communities. Until he retired in 2005, he served as a vice-president of The North West Company (NWC), a leading retailer in Canada’s northern markets, responsible for store development and public affairs. Committed to increasing economic development on reserves, he pioneered partnerships, alliances and joint ventures that helped to generate $100 million in on-reserve assets and 500 new jobs for First Nations members. Under his guidance, the NWC became the largest private-sector employer of Aboriginal people in Canada. Mr. Flett is a past chair of the Winnipeg-based Me-dian Credit Union and the Aboriginal Business Development Corporation (Winnipeg). He has also served on the board of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (now known as Indspire) since 1999, twice as chair. A Member of the Order of Canada since 2004, he has a strong interest in the establishment of a Treaty Legacy Centre at The Forks.

Étienne Gaboury is a celebrated architect whose works have brought the spirit of Manitoba and the Franco-Manitoban community to national and international prominence. Born to a farming family in Bruxelles, Manitoba, he received his higher education at the University of Manitoba after which he interned at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris. In a career spanning 47 years, he has designed more than 300 projects around the world including the acclaimed Canadian Embassy in Mexico City. His iconic Manitoba buildings include Precious Blood Church, the Royal Canadian Mint and the new Saint-Boniface Cathedral. He was also the lead design architect for the new Provencher Bridge and Esplanade Riel. Studied in schools of architecture and featured in journals and documentaries, his works embody strong links to the prairie landscape. A Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and a Member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Mr. Gaboury has received numerous honours including the Order of Canada in 2010. He is also a pillar in the Franco-Manitoban community where his dedication and leadership have benefited a number of social, cultural and professional organizations.

Crystal Marie Kolt has been a major force for the development of the arts in northern Manitoba. A graduate of the University of Manitoba’s faculty of music, she is the musical director for the Flin Flon Community Choir. As such, she has guided choir members to performances with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and at New York’s Carnegie Hall. She is central to the national Culture Days Festival, locally as the Flin Flon festival co-ordinator, provincially on the Manitoba Task Force and as a consultant to the National Committee. As co-ordinator of the Flin Flon Arts Council, she promotes local artists and brings others to the community, such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to whose International Board she was named this year. Ms Kolt also helped establish the Flin Flon Film and Music Coop, hosting provincial and national film executives in the process. In 2011, Flin Flon was among the Canadian communities chosen by the National Film Board to showcase the Get Animated films. The recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Make a Difference Award, her long-term goal is to create a North Central Academy of the Arts and Environment.

A leader in the Japanese Canadian community, Art Miki is nationally known for promoting improved race relations and increased awareness of human rights issues in Canada. In 1942, at the age of five, he and his family were forced to leave their Fraser Valley, British Columbia farm and relocate to Manitoba. They were among some 22,000 Japanese Canadians displaced or interned during World War II. Later, he became a teacher and administrator in Winnipeg, committed to organizing multicultural projects and anti-racism workshops for students and the larger community. He was active in many cultural organizations. Most notably, as president of the National Association of Japanese Canadians from 1984 to 1992, he led the successful negotiations with the federal government culminating in the historic Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement of 1988. He went on to serve as the first vice-chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and, in 1991, was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. From 1998 to 2009, Mr. Miki served as a citizenship court judge for Manitoba and Saskatchewan where his personal story offered hope to new Canadians. He is also the founding and current president of the Asian Heritage Society of Manitoba that organizes activities each May in celebration of Asian Heritage Month.

Randy Moffat, former chief executive officer of Moffat Communications Limited, epitomizes the philanthropic spirit. In 2001, he and his family made an unprecedented gift of $100 million to The Winnipeg Foundation to create The Moffat Family Fund. This endowment has since generated more than 1,730 grants totalling $34.5 million in support of initiatives in Manitoba focused on helping children, families and less advantaged communities. Known as a humble man averse to self-promotion, he remains quietly active behind the scenes as a donor adviser and continues to support many other charitable organizations. A founding director of The University of Winnipeg Foundation, he has also served as a director with numerous corporations. For his outstanding contributions to the broadcast industry, Mr. Moffat was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame in 2004. Earlier, his support of women in the industry, including his creation of the Women’s Television Network, garnered him an Employer of the Year award from Canadian Women in Communications. In 2006, he was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada.

Dr. Brian Postl has spent a career dedicated to promoting excellence in health care in Manitoba and across Canada. Prior to his appointment as dean of the faculty of medicine at the University of Manitoba (U of M) in 2010, he served for 11 years as the founding president and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA). During his tenure with the WRHA, he helped shape Manitoba’s health-care system, overseeing the integration of health services into areas of excellence. A world-class pediatrician, his former appointments include department head of pediatrics and child health for St. Boniface General Hospital, Children’s Hospital and the Health Sciences Centre. Much of his research and professional involvement has focused on Aboriginal child health and circumpolar health. He helped develop, and later led, the U of M’s Northern Medical Unit and continues to travel to communities in northern Manitoba and Nunavut as a visiting pediatrician. He was also central to the development of his faculty’s access program which has graduated more than 40 Aboriginal physicians. Dr. Postl was a founding board member of the Health Council of Canada and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute. His extensive board service also includes chairing the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

For more than 30 years, Bob Silver has made an extraordinary contribution to the business and community sectors at the local, national and international levels. He is the president and co-owner of Western Glove Works Ltd. and co-owner of the Warehouse One and Urban Barn retail chains. Additionally, he is a co-owner of the Brandon Sun, the Winnipeg Free Press, the CanStar Weekly, and Derksen Printers in Steinbach. In the business community, he has been involved on a number of boards including CentrePort Canada, the Business Council of Manitoba, the First Peoples Economic Growth Fund and the Winnipeg Convention Centre, and as co-chair, since its inception, of the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council. In the community-at-large, he gives his time to a multitude of causes such as the Winnipeg Library Foundation, where he helped to spearhead the campaign to build the new Millennium Library, and the Grow Winnipeg initiative of the Jewish Federation. He is also a past chair of Destination Winnipeg (now Economic Development Winnipeg) and the United Way of Winnipeg. Presently, Mr. Silver also serves as the chancellor of the University of Winnipeg and as co-chair of We Day Winnipeg. He has received many honours including the University of Manitoba’s Alumni of the Year award.

One of the top family entertainers in the business, Al Simmons is admired by audiences worldwide for his ingenious theatrical inventions, superb musicianship and wonderfully engaging vaudevillian comedy. He first came to the fore in the 1970s with his comedy/folk band Kornstock, later, venturing out on his own as The Human Juke Box: two bits a laff. He has gone from playing every major family festival in North America to spreading his unique genius worldwide, touring Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore and Japan. He wrote and starred in two national children’s television series: CBC’s Fabulous Festival and CTV’s All for Fun. His CD Celery Stalks at Midnight won the Juno Award for Best Children’s Album, his music video I Collect Rocks received a Cable Ace Award nomination, and his children’s book Counting Feathers was short-listed for a McNally Robinson Book of the Year award. Mr. Simmons is equally well known for giving of his time and talent to support countless educational and charitable organizations, one example being his music video, What Fire Fighters Wear and Why, used to promote fire safety throughout North America. In 2004, The Rotary Club recognized him as an advocate of world peace and international understanding, naming him a Paul Harris Fellow.

Leslie Spillett has been an advocate on behalf of Winnipeg’s inner-city and the Aboriginal community for more than three decades. Her efforts have encompassed a wide range of issues including education, environment, social justice and human rights. She is the principal founder and executive director of Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc. (meaning those who lead). This culturally based Aboriginal human resource organization has, since its establishment in 2001, assisted some 18,000 people. As a former executive director of Anishnaabe Oway-Ishi, a non-profit, community-based employment and training preparation program for Aboriginal youth, she was instrumental in starting Manitoba’s Aboriginal Youth Achievement Awards. It was also while serving as a member of the executive of the Native Women Association of Canada that the Sisters in Spirit campaign was started to raise awareness of the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada, a topic she has addressed at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism. Presently, she is a member of the University of Winnipeg’s inaugural Indigenous Advisory Circle for the Master’s in Development Practice program and is the Dialogue Associate of the University’s Global College.

Deborah Thorlakson personifies commitment to community. Prior to her many endeavours, she earned master of education and bachelor of nursing degrees from the University of Manitoba. Her countless contributions include past chair of the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) Foundation, as well as leadership roles with organizations such as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the HSC board. As the past president of the Prairieaction Foundation, an organization which funds research into family violence and abuse, she helped raise over $7.5 million. A strong supporter of the arts, she chaired the organizations committee of the Manitoba Arts Council, is currently treasurer of the Manitoba Foundation for the Arts, on the board of the Winnipeg Art Gallery and co-chair of its Capital Campaign. She also sits on the Headingley Library Board and is on a sub-committee for Hospice & Palliative Care Manitoba. Her skills in fundraising and event planning have benefited a number of organizations including the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre and Manitoba Opera. Her service has been recognized with The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Premier’s Volunteer Service Award.

Born and raised in Duck Bay, David Chartrand is the longest-serving president of the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF). He was first elected in 1996 and is currently serving his fifth term. A champion of Métis rights and interests, governance, social justice, economic and educational issues he has advanced the cause of the Métis Nation at the provincial and national levels. Under his leadership, the MMF successfully challenged Métis land claims in the recent 2013 Supreme Court of Canada decision. He led the development of self-sufficient and sustainable economic models for building sound social and cultural programs for the Métis Nation while increasing its self-government capacity. Mr. Chartrand established the Métis Economic Development Organization and oversaw the distribution of more than $1.5 million in bursaries provided to Métis students through the Louis Riel Institute. He was also instrumental in changing the curriculum in Canadian schools to acknowledge the contributions of Métis leader Louis Riel as the Father of Manitoba. Involved in many organizations, Mr. Chartrand serves on the board of governors of the Métis National Council. In 2012, he received The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Manitoba.

