ELIZABETH Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, has appointed the following individuals to the Order of Ontario:
Mary Anne Chambers, former Ontario Cabinet Minister and MPP for Scarborough East. Chambers has served the people of Ontario with a profound dedication. She personally funds scholarships in Canada and supports early childhood education in Jamaica.
Ming-Tat Cheung, a respected cardiologist and medical researcher. Cheung has served as lead investigator on numerous cardiac studies and was at the forefront of the 2003 fight against SARS. He was also instrumental in building the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, now the largest of its kind in North America and helped to bring the two Giant Pandas from China to the Toronto Zoo.
Michael Dan, former neurosurgeon and one of the province’s most generous philanthropists, supporting hospitals, local charities, First Nations health and human rights initiatives.
Don Drummond, one of Canada’s leading economists. In 2012 he led the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services, which included recommendations that continue to influence the economic and fiscal direction of the province.
Rick Green, performer and writer whose credits include The Frantics, History Bites, Prisoners of Gravity and The Red Green Show. He has become an outspoken advocate for those living and working with ADHD, producing two documentaries, co-authoring a book and creating the popular online resource TotallyADD.com.
Patrick Gullane, pre-eminent head and neck surgeon, recognized internationally for his enormous contribution to the field. What had been disfiguring or even impossible surgery for malignancies is now surgery that saves lives and provides a better quality of life with hope.
Joseph Halstead, former senior municipal and provincial official and community leader. He is a former Chair of Ontario Place Corporation, a board member of Toronto’s 2015 Pan Am Games and a founding member of the Toronto Raptor’s Foundation. He has also transformed and revitalized the Caribana Festival.
Alis Kennedy, an inspiring Métis leader and passionate advocate for veterans, Francophones and Aboriginal peoples. Kennedy has become a role model for Aboriginal youth across the province.
Sylvie Lamoureux, associate professor at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute at the University of Ottawa. Lamoureux is a respected teacher, scholar, and academic who studies the postsecondary experience of Francophone students.
Gilles LeVasseur, lawyer, economist and professor who has spent more than 25 years working to protect, promote and enhance the constitutional and language rights of Ontario’s Francophone community.
Gary Levy, Founding Director of the Multi-Organ Transplant Program at Toronto General Hospital and Director of the Living Donor Liver Program for the University Health Network. He pioneered the use of living donor liver transplants in Canada and established one of the largest transplant programs in the world.
Hon. Sidney B. Linden, former Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice. Linden was Ontario’s first Information and Privacy Commissioner, served as Chair of Legal Aid Ontario and was appointed Commissioner for the Ipperwash Public Inquiry.
Barbara MacQuarrie, tireless advocate for women’s rights and social justice. She has played a key role in the development of a number of public awareness campaigns and training programs around domestic and sexual violence, working to break the silence around abuse.
Eva Marszewski, Founder and Executive Director of Peacebuilders International (Canada), an organization that provides at-risk youth an alternative to the criminal justice system through restorative peacebuilding strategies.
Marilyn McHarg, Co-founder and former Executive Director of the Canadian branch of Doctors Without Borders/Médécins Sans Frontières. McHarg has spent her career working for universal access to healthcare and in some of the most desperate and war-torn areas of the world.
Hans Messner, renowned scientist and physician, recognized for his pioneering work in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation. Messner has taken what was once considered experimental and made it routine and in doing so has extended the lives of thousands of blood cancer patients.
James Murray, community builder and philanthropist who has contributed countless hours to numerous cultural, sports, health and community organizations. His efforts have helped to raise close to $10 million for local community and business improvement projects in the City of Mississauga.
Robert Nixon, long time public servant, former Minister of Finance and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. He was instrumental in several major policy shifts in the financial administration of Ontario including social assistance reform and changes to the province’s taxation system.
Dhun Noria, surgical pathologist, Chief of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Director of Laboratories at the Scarborough Hospital. She has built a career on an unwavering commitment to excellence in health care and with significant impact on Ontario’s health care system.
Maryka Omatsu, retired Ontario Court Justice and Canada’s first Asian-Canadian female judge. Omatsu was a member of the negotiation team for the National Association of Japanese Canadians in its quest for Canadian redress for the World War II internment.
Charles Pachter, nationally recognized artist. His images have become icons of contemporary Canadian art and have been exhibited globally and at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and the McMichael Gallery.
John Ralston Saul, writer, lecturer and long-time champion of freedom of expression. His award-wining work has examined the themes of Canadian culture and citizenship and engendered much debate and fruitful discussion about Canada’s past, present and future.
Najmul Siddiqui, successful entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist. He founded the multi-million dollar telecommunications company Tri-Vision in 1985 and went on to revolutionize the industry with new technology that also allowed parental control of programming for the first time ever.
Jeffrey Turnbull, physician, humanitarian and Medical Director of Ottawa Inner City Health, (providing medical care to Ottawa’s homeless). His model has been widely studied and replicated around the globe. Through his work with the province’s most vulnerable, Turnbull is working to address social inequity and its impact on our health.
Dolores Wawia, a leader, pioneer in native education and storyteller who has expanded educational opportunities for Aboriginal people. Also known as “The Frog Lady,” she has championed Aboriginal teacher education and served as an inspiration and role model for thousands of Aboriginal students.
David Williams, renowned Canadian astronaut, physician and scientist. He has participated in two NASA space missions conducting some of the first surgeries in space, and is the Canadian record holder for space walks. Currently, he is the President and CEO of Newmarket’s Southlake Regional Health Centre.
Warren Winkler, former labour lawyer, mediator and Chief Justice of Ontario who negotiated some of the country’s most significant and complex labour and class-action disputes, and fought to increase access to the justice system.
The following recipient was appointed in 2013 and will be invested with his medal at this year’s ceremony:
Paul Henderson, best known for scoring Team Canada’s winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series in the Soviet Union against the Russian team. He has gone on to motivate and inspire business leaders around the world and continues to mentor many young athletes.
The Order of Ontario recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field benefiting the people of Ontario or anywhere in the world.
