Order of Ontario
The
Order of Ontario is an award given in the
Canadian province of
Ontario. Created in 1986 by then
Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, the award is the most prestigious official honour in the province. The Order recognizes the highest level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, but is not awarded for acts of bravery.
Each year, recipients of the award are selected by an Advisory Council consisting of the Chief Justice of Ontario (chair), the Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and the Secretary of the Cabinet, as well as other members of the Order. The order can be awarded to residents or former long-term residents of Ontario, who are not sitting elected federal, provincial or municipal representatives. The order may not be awarded posthumously; however, candidates who are alive when they are nominated but who die before being inducted into the order remain eligible. Members of the order may use the
post-nominal letters
O.Ont following their names.
The insignia of the order is a stylized
Trillium, in white and green
enamel, edged in
gold. In the centre of the trillium is the provincial shield of arms, surmounted by the
Crown. The ribbons are red (the colour of the Ontario
Ensign), white, green and gold.
1996 Recipients
*
Arlette Lefebvre - Child psychologist at the
Hospital for Sick Children1998 Recipients
*
Marion Anderson - Aboriginal band councillor
*
Bluma Appel -
Philanthropist and patron of the arts
*
Jean Ashworth Bartle - Founder and director of the
Toronto Children's Chorus *
Allan Leslie Beattie -
Lawyer and former
chairman of the board for the
Hospital for Sick Children*
Irene Broadfoot - Community activist
*
Norman Campbell -
Composer*
Armando Felice DeLuca - Community activist
*
Claire O. Dimock - Community activist
*
Ydessa Hendeles - Founder, director and curator of the
Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation and Grand Founder of the
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
*Dr.
Kenneth C. Hobbs -
Physician and international humanitarian
*Hon.
Henry N. R. Jackman - Business leader,
philanthropist, former
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Chair of the
Ontario Arts Council and
Chancellor of the
University of Toronto*
Maureen Kempston Darkes - President and General Manager of
General Motors Canada Ltd. and community activist
*
Marvelle Koffler - Founder of the
Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre at
Mount Sinai Hospital and the
Koffler Centre for the Arts*Dr.
Lap Cheung Lee - Community activist
*
Andrée Lortie - Advocate of the
francophone community
*
Knowlton Nash -
Journalist*
Alfred U. Oakie - Pioneer in the field of
traffic safety*
Lloyd Seivright - International activist
*
Masami Tsuruoka - Sports
*
Thomas Leonard Wells - Politician
1999 Recipients
*
William Blake - Community activist
*
Doris Boissoneau -
Ojibwe language activist
*
Paul Michel Bosc -
Wine-maker*
Mavis Elaine Burke -
Educator, advocate for
early childhood education and community activist
*
Clarice Chalmers -
Philanthropist*
Keshav Chandaria -
Philanthropist*
Susan Charness - Activist with persons with disabilities
*
Sam John Ciccolini - Entrepreneur and
philanthropist*
Esther Farlinger - Charity fundraiser
*
Victor Feldbrill -
Violinist, orchestral
conductor and champion of
Canadian music*Dr.
James Ferguson - Medical researcher
*
Maxwell Goldhar - Businessman,
philanthropist*
Doris Lau - Financial adviser, charity fundraiser, goodwill ambassador for
Ontario and scholarship sponsor
*
Eileen McGregor - Community activist
*
Winnie "Roach" Leuszler - First Canadian to swim the
English Channel, sportswoman
*
Alice King Sculthorpe - Community activist
*Dr.
Bette M. Stephenson -
Physician, founding member of the
College of Family Physicians Canada, former Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP and cabinet minister
*
Hin Cheung Tam - Community activist
*
Gordie Tapp - Entertainer
*
Anthony Toldo - Industrialist and
philanthropist*
Lisette Véron-Rainu - Children's activitist
*
Ken Watts - Founder of the
Ontario Collegiate Drama Festival2000 Recipients
*
Danielle Allen and
Normand Pellerin - Educators
*
Maggie Atkinson -
Lawyer and
AIDS activist
*
Marilyn Brooks -
Fashion designer and
philanthropist*
Nickie Cassidy - Activist with
Multiple Sclerosis sufferers
*
Ernie Checkeris - Educator and activist
*
George A. Cohon - Chicago-born lawyer and Founder and Senior Chairman of
McDonald's Restaurants of Canada and
philanthropist*
Lloyd Dennis - Educator
*
William Andrew Dimma - Businessman and educator
*
Kildare Dobbs - Writer and
journalist*
Joyce Fee - Educator and community activist
*Dr.