During an illustrious five-decade career, Dr. Francis Patrick Doyle has contributed to improvements in health care in Manitoba and across Canada. Born in St. Boniface in 1922, he became a valued physician to the residents of Ste. Anne and surrounding areas. He was also instrumental in creating an entire health-care industry in Ste. Anne including a hospital, a pharmacy and one of the largest personal care homes in Manitoba. Dr. Doyle was a member of the Manitoba Hospital Commission, the initial Manitoba health-care body. He is a former president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba and a senior member of the Canadian Medical Association. He was a founding member of the College of Family Practice. He also served as chair of the St. Boniface Hospital board from 1978 to 1988. The vital role he played in the development of health-care strategies and reforms included improved health services for Manitoba’s elderly. Committed to community, he is a former chair of the Seine River School Division and member of the St. Boniface College board. In retirement, he has authored five books and served on the Appeal Commission for Automobile Injury in Manitoba. Named Physician of the Year in 1992, Dr. Doyle is also a member of the Order of Canada.

Helen Granger Young is a prolific, internationally renowned artist whose work has contributed to the cultural and historical fabric of Manitoba and Canada. Born in Mimico, Ont. in 1922, she received her associate of fine arts degree at the Ontario College of Art in the 1930s. In the 1940s, she assisted in Canada’s war effort, creating technical drawings of military tanks and aircraft. A Winnipeg resident since 1947, her body of work includes portraits and landscapes in oil and pastel, sculptures in porcelain and bronze and bronze monuments. She has painted or sculpted many prominent Canadians including John Diefenbaker and Duff Roblin. In Winnipeg, several of her bronze busts are displayed in the Assiniboine Park Citizen’s Hall of Fame, her statues of LaVerendrye and Father Aulneau grace the St. Boniface Basilica, her Tri-Service and First Flight monuments can be seen on Memorial Boulevard and her sculpture of Nellie McClung and the Famous Five sits on the Manitoba Legislative Building grounds. Her work is also housed in public and private collections around the world including Rideau Hall, Buckingham Palace, the White House and the Vatican. Mrs. Young is also the recent recipient of the YMCA-YWCA 2013 Women of Distinction Award.

Through her extensive public and volunteer service, Olga Fuga has made an outstanding contribution to both her Winnipeg and Ukrainian-Canadian communities. She is a former chair of the Winnipeg School Board and served as a City of Winnipeg councillor from 1971 to 1974. In 1981, her lobbying contributed to the opening of Seven Oaks General Hospital. A founding member of its board, and later board chair, her service to the hospital extends to the present day. She also served for 14 years as the executive director of the Central Region of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. In recent years, she received national recognition for raising public awareness of the tragedy of the Holodomor in the Ukraine and spearheaded a committee to film the testimonies of Winnipeg survivors of the Holodomor entitled, May Their Memory Be Eternal. A longtime president of the Manitoba Citizenship Council/International Centre, Mrs. Fuga has given her time to many other organizations including the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Winnipeg Economic Development Board and the National Parole Board of Canada. Honoured by the Osvita Foundation, among others, she has been a member of the Order of Canada since 1987.

Born in 1934, George Heshka has been the principal of Sisler High School, Manitoba’s largest school, for more than three decades. A visionary, inspirational administrator and educator, under his leadership Sisler High School, one of Canada’s most multicultural schools, was recognized by Maclean’s magazine as the best all-around school in Canada. Located in Winnipeg’s North End, Sisler students continue to excel academically and pursue post-secondary education at a level twice the national average. The many award-winning school initiatives and programs Mr. Heshka established include career internship, youth entrepreneurship, university courses in the high schools and robotics. He instituted all-girl classes in subjects such as auto mechanics, English and math, resulting in marks 10 per cent higher than those achieved in mixed classes. The school continues to be recognized for its sports and visual and performing arts programs as well as its many student-led human rights organizations. Mr. Heshka has also been recognized for his decades of service to the inner city, including his work to preserve inner-city neighbourhoods. In June 2013, he was conferred with an honorary doctor of letters by the University of Winnipeg.

Dr. Tse Li Luk is a family physician and award-winning photographer whose professional and volunteer work is highly valued in the Chinese-Canadian community and the community-at-large. Immigrating to Manitoba in 1988, he was president of the medical staff in Vita before joining the Misericordia and Victoria hospitals in Winnipeg in 1997. Since 2001, he has been a partner in the Linden Ridge Medical Clinic, a lecturer at the University of Manitoba and on staff at the Pan Am Clinic’s Pain Clinic. He also owns a photographic gallery and donates his time, expertise and photographs to many community and charitable organizations including the Canadian Red Cross and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Dr. Luk’s work has been exhibited in Canada and abroad and has been presented to The Queen. In 2009, the Chinese Cultural and Community Centre honoured him with its Golden Dragon Citizen of the Year Award. Most recently, he has been compiling the book Cancer Crossing; a fundraiser for cancer services across Canada, which features his photographs of cancer patients and their caregivers.

Diane Redsky has made significant contributions to improve the lives of women, children and Aboriginal Peoples at the provincial and national levels. A member of the Shoal Lake First Nation #40, she has worked in professional and volunteer capacities within the social-service sector to address the myriad of issues facing Winnipeg’s Aboriginal community in all areas of health, justice, education and social services. Through her leadership in several Aboriginal-led, community-based organizations, she has helped to create numerous innovative programs that have helped build healthy communities through promoting the growth and development of Winnipeg’s urban Aboriginal community, particularly the safety, protection and well-being of women and girls. She is currently the project director for the Canadian Women’s Foundation National Task Force on Human Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada and believes together, we can give a voice to survivors, end this extreme form of violence against women and girls and stop this violation of human rights. On March 8, 2013, International Women’s Day, Ms Redsky spoke on the issue of Human Trafficking of Canadian girls before the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

Sanford (Sandy) Riley is the president and CEO of Richardson Financial Group (RFG). A former president and CEO of Investors Group Inc. and partner in the Winnipeg law firm of Taylor McCaffrey, he has also served as board chair for the Business Council of Manitoba and The North West Company Fund. His current directorships include the Canada West Foundation and the Winnipeg Airports Authority. His legacy of excellence spans the worlds of business, sport, education and community service. A 10-year member of the Canadian Sailing Team, he competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics. He also served as board chair for the 1999 Pan Am Games and the Manitoba Sports Federation. Mr. Riley was also chancellor of the University of Winnipeg for nine years and founding chair of its foundation board. He and his family have made significant, major donations to several philanthropic Manitoba causes including the new Sports Hall of Fame and the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Among many honours, he was appointed a member of the Order of Canada, received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Winnipeg and was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Born in Portage la Prairie, Dr. Allan Ronald is professor emeritus, faculty of medicine, University of Manitoba (U of M) and was head of the university department of internal medicine and physician-in-chief at the Health Sciences Centre. One of Canada’s foremost experts in infectious diseases, he is internationally respected, particularly in his pioneering work with HIV-AIDS in Africa. Under his leadership, the U of M became the national pre-eminent centre for research and training in that field. In 1980, he helped found the U of M/University of Nairobi World Health Organization Research and Training Program in Sexually Transmitted Diseases, which became an epicentre for collaborative research on HIV-AIDS in East Africa. Since 2000, he has been involved in a comprehensive HIV-AIDS care and prevention program in Kampala, Uganda. In 1987, he convinced the City of Winnipeg to donate land to build the new laboratory for infectious disease containment. The resulting National Virology Lab has been essential to the control of SARS, recurrent influenza epidemics and many other important diseases to Canada and the world. Dr. Ronald has served on numerous committees for Health Canada and the World Health Organization, and is currently an advisor to the International Centre for Infectious Diseases and an officer in the Order of Canada.

Richard J. Scott retired as chief justice of Manitoba on March 1, 2013. Throughout a distinguished career, he made a profound mark on the administration of justice in Manitoba and was a national leader on the subjects of judicial independence, ethical conduct of judges and access to justice. He has also contributed much to the well-being of his community. Called to the bar in 1963, he first practised at the Winnipeg law firm now known as Thompson Dorfman Sweatman. During this time, he held many positions within the legal community including president of the Law Society of Manitoba. Appointed a Queen’s counsel in 1976, he was later appointed to the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench in 1985 and subsequently associate chief justice of that court. In 1990, he was appointed chief justice of Manitoba. As chief justice, he served on the Canadian Judicial Council and as a member of the Judicial Independence and Conduct Committee. He also played a role in assisting the judiciary and the development of the rule of law in Ethiopia and Ukraine. Richard Scott is a past president of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba board and member of the Canadian Heart Foundation board. From 1990 to 2005, he was also a member of the board of the Winnipeg Foundation and served as chair for the last five years of that term. In addition to many other honours, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Manitoba.

Ray St. Germain is an award-winning recording artist, performer, producer, author and host of television and radio programs. Since the 1950s, he has made an outstanding contribution to Manitoba in the field of entertainment and the promotion of Métis and Aboriginal culture. By age 16 he was performing across Canada, earning the nickname Winnipeg’s Elvis. He released his first single, She’s a Square, in 1959. Later, he travelled the world and performed with legends like Johnny Cash. He has hosted and appeared on more than 500 television shows including writing, producing and hosting the nationally syndicated Ray St. Germain Country, later known as Big Sky Country, which aired on Global Television for 13 years. His radio career has included shows on CBC and NCI-FM Radio, where he also acted as program manager. He is currently co-host of the Métis Hour x2 for the Manitoba Métis Federation. Now in its 15th year, it is heard throughout Manitoba on NCI-FM. He has also written, produced and performed many songs celebrating Manitoba’s Métis culture. On the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, he hosted and co-produced Rhythms of the Métis and was a voice actor for the children’s series Tipi Tales. A Canadian Country Music Hall of Honour inductee, Ray St. Germain’s additional honours include the Aboriginal Order of Canada.

