The Golden Boy stands on top of the dome of the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / John Woods)
WINNIPEG — Twelve Manitobans have been selected to receive the province’s highest honour.
The Order of Manitoba is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated excellence and achievement. The announcement of this year’s recipients was delayed due to COVID-19, but was originally scheduled to be made public on Manitoba Day, May 12. A formal investiture ceremony will be held at a later date at the Manitoba Legislative Building.
“This year, as Manitobans have been tested and have responded with courage, creativity and hope, we are even more aware of the importance of commitment to community,” said Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon, chancellor of the order, who will preside over the ceremony.
“The community leaders to be invested into the Order of Manitoba in this, the 150th anniversary of the province, will continue to inspire their fellow Manitobans through their personal achievements and their dedication to our province, our country and our world.”
The 12 recipients this year are:
Dr. Stephen Borys
Stephen Borys, WAG director and CEO, speaks during an announcement at The Forks on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. (@WAG_CA / TWITTER)
The director and CEO of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, 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.
Mitch Bourbonniere
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.
Elder Mary Courchene
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.
Dr. Krishnamurti Dakshinamurti
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.
Bill Elliott
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.
Richard Frost
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.
Tina Jones (HSC FOUNDATION)
Tina Jones
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.
Dr. Marion Lewis
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.
Margaret Morse
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.
Stuart Murray
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.
Scott Oake
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.
Dr. Ernest Rady
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.