Robert Freedom -
Physician, professor and
author *
Donald H. Harron -
Journalist,
author and
actor*
Jane Jacobs - American-born author and Toronto urban philosopher
*
Stephan Lewar -
Venture capitalist, financier and
philanthropist*
Janet MacInnis - Fundraiser and volunteer
*
Frank Miller - Politician (former
Premier of Ontario)
*
Betty Oliphant - Founder of the
National Ballet School of Canada*
J. Robert S. Prichard - Educator,
author and former President of the
University of Toronto*
Joseph Radmore - Athlete, member of the
Canadian Paralympic Team*
Margaret M. Risk -
Nurse*
Haroon Siddiqui -
Journalist and
columnist *Dr.
Calvin Stiller -
Physician*
Donald A. Stuart -
Gold and
silversmith*Dr.
Lap-Chee Tsui - Molecular geneticist and vice-chancellor of the
University of Hong Kong*
Irving Ungerman - Entrepreneur,
boxer and activist
2001 Recipients
*
Richard M. Alway - President and Vice-Chancellor of
St. Michael's College, promoter of
Catholic-
Anglican dialogue in Canada.
*
Gwen M. Boniface - First female
Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner
*
Rita Burak - Public servant
*
Danielle Campo - Athlete, member of the
Canadian Paralympic Team*
Michael "Pinball" Clemons - President and former player of the
Toronto Argonauts*
Ken Danby -
Artist*
Terry Daynard - Researcher and teacher
*
Terrence J. Donnelly - Fundraiser for cardiac research and development
*
Gail J. Donner - Dean of the Faculty of
Nursing at the
University of Toronto, and Executive Director of the
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario*
Fredrik Stefan Eaton - Businessman and a community volunteer
*
C. Dennis Flynn - Elected official, fundraiser, community volunteer and war veteran
*
Nicolas D. Georganas - Pioneer in
multimedia medical communications and
tele-learning*
Helen Haddow - Community activist
*
Paul Kells -
Workplace safety advocate
*
Jake Lamoureux - Volunteer with young people
*
Alexina Louie -
Composer of
classical music*
Lewis W. MacKenzie, Major General (Retired) - Ontario Director of ICROSS Canada, the
International Community for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering*
Signe and
Robert McMichael - Builders and donors of the
McMichael Canadian Art Collection of
Group of Seven paintings in
Kleinburg*
Dusty Miller - Patron of the arts, artistic director of the
Cambrian Players*
David Mirvish - Leader in the development and promotion of the
visual arts in Ontario
*
Peter Nesbitt Oliver -
Historian*
James S. Redpath - Chancellor of
Nipissing University*Dr.
Donald T. Stuss - Clinical
psychologist, educator,
neuropsychologists and behavioural neuroscientists
*
Bhausaheb Ubale -
Human rights activist
*Dr.
Carin Wittnich -
University of Toronto professor and researcher
*
Madeline Ziniak - Vice-president and executive producer of
CFMT television, promoter of
multiculturalism2002 Recipients
*
Peggy Baker -
Dancer,
choreographer and teacher; founder of the
Toronto-based
Dancemakers*
Marilyn Bell DiLascio - First person to swim
Lake Ontario (
1954)
*
David Blackwood -
Artist*
Frederick M. Catzman -
Lawyer*
Austin Clarke -
Author, teacher, mentor,
writer-in-residence at the
University of Toronto, and recipient of the
2002 Giller Prize*
Barbara Chilcott -
Actress*
Mario Cortellucci - Fundraiser
*
Patricia Freeman Marshall - Community activist
*
Irving R. Gerstein -
Businessman and
philanthropist*
Joan Goldfarb - Teacher of adults with disabilities
*
Walter Gretzky - Ambassador for the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the
Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation and father of
Wayne Gretzky*
Phyllis M. Grosskurth -
Professor emerita and fellow of
Massey College at the
University of Toronto; winner of the
Governor General's Award for non-fiction in
1965*Dr.
Raymond O. Heimbecker -
Cardiovascular surgeon*
Patrick John Keenan - Volunteer
*
Tom Kneebone - Actor and playwright
*
Burton Kramer -
Graphic designer*Dr.
Benson Lau - Physician and teacher
*
J. Douglas Lawson - Volunteer, Vice-Chairman of the
Ontario Arts Council*
Rhéal Leroux - Volunteer, former president of the
Festival Franco-Ontarien*Dr.