Recently retired teacher, Eleanor Woitowicz, was the force behind the establishment of the Mel Johnson School Gardening Project (Frontier School Division) in Wabowden in 2006. In teaching students how to grow their own food, the project has grown to inspire the residents of Wabowden and beyond by demonstrating how Aboriginal communities can contribute to and benefit from sustainability projects. What began in the school’s greenhouse soon expanded to the community with students and parents starting vegetable gardens in their own yards. In a northern community where fresh produce has to be transported at great cost, the project has taught students about healthy eating habits, food preparation and sustainability – benefits they take with them into adulthood. Now emulated by other Manitoba communities, the project has received wide-spread recognition. It has been featured on the David Suzuki Digs My Garden website and in a recent documentary entitled …And this is My Garden by Katharina Stieffenhofer. In 2009, it received the Manitoba Excellence in Sustainability Award. In 2010, Ms Woitowicz, along with Bonnie Monias and Don McCaskill of the Frontier School Division, were invited to New York to present their project to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.

Lorraine Brandson has been the curator and former assistant curator of Churchill’s world-renowned Eskimo Museum since 1973. She also serves as the archivist for the Churchill-Hudson Bay diocese. Devoted to preserving and promoting the culture, heritage and environmental stewardship of Northern lands, she has been the writer or editor of several books on the North and its people. This includes authoring From Tundra to Forest: A Chipewyan Resource Manual (1981) and Churchill Hudson Bay – A guide to Natural and Cultural Heritage (2011). Ms Brandson has also contributed to a number of northern initiatives. She served as chair of the Working Group Committee which negotiated the establishment of Wapusk National Park in 1996 and continues to serve as a member of the Wapusk National Park Management Board. She also served numerous terms on the board of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. Most recently, the Town of Churchill designated her to be their consultant for a book describing the history of the iconic polar bears of Churchill. An elected Canadian fellow of the Arctic Institute of North America and recipient of the Spirit of the Earth award, Lorraine Brandson continues to be a quintessential ambassador for the North.

During his years as president and CEO of Manitoba Hydro, Bob Brennan provided the vision, direction that enabled the Crown Corporation to emerge as an industry leader. When he retired in February, 2012, he had spent nearly 47 years at Manitoba Hydro, where he also served as senior vice-president, finance and administration, and chief financial officer. His tenure as president and CEO began in 1990. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Brennan was instrumental in strengthening Manitoba Hydro’s relations with northern Manitoba communities, establishing profit-sharing agreements with Aboriginal peoples, increasing energy exports and introducing one of the most successful demand-management (Power Smart) programs in North America. His corporate directorships include the First Peoples Economic Growth Fund and director and chairman of San Gold Corporation. His dedication to community includes his service as long-term director and chairman of the Riverview Health Centre Foundation and director and treasurer of the Manitoba Museum. Additionally, as board director of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Manitoba Division, he also serves as honorary chairman of the CNIB Winnipeg vision lunch. In 2012, Bob Brennan received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Manitoba

Tom Denton has been a voice of compassion for the plight of the world’s refugees for more than 30 years. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, he came to Winnipeg in 1967 to practice corporate law. In 1980, he became the first publisher of The Winnipeg Sun, of which he is a co-founder. One year earlier, in 1979, Mr. Denton began his work with refugees when he sought assistance for a family of Vietnamese Boat People. In 1984, he entered the world of social service full time as executive director of Winnipeg’s International Centre. He was also a long-time volunteer with Winnipeg’s Hospitality House Refugee Ministry Inc., serving on its Board before becoming executive director in 2006. Hospitality House is a non-profit, Anglican and Roman Catholic-funded program that locates and resettles refugees and a major outreach ministry of St. John’s Cathedral. Recognized at home and abroad as a significant player in refugee work, it sponsors one-in-five of all the refugees being sponsored in Canada and Tom Denton has helped literally thousands of them. A former executive member of the Canadian Council for Refugees, Mr. Denton was also the first chairperson of the Immigration Council and the Winnipeg Arts Council.

Don Duguid is a Canadian curling champion and a pioneer in curling telecasting. He has represented Manitoba at the Canadian Men's Curling Championship on four occasions, winning on three; twice as a skip in 1970 and again in 1971. In those two years he also won the world championship, and remains the last skip to win back-to-back world titles. In addition, he has won three Manitoba Senior Championships, silver and bronze medals at the Canadian Senior Curling Championships along with winning a gold medal at the Canadian Masters Curling Championship. For three decades Mr. Duguid worked as a curling analyst for CBC TV. He was also a commentator for major Canadian and international curling events, covering the 1992 and 1998 Winter Olympic Games with CBC, the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics for NBC, and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He has been inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian and Manitoba Curling Halls of Fame. In 2013, Don Duguid was an inaugural World Curling Hall of Fame inductee. He has also been honoured with The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

A successful businessman and sports enthusiast, Sam Fabro has given a lifetime of service to Manitoba. He immigrated to Canada from Italy as a child starting as an office boy with W.G. McMahon Limited in 1937. In 1987, he retired as company president and chairman, as well as president of R.A. Fabro Holdings Ltd. An accomplished athlete and 1941 Canadian Junior Hockey Champion, he is legendary for promoting and organizing sports in Winnipeg. He was chairman of baseball at the 1967 Pan Am Games, president of the Manitoba Baseball Association, chairman of the Manitoba Games, founder of the Manitoba Hockey Players Foundation and a member of the World Hockey Committee. He was also president of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and chair of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. Mr. Fabro is also well known for his philanthropic and active support of many worthy causes, including the Misericordia General Hospital Foundation and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. A committed conservationist, he is a founding member of the Wildlife Foundation and key benefactor to the Fort Whyte Centre whose entry road bears his name. Among his many honours, Sam Fabro is a member of the Order of Canada.

The innovative president of Saint Boniface University since 2003, Raymonde Gagné has significantly contributed to the advancement of French-language post-secondary education in Manitoba and Canada. Under her leadership, the university improved its accountability and governance and expanded its degree programs. She also developed a successful international recruitment strategy from francophone countries and spearheaded an $18 million fundraising campaign which resulted in the opening of the new health sciences building in 2011, Pavillon Marcel-A.-Desautels. As well, Mme Gagné was instrumental to the university forging strong partnerships with francophone institutions across Canada. For example, she was a founding board director of the National Health Training Consortium which she has co-chaired since 2009 and served as president of the Association of Universities of the Canadian Francophonie. She has had and continues to have ties with many boards, organizations, and institutions within Manitoba. This includes as a founding member and vice-chair of the Francophone Chamber of Commerce of St. Boniface. In 2013, Raymonde Gagné was appointed a member of the Advisory Committee to the Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade (now Jobs and the Economy). She is a recipient of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Born and raised in Winnipeg’s South End, Allan Gotlieb has made exceptional contributions to Manitoba and Canada through his public service and legal careers, particularly in the areas of international law, relations and diplomacy. A Rhodes Scholar at Oxford he later graduated from the Harvard Law School. In 1957, he began his public service career with the federal government and served under successive administrations through to the end of the 1980s. This included the posts of deputy minister of Manpower and Immigration (1973-1976) and undersecretary of state for External Affairs (1977-1981). As undersecretary he re-invented Canada’s foreign ministry as a central agency of government. He also served this nation as Canada’s esteemed ambassador to the United States from 1981 to 1989. While ambassador, he encouraged Canadian provinces to join with the federal government in playing an active advocacy role in Canada-US and other international relations. Dr. Gotlieb is a former chairman of the Canada Council. He is the chair of the Board of Governors of the Donner Canadian Foundation and chairman emeritus of the Canadian Group of the Trilateral Commission. A senior advisor in the law office of Bennett Jones, Allan Gotlieb has written five books on international law, diplomacy and political science. He is a Companion in the Order of Canada.

Israel Idonije is the first graduate of the University of Manitoba Bisons football program to play in the National Football League. His off-the-field public service and philanthropic commitments to his home province and children around the world have earned him even greater recognition. At the age of four, he emigrated from Nigeria to Canada with his missionary parents and grew up in Brandon, Manitoba. At the U of M, he helped lead the Bison football team to the 2001 Vanier Cup and, in 2002, was named Manitoba Male Athlete of the Year. In the NFL, Israel Idonije gained acclaim as a defensive lineman with the Chicago Bears from 2004 to 2012, which included a 2006 Super Bowl appearance. He played the 2013 season with the Detroit Lions and in 2014 was traded back to the Bears. Guided by his concern for others, in 2007, he established the Israel Idonije Foundation whose programs include Project Africa and “IZZYz KIDz”. He has sponsored and participated directly in youth development programming in Winnipeg as well as programs in Chicago and West Africa. His charitable efforts have been recognized locally and internationally and lauded by both the Premier of Manitoba and the White House.

For more than 40 years, Bob Irving has practiced in the field of broadcasting with a degree of professionalism, integrity and skill which is recognized and has been honoured at the national level. The Sports Director at CJOB radio since 1982, he has also been the play-by-play person known as the beloved “Voice of the Bombers" since 1974. Unwavering in his support of innumerable charities and community groups, he has participated on national and provincial sports committees and not-for-profit boards. He has MC’d hundreds of fundraisers for local charities and sports organizations including Manitoba Special Olympics. He has served as president of the Football Reporters of Canada, the Canadian Curling Reporters and the Manitoba Sports Writers and Sportscasters Association. Bob Irving has also given his time to a number of boards and committees including the Selection Committees for the CFL Players Awards. He is also past chair and senior advisory committee member for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba. In tribute to Mr. Irving, on May 24, 2013, the Winnipeg Football Club unveiled the 'Bob Irving Media Centre' at Investors Group Field. In 2014, the Pan Am Clinic Foundation honoured him with their professional sports achievement award.

One of the most successful skips in Canadian curling, Jennifer Jones has become the face of women’s curling in Canada. She made history at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia; leading her team to an unprecedented 11-0 record, which included the Gold Medal victory. Jennifer Jones began curling at age 11 under her father’s tutelage. She went on to win three provincial junior championships and a national junior curling championship. As an adult, she gained national attention in 2005 when she led her team to its first Canadian Title at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. In a lengthy list, she has won nine provincial championships and four Canadian championships. Hers is one of an elite three teams who have won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts three times in a row (2008-2010). At the 2013 Tournament of Hearts, where her Manitoba rink finished second, she became only the second Canadian woman to record 100 wins as a skip at the Canadian championships. Jennifer Jones also led her team to the World Women’s Curling Championship in 2008. She and her team were also honoured with the Order of the Buffalo Hunt in 2014.

Dr. Hermann Lee is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba and a practicing orthodontist. He is greatly valued for his service to the Chinese-Canadian community and the community at large. Dedicated to the education of our youth, he is a founding member and president of the Able Enrichment Centre for mathematics, a non-profit organization which works to improve the math skills of Manitoba students. He also gives his support to the Manitoba Chapter of Families with Children from China. An active member of Winnipeg’s Chinese Community, he is a board director of the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre and Manitoba Great Wall Performing Arts and serves on the advisory board of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Manitoba. Dr. Lee is also a former board member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and current member of the President’s Advisory Board. He donates his talents as a photographer to record many special events held in Winnipeg. In addition, as an accomplished classical pianist, he has performed on many special occasions including for The Queen in 2010. Hermann Lee is a recipient of the Golden Dragon Citizenship Award from the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre.

An influential figure in Manitoba’s history, Roland Penner is renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to the administration of justice in the fields of law and public service. He first practiced law at Penner, Larsen and Associates. In 1972, he was appointed as the founding chair of the newly constituted Legal Aid Services Society of Manitoba. Over the ensuing six years he helped to lay the basis for a legal aid system still considered one of the best in Canada. He began his teaching career as a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba in 1967 and, later, following his service in Government, as dean of the faculty (1989-1994). As an NDP member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly (1981-1988) he served in the cabinet under Premier Howard Pawley in various positions but principally as Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Constitutional Matters. During this time, he introduced several major legislative initiatives including a new Human Rights Code (one of the first to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation). Roland Penner is the author of three books including “A Glowing Dream: A Memoir” (2007), winner of the Carol Shield Winnipeg Book Award. He was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2000.

Carole Vivier is the CEO of Manitoba Film & Music (MFM) and the province’s film commissioner. Working with the MFM since its inception (1987), her energy, vision and commitment has greatly contributed to Manitoba’s vibrant cultural industry. Since assuming the position of CEO in 1990, she has helped MFM grow into a thriving internationally-recognized operation, attracting such productions as the films Capote and Heaven is for Real. Similarly, Manitoba’s music industry supports award-winning and internationally-renowned artists. Ms Vivier also continues to support and foster local production companies and Manitoba artists, such as The Crash Test Dummies and Guy Maddin. Under her leadership, MFM also initiated and financially supported the First Stories program which provided first-time film opportunities for Aboriginal Manitobans. She currently sits on the board for the Walker Theatre Performing Arts Group and the National Screen Institute, and has served on several film and music industry boards including the Canadian Film Centre. As co-chair of the 2014 Winnipeg Juno Host Committee, she once again helped to bring the JUNO Awards to Winnipeg. Carole Vivier’s passion for helping children is seen in her charitable work and her board service with organizations such as the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities.

Doris Young is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation and a residential school survivor. She is also the assistant to the president on Aboriginal affairs at the University College of the North. A champion of treaty rights, human rights and social justice initiatives, she has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Aboriginal people in Canada. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, she has lent her expertise to numerous boards and initiatives throughout her career. For example, in the 1970s she promoted the significance of the treaties in her role as director of the Indian Act Revision for the Manitoba Chiefs. In the 1980s she was the founding chair of the Aboriginal Services Committee, Health Sciences Centre Board. In the 1990s she served with the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Team and is presently a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Advisory Committee. Ms Young was also the founding president of the Indigenous Women’s Collective of Manitoba and played a major role in the passage of Bill C31 which gave back treaty rights for Aboriginal women and children. In 2010, Doris Young was appointed co-chair of the Premier’s Advisory Council on Education, Poverty and Citizenship.

Rachel Alao is the founding executive director and program director of Winnipeg’s Helping Hands Resource Centre for Immigrants Inc. Since immigrating to Manitoba from Nigeria as a young mother in 1973, she has committed herself to helping countless newcomers to Canada. After graduating from the University of Winnipeg in 1985 with a degree in sociology, she began working as a counsellor at the International Centre in the field of Settlement and Integration and later, as manager of Sonja Rhoda House. In 2004, she launched the Helping Hands Resource Centre which, in partnership with other organizations, helps to integrate, counsel, educate and assist newcomers to maximize their potential. This includes offering beneficial programs ranging from education to the arts. For example, In Harmony, established in conjunction with Prairie Theatre Exchange, gives immigrant women a venue to share and dramatize their stories. Rachel Alao is also active in many related organizations and has sat on numerous boards. She is past president of the Immigrant Women’s Organization and the founding associate minister of the Christ Apostolic Church, Vineyard of Comfort in Winnipeg. She is currently writing her second book, The Insight of Reaching Out, to inspire others to do outreach in their communities.

It was in the 1960s that Winnipeg’s Allan Kowbel first took the stage name Chad Allan. A talented singer, songwriter and guitarist, he became a Winnipeg rock star. He also played pivotal roles in the creation of two legendary Winnipeg rock bands: The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. He formed his first band Al and the Silvertones while at Winnipeg’s Miles MacDonell Collegiate in 1958. After bringing in notable musicians such as Randy Bachman, he changed the band’s name to Chad Allan and The Reflections followed by Chad Allan and The Expressions. Their first hit, a rendition of Shakin All Over, went #1 in Canada in 1965. Attempting to build mystique, Quality Records credited the single to ‘Guess Who?’, which eventually became the band’s name. In early 1966, Burton Cummings joined the group and one more album was released before Chad Allan left The Guess Who to return to school. In the early 1970s, he teamed up once more with his friend Randy Bachman who had also departed The Guess Who. Together they formed the successful rock band Brave Belt, later joined by Fred Turner. Subsequently, Chad Allan left the group to start a record label of his own. Brave Belt continued on as Bachman-Turner Overdrive. In addition to being a force behind the success of two formidable rock bands, which in turn paved the way for many artists, he has continued to pursue many musical endeavours. These include releasing several singles and an album via his Seabreeze Records label.

Karen Beaudin is a Métis woman who strives, in all she does, to make Winnipeg a better place for the most vulnerable people in society. A City of Winnipeg community resource co-ordinator, she holds bachelor of arts and social work degrees. In 2002, she initiated the city’s Aboriginal Employee Group, serving as its spokesperson. Founded to provide Indigenous employees with program supports and information about training, education and scholarship opportunities, it also works to dispel any negative stereotypes about the community among co-workers. A proud supporter of the Métis movement, Karen Beaudin has given numerous hours to various Métis events. She has also given her time to many community boards including serving as a member of the Métis Child, Family and Community Services board. She is currently active on two boards in Winnipeg’s north end including Ikwe Widdjiitwin, an Indigenous women and children’s crisis shelter, where she is vice-chair. Karen Beaudin’s commitment to youth is longstanding. A dedicated foster parent, she is also a volunteer soccer coach for a female 14 and under team from Central Community Centre.

Born in Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Tom Cochrane is a multi Juno Award-winning musician celebrated for his eloquent song writing, musicianship and humanitarian efforts. He made his recording debut in 1973 with the release of his first single, You’re Driving Me Crazy. From 1978 to 1990, he was frontman for the Canadian rock band Red Rider, later known as Tom Cochrane and Red Rider. Their 1980 debut album, Don’t Fight It, attained North American acclaim, and he went on to record seven successful albums with the band. Tom Cochrane launched his solo career in 1991 with the album Mad Mad World and its international hit single Life Is A Highway which sold a million copies in Canada and won four Juno Awards. He has produced another eight albums as a solo artist and four compilation albums. His latest album, Take it Home, was released in February 2015. Throughout his career, he has supported a wide range of worthy causes such as The Make Poverty History campaign. He is a longtime spokesperson for World Vision and has been a major supporter of the ALS Society of Canada. His many honours include induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, as well as a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. Tom Cochrane is an Officer in the Order of Canada.

For almost five decades, economist Dian Cohen has assisted both ordinary Canadians and CEOs with her economic acumen, while helping to shape community strategies and government policies. Born and raised in Winnipeg, after a brief stint in England (1951to 1953), she returned to Canada and founded her own business as a financial advisor and consultant. In 1963, she began her long career as an economics commentator on television and radio, and was national business editor with CTV. By 1968, she was also a syndicated newspaper and magazine columnist on personal money management, economic and business affairs. Dian Cohen was a founding director of the Public Policy Forum and a member of the Economic Council of Canada. She has served as a director for a number of companies including the International Institute for Sustainable Development. She has worked on numerous advisory boards, served as a trustee for the Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation and as regent for the Canadian Institute for Chartered Accountants. Her volunteer work includes her significant commitment to the YMCA-YWCA. The author of seven books, Dian Cohen is the recipient of the Order of Canada, and other honours and awards for the excellence of her economic communications skills. Presently, she is chair of the advisory council of Sionna Asset Managers and the founding organizer of the Massawippi Valley Health Centre.