William K. Lindsay -
Surgeon and
professor*
Joan Murray -
Art historian, former director of the
Robert McLaughlin Gallery in
Oshawa*
Mark Poznansky - Researcher, President and Scientific Director of the
Robarts Research Institute*Dr.
Joanna Santa Barbara -
Physician, national president of the
Physicians for Global Survival*
Thomas H. B. Symons - Founder of
Trent University and its president and vice-chancellor from
1961 to
1972*
Lela Wilson - Champion of artists' rights
2003 Recipients
*
Joseph J. Barnicke - Business leader, pioneer and
philanthropist*
John Kim Bell -
Musician and promoter of Aboriginal culture
*Col.
Archibald J. D. Brown - Businessman, community activist
*
Dorothy Ellen Duncan - Teacher,
curator, Executive Director of The
Ontario Historical Society*
Julian Fantino -
Police officer, former
Chief of Police for
London,
York Region and
Toronto; now Ontario's Commissioner Of Emergency Management
*
Mary Germain - Community activist
*Dr.
Avis E. Glaze - Teacher, administrator,
author and international educator
*Dr.
Benjamin Goldberg - Psychiatrist
*
Doris Grinspun - Executive Director of the
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO)
*
George Gross - Corporate Sports Editor of Sun Media Corporation, activist
*
Macklin Hancock - Pioneer in
urban planning,
urban design and
landscape architecture*
Ryan Hreljac - Elementary school student; committed to raising funds for clean water and sanitation projects around the world since the age of six
*Dr.
Frederic Jackman -
Psychologist*
Laura Louise Legge -
Lawyer and community activist
*
Helen Lu - Volunteer, organizer and fundraiser for charitable organizations in
Toronto*Dr.
Donald Mackay - Environmental scientist,
Professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at
Trent University, and director of the
Canadian Environmental Modelling Centre *Hon.
Jack Marshall -
Second World War veteran,
Member of Parliament,
Senator, and activist
*
Anna Porter -
Publisher and
author*Hon.
Robert Keith Rae -
Lawyer,
Member of Parliament, former
Premier of Ontario*
Eric Wilfrid Robinson - Promoter of
adult education in
Canada*
Diane Simard Broadfoot - Community activist
*
Joan Thompson - Volunteer
*
Rita Tsang - Businesswoman
*Hon.
Mabel Van Camp - Scholar,
lawyer,
Supreme Court Justice*
Mike Weir -
Golfer, first Canadian to win the
Masters Golf Tournament*
Kirk A. Wipper -
Environmentalist,
heritage conservationist and
fitness advocate
*
William John Withrow - Former director of the
Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
2004 Recipients
* Dr.
Tyseer Aboulnasr - respected leader in
engineering*
Jeff Adams - paralympian and world champion in
wheelchair sports*
Mohammad Azhar Ali Khan - journalist and multiculturalism expert
*
Diana Alli - outreach worker
*
Patricia Ann Arato -
aphasia care volunteer
* Dr.
Robin F. Badgley -
sociologist, founder of Department of Behavioural Science at
University of Toronto*
Iain Baxter - conceptual
artist*
Louise Binder - speaker on
HIV/AIDS issues
*
Richard Bradshaw - director of the
Canadian Opera Company*
Leonard A. Braithwaite - lawyer and former MPP
* Dr.
Inez Elliston - educator and community volunteer
*
Adele Fifield - director of the
War Amps'
*
Joan Francolini - community volunteer
*
Sheldon Galbraith -
figure skating coach
* Dr.
Allan Gross - Professor of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
*
Andrea Hansen -
violinist*
Joyce Ann Lange - advocate for the
hearing impaired*
Delores Lawrence - leading female entrepreneur and philanthropist
*
René J. Marin - respected Francophone jurist
*
David McGirr - community volunteer in Northern Ontario
*
Anthony Pawson -
scientist known for research has of
signal transduction in cells
*
Kim Phuc Phan Thi -
Vietnamese napalm victim
*
John Rochon - marksman
*
Chandrakant Shah - public health educator
*
Gordon Surgeoner -
entomologist specializing in insect transmitted diseases
*
Galen Weston - businessman in food services sector
* Monsignor
Lawrence Wnuk - outreach worker in
Polish community
*
James Young - former Chief Coroner
*
Margaret Zeidler -
architect*
Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship*
Official Order of Ontario web site