Wilma Derksen is an artist, author and acknowledged expert on the special needs of victims of serious crime. Since the abduction and murder of her daughter Candace in 1984, she has become an internationally respected, award-winning victims’ rights advocate, particularly in the context of restorative justice. For more than 30 years, she has supported victims of serious crime while facilitating a non-adversarial dialogue within the larger criminal justice community. She has consulted for the Canadian government, Correctional Services Canada, the RCMP, the Law Commission of Canada and the solicitor general. The author of multiple books, she has shared her story and her insights with audiences throughout North America and abroad. Wilma Derksen has founded or co-founded several important programs in Manitoba including Child Find Manitoba, now the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. In 2000, she established The Winnipeg Foundation Candace Derksen Fund dedicated to helping crime victims. More recently, she has shown her impressive art work at several Winnipeg venues. She has also established the non-profit organization, Candace House. Its goal is to open a home-like resource centre, close to the Winnipeg Law Courts, for victims of serious crime in Manitoba. This year, Wilma Derksen earned her certification as an executive coach.

Dan Johnson is the founding executive director of the Manitoba Special Olympics. In this role, he has inspired thousands of volunteers and athletes across Manitoba, and made the provincial chapter a model for the entire nation. It was in the late 1970s as a physical education teacher at Prince Charles School that Dan Johnson first began to enter his special needs athletes into regular high school cross-country events. In 1978, he and former NHL player Ted Irvine took a team of Manitoba athletes to the Canadian Special Olympic Games in Regina and, upon his return he left his teaching position to dedicate his energies full-time to getting Special Olympics off the ground in Manitoba. He proceeded to develop a club system, where individuals with intellectual disabilities could go to work on their athletic skills with the first club being established in 1979. The next year, in 1980, the Manitoba Special Olympics was created. Within five years, the Manitoba Special Olympics grew to 125 clubs serving 1,500 Manitoba athletes. Dan Johnson wrote what would become the program standard for Canadian Special Olympics, leaving an indelible mark on every facet of that organization when he retired in 1995. He has since been inducted into both the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Special Olympics Hall of Fame.

Born in Brandon, Sheldon Kennedy was raised on hockey in Thompson and Elkhorn, Manitoba. Well-known for his NHL career (1988 to 1998), he is perhaps better known for turning the tragedy of a history of sexual abuse into awareness, hope and help for other victims throughout North America and around the world. Sheldon Kennedy played professionally for the Detroit Red Wings, the Calgary Flames, the Boston Bruins and the Manitoba Moose. He was also a member of Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the 1988 World Junior Hockey Championship in Moscow. In 1996, his junior hockey league coach, Graham James, was charged and convicted of sexual assault for the abuse Sheldon Kennedy suffered over a five-year period while a teenager under his care. He detailed the traumatic effects of the abuse in his 2006 autobiography Why I Didn’t Say Anything and for close to 20 years, has been a tireless advocate for abuse survivors and for programs and legislation that better protects youth from abuse. In 1998 his cross-Canada in-line skate raised $1 million for the Canadian Red Cross abuse-prevention programs. A former ambassador for Sport Manitoba’s Respect in Sport online coaching tool, he co-founded Respect Group Inc. in 2004, which provides online education for the prevention of abuse, bullying and harassment. In recognition of his courageous advocacy, Sheldon Kennedy was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2014.

A decorated Métis veteran, Donald Mackey has worked hard to ensure the sacrifices made by Canada’s veterans, particularly those of First Nations and Métis descent, are never forgotten. He has also done a great deal to honour the memory of Sgt. Tommy Prince, MM, one of Canada’s most decorated Indigenous soldiers. Serving with the Canadian Armed Forces from 1951 to 1965 and attaining the rank of sergeant, he has actively encouraged inner-city youth to be involved in cadets. A member of the Royal Canadian Legion, a life member of the Army Cadet League of Canada and chair of the Sgt. Tommy Prince, MM, Memorial Fund Committee, he is also responsible for many important initiatives including helping to secure funding for the Sgt. Tommy Prince, MM, Monument at Veterans Park, located in the Military Plaza on Winnipeg’s Selkirk Avenue. Instrumental in the 1999 formation of the No. 553 Sgt. Tommy Prince, MM, Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, which is run out of the Freight House on Winnipeg’s Isabel Street, he remains its chief organizer and sponsor. Recognized with certificates of merit and commendation from Veterans Associations across Canada, as well as the minister of veterans affairs, Donald Mackey is also a recipient of The Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals.

The founding artistic director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Mitch Podolak is an icon of the Canadian and Manitoba folk music community. In the late 1960s, he began a dynamic relationship with CBC Radio working for such shows as This Country in the Morning as well as hosting the Simply Folk radio program from 1987 to 1991. Moving to Manitoba in the early 1970s, he helped found the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 1974 along with his wife Ava Kobrinsky and Colin Gorrie, serving as the artistic director for 13 seasons. The festival continues to this day as one of the most successful folk festivals in Canada and a premiere tourist attraction in the province. Additionally, Mitch Podolak was founding artistic director of the Vancouver Folk Festival and a major influence in starting folk festivals in Edmonton, Calgary, Owen Sound and Canso, Nova Scotia. In 1976, he founded Barnswallow Records and helped launch the career of Stan Rogers. Moreover, he was the founding artistic director of the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, the Winnipeg International Children’s Festival and the West End Cultural Centre. Currently, he is founding artistic director of Home Routes/Chemin Chez Nous, North America’s only house-concert circuit. In 2013, Mitch Podolak received the Unsung Hero Award at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Monica Singh is passionate in her support of recent immigrants to Manitoba and especially in areas that help improve the quality of life of women, their families and communities. She moved from Guyana, South America, to Manitoba with her family in 1974 and immediately recognized the need for programs and services to help immigrants adjust to living in a new country. She also began offering her services to a host of organizations at the local, national and international levels. This includes the Indo-Caribbean Association of Manitoba and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg, where she served on the Intergenerational Conference Planning Committee that addressed issues facing immigrant families. From 1990 to 2005, she sat on the board of the Immigrant Women’s Association of Manitoba; twice as president, and became involved with the Provincial Council of Women of Manitoba, of which she was elected president in 1995. Additionally, she has served on the boards of the National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada and the National and International Councils of Women. In 2000, she co-chaired the Global Issues Committee of the United Nations Platform for Action Committee. Monica Singh is presently an elected member of the Manitoba Ethnocultural Advocacy and Advisory Council.

Jonathan Toews is among Manitoba’s greatest Olympians and has established himself, still early in his NHL career, as one of the all-time best professional hockey players Manitoba has ever produced. He is a great ambassador for his sport and an exemplary role model for youth. Born and raised in Winnipeg, he grew up playing minor hockey in St. Vital and was drafted by the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks in 2006. His first season of play (2007 to 2008) saw him nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. The next season he was named team captain, becoming the third-youngest captain in NHL history. Jonathan Toews was a gold-medal winning member of Canada’s Junior and IIHF World’s Men hockey teams in 2006 and 2007. He also scored the first goal for Team Canada in each of the final gold-medal winning games at the Vancouver and Sochi Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014. As captain of the Blackhawks, he won the Conn Smythe Most Valuable Player Trophy during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, and then led his team to two Stanley Cup victories in 2010 and 2013. His charitable endeavors each year involve several in Manitoba. Recent examples include the Winnipeg Police Goals for Dreams on behalf of the Children’s Hospital Foundation and Dream Factory as well as the Players Cup Hosted by Jonathan Toews, a fundraiser for the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation.

From humble beginnings, Paul Albrechtsen became a trucking magnate, business leader and remarkable philanthropist. At age 24, he immigrated to Canada from Denmark with $50 in his pocket and found work as a field mechanic in Virden. Living in tool sheds to save money, he bought two trucks in the space of two years and, in 1956, founded Paul’s Hauling Ltd., of which he is still president and CEO. In addition to his business acumen, he is committed to giving back to his community. Through the Paul Albrechtsen Foundation, many organizations have benefited from his altruism including the Reh-Fit Centre, St. Paul’s High School, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and the Health Sciences Centre. In April 2015, Paul Albrechtsen donated $5 million in support of cardiac research to the St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, which now bears his family name. Combined with previous donations, he is the most significant donor in the hospital’s history.

A Métis woman, community leader and entrepreneur, Marileen Bartlett has dedicated more than 30 years to leadership in the field of Indigenous employment and training. As executive director of the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development and the Neeginan Centre, she strongly believes that equitable access to education and training are essential to equitable participation by Indigenous people in the economy. Through her work and leadership in the community, she continues to develop employment, training and education services for more than 2,000 Indigenous people each year. Many Indigenous business leaders, educators, entrepreneurs and political leaders have found mentorship, training and opportunities within the community at the Neeginan Centre.

The daughter of Italian immigrants, Maria De Nardi has contributed to the enrichment and promotion of the Italian culture in Manitoba and was one of the founders of the Lupa di Roma Sons of Italy and the Manitoba Chapter of the Italian Chamber of Commerce. In 1972, she was a founding partner of La Grotta Del Formaggio, and in 1983, co-founded Mondo Foods Co. Ltd., a wholesale food distribution business serving the pizza industry, retail grocery stores and restaurants across Western Canada, which today operates 100,000 square feet of warehouse and retail space and employs more than 100 people. In 1994, she founded La Boutique Del Vino, one of the foremost wine boutiques in Winnipeg and in 1999, the Piazza De Nardi Complex, a cornerstone retail destination. Through individual efforts, Maria De Nardi has been a supporter of numerous charities throughout Manitoba.

Past president and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba (2003 to 2013), Dr. Dhali Dhaliwal introduced a number of advancements in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Born in India, he spent his formative years in Britain, graduating from medicine and later earned a doctorate in immunology from the Birmingham Medical School, England. An accomplished medical oncologist, clinical researcher and physician-administrator, Dr. Dhaliwal introduced the Home Oncology Program, the Surgical Oncology Network, the Provincial Oncology Drug Program, the Manitoba Cancer Patient Journey Initiative, the Quality Patient Safety portfolio, the Patient Navigation Program and the Colorectal Screening Program, which was a first in Canada. He also increased rural patients’ access to cancer care and treatment through enhanced regional cancer centres and was instrumental to the opening of the new Western Manitoba Cancer Centre and the establishment of Manitoba’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit Cancer Control program.

With the distinction of being the longest-serving female chief in Manitoba, Betsy Kennedy became chief of the War Lake First Nation in 2006 and since that time, the community has seen the development of a nursing station, a new store, garage, water treatment plant, youth centre and a community fish facility. As chief, she was instrumental in securing approval for the Keeyask Development Agreement, which ensures the benefits of Keeyask, such as job training and employment, are realized by her community. In 2014, Chief Kennedy addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women about how women and children living in First Nation communities can be better served by the federal government.

Dr. Gary Kobinger is one of the world's leading researchers in the global fight against the Ebola virus and is the chief of the special pathogens program at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. As the driving force behind the development of two of the three disease-fighting proteins that form the experimental Ebola treatment, ZMapp, he has been deployed to Africa several times as part of the mobile lab teams that diagnose and fight Ebola at its origin, helping to reduce the risk of spread to Canada. These front-line efforts, key to quelling the Ebola outbreak, inspired Time magazine to declare the Ebola fighters as its ‘Person of the Year’ for 2014. Dr. Kobinger and his Winnipeg-based team have also been featured in reports by National Geographic, 60 Minutes and the BBC.

Wanda Koop is one of Canada’s pre-eminent contemporary artists and community activists who has made a substantial contribution to Canadian art in her exploration of urbanization and its interaction with the natural world. For more than four decades, she has created a prolific body of work, now featured in numerous private collections and several prestigious museums in Canada and around the world. With more than 50 solo exhibitions nationally and internationally, Time magazine listed her as one of Canada’s best artists. Active in the West Broadway community, she founded Art City (1998), a community arts centre offering free art programs for inner-city youth.

A member of the Berens River First Nation, and despite enduring racism and poverty and playing on borrowed skates for much of his childhood, Reggie Leach went on to become one of the most gifted hockey players of his generation. His speed and outstanding shooting ability earned him the nickname, ‘The Riverton Rifle.’ Reggie Leach retired after 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) including playing a key role in the Philadelphia Flyers’ 1974-75 Stanley Cup winning season. In an NHL career that spanned 934 games, Reggie Leach was named to the NHL All-Star team in 1976 and 1980, and also played for Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup tournament. In his post-NHL career, Reggie Leach continues to offer hockey schools in remote communities throughout Canada and to inspire young people – both through his own life experiences and by encouraging healthy life choices.

Bernadette Smith, best known for her dedication in pursuing justice for Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous girls and women, is a leader in her community and across Canada. After her sister, Claudette Osborne-Tyo, went missing in 2008, Bernadette dedicated herself to seeking answers and justice. She has organized vigils, spoken at public events, lends her support to families going through this experience and has helped develop a missing persons and persons-at-risk tool kit, recognized as an essential resource for the loved ones of women who go missing. The kit includes advice, a customizable missing persons poster and communications logs with law enforcement. In 2013, Bernadette Smith spoke to the House of Commons Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women and has recently produced the seventh annual No Stone Unturned, an all-day concert, to raise awareness of the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Former Winnipeg mayor Susan Thompson has been inspirational to Manitobans in her roles as community leader, entrepreneur, politician, diplomat and philanthropic fundraiser. She was the first and only woman mayor of Winnipeg, the first woman consul general at the Canadian Consulate in Minneapolis, and was the founding president and CEO of the University of Winnipeg Foundation. Elected mayor of Winnipeg for two terms in 1992 and 1995, she saw the city through the largest crisis Winnipeg had faced in 100 years – the flood of 1997. As mayor, she championed economic development, relationship building with the Aboriginal community and the continuing revitalization of Winnipeg’s downtown. She also helped bring major sporting events to Winnipeg including the World Junior Hockey Championship, the Grey Cup, the Pan Am Games and the World Indigenous Games.

Wanbdi Wakita is a Dakota spiritual leader who has devoted his life to teaching and healing and continues to share his culture with anyone who asks for help. He has worked tirelessly to support the healing of individuals, communities and the relationship between First Nations and non-First Nations people. A residential school survivor and a veteran with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry peacekeeping mission in Europe, more recently he has spent more than 30 years working as an Aboriginal spiritual caregiver in federal, provincial and territorial prisons and currently works with the inmates at Milner Ridge Correctional Centre. As chief of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, he developed a culturally unique senior citizens’ home and established two medical boarding homes to house Indigenous clients from northern communities visiting Winnipeg for medical care. He continues to share his culture with anyone who asks for help and is a strong advocate for the preservation of the Dakota language.

A former president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, he was instrumental in the creation of Winnipeg’s World Trade Centre. He also played a key role in the work of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council and in raising awareness of Winnipeg’s ability to provide practical and visionary solutions to a range of local and global issues.

A former president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, he was instrumental in the creation of Winnipeg’s World Trade Centre. He also played a key role in the work of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council and in raising awareness of Winnipeg’s ability to provide practical and visionary solutions to a range of local and global issues.

As an innovator and a specialist in family violence intervention and prevention for over three decades, she has been instrumental in shaping public policy and program responses to family violence at community, provincial, national and international levels. she also founded and co-chaired the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Domestic Violence.

With a lifetime dedicated to issues of social justice and helping people and communities in need, he has inspired communities across Canada and received national acclaim. Most recently, as the chair of Winnipeg’s Point Douglas Residents Committee (PDRC) and co-ordinator of the Point Powerline, he has worked to improve the inner-city neighbourhood and rid it of gangs, drugs and derelict houses.

A founding partner of Triple E. Canada Ltd. based in Winkler, he is widely respected as a community builder, leader and mentor. He is a celebrated entrepreneur and philanthropist with an extensive, wide-ranging community service record that spans local, provincial and national boards, and benefited initiatives including the Heritage Centre, located at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, and a hospital in Taiwan.

Dedicating her life’s work to environmental sustainability and social justice, she is recognized as an accomplished professional and a community volunteer. Under her leadership at the Manitoba Eco-Network, she mentored many young activists and helped create a strong network focused on non-partisan education and participation in environmental and natural resource issues.

One of Canada’s most respected TV and film producers, she is a woman whose commitment to her craft and community has been guided by her Aboriginal culture and spirituality. A tireless advocate for youth, she has also been a driving force behind the success of the annual Manito Ahbee Festival and has received many awards for her creative endeavours, mentorship and leadership.

Recognized nationally and internationally for his contributions to medicine and community service, his medical career involved serving as a lung specialist and a professor of pediatrics. He entered politics and became a Member of Parliament from 1988 to 2004. His lifetime volunteer community service has been extensive.

An award-winning physicist, he is one of the world’s leading theoretical cosmologists. A graduate of the University of Manitoba, he has contributed more than any other living scientist to the understanding of the origin of the large-scale structure in the universe including the formation of galaxies such as the Milky Way.

As a sports reporter for over six decades, he distinguished himself on provincial, national and international stages. He spent several decades covering the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Canadian Football League and every major Canadian golf championship. He also served as the first media officer of the World Curling Federation in 1992.

With an outstanding record of service to his community, province and country, this former educator and Winnipeg Blue Bomber went on to become assistant manager and then, general manager of the Winnipeg Football Club. In later years, he served as an assistant deputy minister for Manitoba Tourism, was publisher of the Winnipeg Sun and CEO of the Red River Exhibition.

A visionary social advocate, she founded the Women’s Housing Initiative Manitoba, a concept for older women who prefer not to live alone, and also initiated the development of Winnipeg’s first birthing centre. She also co-founded the Manitoba Women’s Enterprise Centre, Women’s Music and Cultural Festival, and the Kali Shiva AIDS services in Winnipeg to help people with AIDS live independently.

As president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba since 2008, Dr. Barnard has championed the university’s commitments to Indigenous achievement, enhanced research facilities and graduate student support, and diversified academic opportunities for students. During his tenure, the university was invited to join the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, was selected as the site for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and has been chosen to hold prestigious research chairs including a highly competitive Canada Excellence Research Chair.

A Métis elder and a military veteran, Michael P. B. Belhumeur co-founded the Urban Knights and Ladies Volunteer Veterans Ambassadors Peace Patrol of Manitoba, a first-of-its-kind volunteer-based, safety promotion and crime prevention organization. Serving the Winnipeg community for 40 years, its focus has been on locating and finding support for homeless veterans. He has also spent countless hours educating young people about Metis art, culture and history.

Jacqueline Blay is an award-winning francophone historian. Her writings reflect the efforts of francophones in Manitoba to preserve their language and culture, and chronicle their important contribution to our province’s history. She has served as president of the St. Boniface Historical Society, Gabrielle-Roy House and the Société franco-manitobaine. She continues to work on completing her series of five books dedicated to promoting the history of francophone and Métis communities in Manitoba.

A citizen of the Métis nation, Barbara Bruce has spent her life working with and for the Métis nation and First Nations’ communities and organizations at the local, regional and national level. She was directly involved in the planning of four Truth and Reconciliation Commission national events. She served on the boards of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and the Top 40 Under 40, among others. She is a two-spirit elder who follows her traditional spiritual way of life.

A pediatric hematologist/oncologist, Dr. Sara Israels is world renowned for her innovative work in the care of children and teenagers with cancer and bleeding disorders. She led the expansion of inter-professional care, the development of an aftercare program for survivors of childhood cancer, the creation of a provincial bleeding disorders program, and the development of dedicated space for children and their families at CancerCare Manitoba.

A lifelong resident of Gimli and a commercial fisher for 70 years, Robert T. Kristjanson increased public awareness of the growing algae problem on Lake Winnipeg, which inspired several initiatives to address the problem. He also led the implementation of the Canadian Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, has served in the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary for 35 years, as well as having a distinguished record of service to a variety of community organizations.

William (Bill) Loewen’s distinguished business career includes innovation and commercial success in computer services and electronic commerce. He has championed other community organizations such as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Choral Association, Heritage Saint Norbert, West End Cultural Centre, Urban Circle Training Centre and Heritage Winnipeg.

Bernice Marmel has been a long-time champion and advocate for seniors, affordable housing and low-income Manitobans. She helped establish a visiting program and phone service for Deer Lodge Hospital residents, matching volunteers with seniors to reduce social isolation. In 2016, she received the Murray and Muriel Smith Award, the highest honour given by the Manitoba Council on Aging. She also initiated a community project that gave children living in a social housing project the opportunity to voice their needs.

Robb Nash uses music to influence young people, performing at schools, reservations and detention centres across Canada. After surviving a near-fatal accident, he began speaking to youth, playing his songs that are intended to inspire discussion about important issues, such as bullying, addiction, self-harm and suicide. Over the past five years, more than 800 students have relinquished their planned suicide notes to him and hundreds more have stopped self-harming behaviors.

For more than 27 years, Ken Opaleke has been dedicated to empowering disadvantaged youth as the driving force and executive director of West Broadway Youth Outreach, a non-profit organization that helps youth realize their full potential. More than 800 kids participate in the program every year. Among his proudest accomplishments has been never taking a sick day in 30 years and helping two of his former program ‘students’ achieve their dream of graduating from medical school, with another three not far behind.

Dr. Grant Pierce’s research in cardiovascular medicine has brought scientific acclaim to Manitoba through his participation in a series of pioneering studies to stop or reverse heart muscle disease or blood vessel wall injury. He helped develop the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and helped found the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine, both at St. Boniface Hospital.

A physician and researcher, Dr. Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg is renowned for her leadership in pediatric health and her expertise regarding rare metabolic disorders and genetic diseases. Her research benefited the health of Manitobans at risk for certain illnesses, resulting in the development of targeted newborn screening programs and new treatments. This led to early life-changing interventions for many Manitobans including those in the province’s Hutterite, Mennonite and Indigenous communities. In April 2018, she was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

As a professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Vivian Bruce was instrumental in conducting the first research exploring the health benefits of canola oil and establishing its unique nutritional properties – an important development in the study of the effects of dietary fat on human health. Working with her research colleague, the late Dr. Bruce MacDonald, she conducted important research with positive ramifications for food science and the economic viability of such key Manitoba crops as flax, canola and sunflowers.

Marcel Desautels is a prominent philanthropist and champion of post-secondary education in Canada. After earning three university degrees, he practised law and held senior positions in government and industry. As president and general manager of Creditel of Canada Limited, he led the company to becoming Canada’s largest business credit information and debt recovery organization. After selling Creditel in 1996, Desautels used the proceeds to establish the Canadian Credit Management Foundation, to fund new, innovative programs at Canadian universities. His gifts to various schools have since totalled more than $100 million.

Grammy Award-winner James Ehnes is a celebrated concert violinist and one of the most dynamic performers in classical music today. Born and educated in Brandon, he has performed in more than 30 countries, appearing with many of the world’s most famous orchestras and conductors. He began studying violin at the age of four and was a protégé by age nine. Ehnes studied at New York’s Meadowmount School of Music and is an award-winning graduate of the Julliard School. He is a member of the Order of Canada.

A dedicated community volunteer in Winkler for more than 35 years, Kathy Hildebrandis the co-founder and president of Hearth Families Incorporated, an organization established to help new immigrants settle in the community. She has helped many immigrant families obtain basic necessities, while also connecting them with local programs to help them learn English. A past winner of the Premier’s Volunteer Service Award, Hildebrand has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the Stanley Agricultural Society, community round tables and her church.

A dedicated athlete and selfless humanitarian, Arvid Loewen retired from his 31-year business career to focus on competitive, long-distance cycling as a means of increasing public awareness of the needs of orphaned African children. Since 1995, Loewen has cycled more than 400,000 kilometres, competing in many world-class, ultra-marathon races. He set a Guinness World Record by cycling from Vancouver to Halifax in only 13 days, six hours and 13 minutes. Inspiring the support of others, he has already raised more than $4 million for the Mully Children’s Family Orphanage in Kenya.

A member of the Pine Creek Ojibway First Nation, Clarence Nepinak is dedicated to promoting cultural awareness across Canada. He received the Knowledge Keepers Award for his work in preserving and advancing Indigenous culture. Nepinak has served on many boards and councils including the Vancouver-based Healthy Aboriginal Network, the Elders Advisory Council at the University of Winnipeg, the Indigenous Peoples’ Education Circle at Brandon University and the Indigenous Advisory Council for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

A creative visionary and renowned arts advocate, Steven Schipper is the longest- serving artistic director of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (RMTC), having led the organization for 30 years. His talent and collaborative spirit led RMTC onto a sustainable path of fiscal and artistic excellence. During his tenure, RMTC became the first Canadian theatre to receive a royal designation in more than a century. Schipper was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian Theatre and received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.

As executive director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), Trudy Schroeder is an arts administrator extraordinaire who succeeded in making the once-struggling WSO profitable for 11 consecutive years. She is the past chair of Orchestras Canada and the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, and a member of the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council Task Force on Arts and Culture. Schroeder has received the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s Award for Distinguished Service. She initiated, and now manages, the development of the Pantages Project, soon to be a major community centre for the arts.

A community leader, Harvey Secter earned a bachelor of commerce from the University of Manitoba (U of M) in 1967, prior to a 20-year career leading Ricki’s Canada Limited. He later earned his bachelor of law degree from the U of M, and a master of law degree from Harvard University. He taught courses in negotiation and mediation at Harvard, before becoming an instructor, then dean, of the U of M faculty of law. From 2010 to 2019, he was U of M chancellor. Secter was honorary chair of the university’s $500- million Front and Centre campaign, reputed to be the largest philanthropic investment in Manitoba history.

A former MLA and MP, Joy Smith is one of Canada’s leading anti-human trafficking activists. During her 11-year tenure in parliament, Smith made Canadian history as the first sitting MP to amend the Criminal Code twice, enacting laws that protect victims and punish their abusers including minimum sentencing guidelines for the trafficking of minors and laws making the purchase of sex illegal in Canada. She also wrote the prototype for the Canadian National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.

An internationally renowned physician and researcher, Dr. Michael West is responsible for establishing a world-class neurosurgery program at Manitoba’s Health Sciences Centre. He was the first to introduce gamma knife surgery in Canada, a procedure used to treat conditions, such as brain tumours, that once required more invasive procedures. This technology lets patients recover faster, experience less pain and have fewer post-surgical complications. West is now working with CancerCare Manitoba to develop an extracranial stereotactic body radiation therapy program.

The director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Dr. Stephen Borys has long been a fierce advocate for the power of art to change lives and communities. He is leading the effort to build the Inuit Art Centre and holds the post of adjunct professor at the University of Winnipeg. Borys has produced numerous exhibitions and books in his field, and lectured across North America and Europe. He serves on national museum association boards where he has advanced a meaningful dialogue on the role of culture in society today.

An educator and community activist, Bourbonniere has long been inspired to help others find their voices. A founding member of the original Bear Clan Patrol, he also volunteers with Ogijiita Pimatswin Kinamatwin (OPK) the Mama Bear Clan, Drag the Red and many other organizations. He has received two Governor General awards for bravery and meritorious service as well as the Canadian Humane Association’s Bronze Medal for Bravery for jumping into a Winnipeg river to save a young woman’s life in December 2016.

Courchene is an Indigenous leader and role model in the field of public education, sharing her guidance and experience on the journey toward truth and reconciliation for all Manitobans. Drawing on the strength of her family and culture along with her own painful experiences as a residential school survivor, she seeks to build understanding that brings both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities together to learn, heal and grow.

An emeritus professor in the University of Manitoba faculty of medicine, Dakshinamurti is a senior advisor to the St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre and an innovator in the epigenetics of vitamins, metabolic syndrome disorders and the pharmacology of vitamins. His biography was included in the Cambridge University Press’s Outstanding Scientists of the 21st Century.

Elliott built a career in championing the cause of sustainability through environmental education. He is the founding executive director of the Fort Whyte Centre for Environmental Education, now known as FortWhyte Alive. Never satisfied with the status quo, he has a flair for adaptation and creating programs and facilities that responded to both community need and funding opportunities.

As CEO of The Winnipeg Foundation (TWF), Canada’s first community foundation, Frost has become a leader in encouraging the growth of this influential movement. During his tenure, TWF has experienced unprecedented growth and development, multiplying its net worth and increasing its social and cultural influence in Winnipeg and surrounding communities.

Chair of the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) Foundation board, Jones is a successful entrepreneur, community contributor and philanthropist.  Her work with HSC Foundation has raised record funds, impacting the lives of many Manitobans. Jones is owner of the Banville & Jones group of companies and partner in The Rink Training Centre, both ground-breaking enterprises. She has recently been recognized with the University of Manitoba Distinguished Alumni Award and the Women’s Executive Network as one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women.

A pioneer in medical genetics, Lewis co-founded the Winnipeg Rh Laboratory to study and eradicate hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). Prior to her work, HDN was a major cause of morbidity and death in the newborn period. The Rh Laboratory has the distinction of being one of the earliest genetics laboratories in Canada. Lewis developed and perfected the methodology to detect all forms of Rh-incompatibility and to use this same technique to test the blood of all pregnant women in Manitoba. Lewis received the La Medaille de la Ville Paris for the first international workshop in monoclonal antibodies.

Manitoba’s first speech therapist, Morse pioneered speech clinics in hospitals, assessing and treating adults and children with communication disorders for several decades, for which her patients were very grateful. Morse continues to advocate for a master’s program in speech pathology at the University of Manitoba and has a long record of volunteerism with a variety of community organizations including the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Woman’s Musical Club of Winnipeg and the Manitoba Historical Society.

Murray has an eclectic resume spanning the fields of entertainment, business, health, sports, public service, community service and human rights. In addition to being a former political party leader, chair of the 1999 World Junior Hockey Championship, honorary colonel of 17 Wing Winnipeg, chair of Travel Manitoba and co- chair of the Manitoba150 Host Committee, he was appointed as the inaugural president and CEO of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in 2009, serving in this role until the museum’s opening 2014.

Oake is a Gemini Award-winning Canadian sportscaster for CBC Sports, Sportsnet, and Hockey Night in Canada. He moved to Winnipeg and became a sports anchor, and was subsequently hired by Hockey Night in Canada, broadcasting National Hockey League games to a national audience. Oake is a director of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, a Winnipeg-based project dedicated to the memory of his 25-year-old son, who passed away in 2011 as the result of a drug overdose.

A very successful entrepreneur and former member of the Manitoba Bar Association, Rady is passionate about supporting important causes including education, children’s health and scientific research. His charitable donations include the Rady Children’s Hospital, the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management and The Salvation Army. Of particular significance to Manitobans was the $30-million transformative gift to the University of Manitoba, as part of its Front and Centre Campaign to bolster the school’s teaching.

An award-winning singer and songwriter, Bell continues to use his artistic talents to inspire, entertain and inform audiences across Canada and the U.S. He has received many prestigious awards including multiple Juno Awards, Western Canadian Music Awards, Prairie Music Awards and Gospel Music Association Covenant Awards.

An executive leader in the Canadian transportation industry and a volunteer leader in the fields of sport and health care, Bishop has demonstrated excellence throughout his career. He led the federal government’s Caribbean Airport Project, served as CEO of Winnipeg International Airport, played key roles in the establishment of Winnport Logistics and its evolvement into Cargojet, Canada’s leading air cargo carrier, and is a past president of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football Club as well as past board chair of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation.

Christie has dedicated her life to Indigenous history preservation, education and service to the community, notably in her storytelling, historical re-enactment and teaching to scholars, students and the general public. Through her work, she makes a deep understanding of Indigenous, colonial and Canadian history accessible to people in Manitoba, as well as nationally and internationally.

A global leader in canola research and one of the world’s leading food science writers, Eskin earned the Order of Canada in 2016 for his work on the physicochemical and functional properties of canola oil that is key to the success of the Canadian canola oil industry. His work changed the agricultural landscape in Manitoba and Canada, making canola oil the third-largest major oilseed crop in the world.

The current president of the Manitoba Historical Society, Goldsborough is an aquatic ecologist who studies the impact of humans and invasive species on lakes and wetlands. He has guided conservation policy for wetlands across the country including Lake Winnipeg. He is the author of the popular Abandoned Manitoba books and stars on the CBC radio segment of the same name.

Former president and CEO of Wawanesa Mutual, Hanson has made his mark on the Manitoba community in a career highlighted by corporate responsibility and outstanding community service. An Order of Canada recipient, he has supported a variety of causes including poverty reduction in First Nations education. Now retired, he chairs an early childhood development initiative to assist Winnipeg’s most vulnerable children.

The co-owner of Eagle Vision, Irving has showcased Canada’s Indigenous people, history, arts and culture for over 20 years. He has produced numerous award-winning feature films including the five-time Oscar-nominated Capote and the seminal We Were Children. He is also the executive producer of the Manitoba-set international hit drama series Burden of Truth, the groundbreaking series Taken, and the globally broadcast Ice Road Truckers. As an industry leader, he is dedicated to the development and elevation of Manitoba storytellers and filmmakers.

One of the founding directors of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Kobrinsky is a force in the cultivation, nurturing and flourishing of contemporary folk music in Manitoba and Canada. She was the general manager the West End Cultural Centre and the Home Routes/Chemin Chez Nous, and has also played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Prairie Theatre Exchange, the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre and the Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers.

An accomplished advocate of provincial arts, culture and heritage, Leclerc has made a significant impact on arts organizations in her accomplished career including the Winnipeg International Children’s Festival, Folklorama and most recently as Executive Director and CEO of The Manitoba Museum. Earning many professional honours over the course of her career, she was named a Fellow of the Canadian Museum Association in 2015.

A prominent advocate for women’s rights, Oulton has made many important contributions to Manitoba’s life and culture. She is currently chair of the Nellie McClung Foundation and the Canadian Federation of University Women Charitable Trust, and was the former assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Women’s Directorate. Her community contributions have been recognized locally and internationally, for their significance.

A graduate of the University of Manitoba’s School of Social Work, Selinger worked in social service in Winnipeg’s north end, before pursuing further education in public administration at Queen’s University and earning a PhD from the London School of Economics. In 1989, he was elected to Winnipeg’s City Council and in 1999 became the member of the legislative assembly for St. Boniface. He won his first election campaign as NDP leader, capturing 37 of 57 seats in October 2011, to become Manitoba’s 21st premier.

One of Manitoba’s leading entrepreneurs, Thorsteinson has long-demonstrated outstanding community leadership through his business initiatives and his philanthropic generosity, especially in support of the arts, education and human rights. The founder of Winnipeg-based Shelter Properties, he also spearheaded the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) capital campaign, and was appointed as its first board chair.

Music producer, founder and CEO of Make Music Matter (MMM), Darcy Ataman enriches the lives of vulnerable populations in conflict and post-conflict zones. A Winnipegger, he founded MMM and created a new form of music therapy named the Healing in Harmony Music Therapy Program. This program has been implemented in eight countries and has positively impacted more than 8,500 participants directly. He co-founded a record label and publishing company that supports musicians in the most impoverished areas.

James Eldridge has exemplified excellence in public service through his 48-year career with the Manitoba government. During that time, he was a non-partisan advisor to eight premiers. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was heavily involved in attempts to reform the Constitution, leading first to the Meech Lake Accord and then to the Charlottetown Accord. He was also one of the drafters of equalization provisions of the Constitution Act, 1982.

The owner of Sargent Blue Jeans, Mohamed El Tassi is a champion for vulnerable people, having supported multiple charitable and not-for-profit organizations that support people with intellectual disabilities and those experiencing homelessness. He has personally provided significant financial contributions to support both new immigrants and vulnerable and marginalized Manitobans.

A business leader and philanthropist, Doug Harvey is dedicated to Manitoba. Founder and CEO of the DLH Group, he has served on, and contributed to, numerous organizations that better the lives of Manitobans. He was recently named the Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Manitoba for his financial support of numerous organizations including FortWhyte Alive, the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Assiniboine Park Conservancy.

A Haitian immigrant, Alix Joseph Jean-Paul has dedicated himself to education, community building and anti-racism. This community mindedness was inspired by a fruitful 25-year career teaching in Winnipeg, where he earned a bachelor of education and two master’s degrees. Recognizing the challenges faced by many immigrants and refugees, he developed and delivered workshops for both parents and school officials to better navigate the system, for new Canadians.

The owner and executive chair of Canad Inns, Leo Ledohowski is a respected Ukrainian-Canadian business and community leader. In addition to ensuring that Canad Inns remains Manitoba owned and focused, he has supported many initiatives including Partners in the Park, Health Sciences Centre Foundation, KidSport, Special Olympics Manitoba, United Way and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. He was integral to the global recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor.

The artistic director and CEO of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB), André Lewis is an accomplished soloist who has performed and taught an array of diverse repertoire throughout North America, Asia and Russia. He has served as artistic director for more than 25 years, nurturing a strong creative vision focused on outstanding performance. Under his leadership, the RWB has become one of the premiere dance companies in the world.

For more than 25 years, Marcy Markusa has been a familiar broadcasting voice in Manitoba, most notably as host of CBC Manitoba’s Information Radio. This morning show attained the number one rating on several occasions as the most-listened-to radio program in Manitoba. An award winner and trailblazer, she was the first female host of a number one rated morning show in Winnipeg and has led discussions on various topics important to Manitobans.

A celebrated pianist, educator and curator, Megumi Masaki has contributed to music excellence for over 40 years. As a Japanese-Canadian artist, her work examines the connection with multiracial identity, aligning with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She is the long-serving artistic director of the annual Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition and a professor at Brandon University.

The president and CEO of Paterson GlobalFoods Inc. (PGF), Andrew Paterson has demonstrated a significant commitment to Manitoba. In addition to the economic impact of PGF headquarters in Manitoba, he served for nine years as chair of the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, funded the Red River College culinary program and the Urban Circle Training Centre supporting Indigenous students. He served 14 years as honorary colonel of the Fort Garry Horse, assisting military personnel and their families.

Shirley Richardson is a community supporter whose love of nature and craft has inspired many projects in Manitoba. Prior to moving to Canada, she joined the British Air Force at 17 and served for over three years, driving transport vehicles during air raids in the Second World War. In addition to funding the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s butterfly exhibit, she has donated more than $2 million to Canada’s Diversity Gardens, subsidizing the admission cost for children, seniors and families.