Canadian sports icons including Stacey Allaster, Donovan Bailey and Angela James are among the 85 new appointees to the Order of Canada this year.
This year’s list of appointees also includes Canada’s first Indigenous female MP, the first MP for Nunavut, and a number of contributors to the arts, including Emmy nominated actress Sandra Oh.
Considered one of Canada’s highest civilian honours, the Order of Canada is meant to recognize people who make “extraordinary contributions to the nation,” according to the Governor General of Canada website.
Stacey Allaster was named the first female tournament director in U.S. Open history in 2020. (Michael Noble Jr./The Associated Press)
Allaster was named as a companion, the highest of the honour’s three levels, which also include the level of officer and member. There can be no more than 165 living companions at any time.
Born in Windsor, Ont., and raised in Welland, Ont., Allaster was an executive with the Women’s Tennis Association from 2006 to 2015, first serving as president before being promoted to chair and CEO in 2009.
During her tenure, she was instrumental in securing equal prize money for women at six WTA tournaments and all four Grand Slams. She also played a key role in streamlining the WTA calendar and securing a landmark international media agreement. In 2020, she was named as the first female tournament director of the U.S. open.
Allaster said she’s grateful for her time playing tennis in Canada and getting her first opportunity to work in the sport with Tennis Canada. “It’s very difficult to put into words how fortunate I am and now to be recognized by my country for everything that it’s giving to me is very humbling,” she said.
Allaster also said “it’s a dream come true” to see Canada develop some top tennis talent in the world throughout her career, including Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez.
Donovan Bailey won two gold medals and broke a world record at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. (Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images/File)
Former Olympic and world champion sprinter Donovan Bailey will be invested as an officer of the order. The former world record holder won Olympic gold in 1996 in the men’s 100-metre race and in the men’s 4×100-metre relay.
“It’s incredible,” Bailey said of the appointment to the order. “I’m very blessed, I’m extremely humbled to have shared incredible moments with Canadians.”
Bailey said being invested with the Order of Canada is an official recognition of what he has been hearing from fans for the past few decades.
“Getting the officer of the Order of Canada is a tremendous honour, but I’m telling you that I’ve been validated for 27 years; I’ve been validated every single day by the incredible fans,” he said.
Angela James won four world championships and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010. (CBC)
Angela James is a pioneer in women’s hockey, first as a player and now as the general manager and part-owner of the Toronto Six women’s pro hockey team.
The winner of four world championships, including the first in 1990 where she scored 11 goals in five games and was a tournament all-star, she said being invested in the order encapsulates all her achievements on and off the ice.
“I think it encompasses everything that I’ve pretty much done in my life, and to think that my life matters to Canadians is pretty special,” she said.
A star on the Canadian team before women’s hockey became an Olympic sport, James was one of the first two women inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010 and said she hopes to continue to see women’s hockey grow.
“As long as we get together and work together as one then I think there is no stopping the women’s game,” she said.
Indigenous leaders
Among the appointees to the order are a number of Indigenous leaders, including Canada’s first Indigenous woman elected as a member of Parliament.
Ethel Blondin-Andrew was first elected as the MP for the Northwest Territories in 1988, and would go on to become the minister of state for northern development in the cabinet of past prime minister Paul Martin.
Ethel Blondin-Andrew was first elected as the MP for the Northwest Territories in 1988. (CBC)
Joining Blondin-Andrew in the order is former Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell.
Karetak-Lindell was first elected as the MP for Nunavut in 1997, and became the territory’s first MP after it was recognized 1999.
“I’ve tried very hard to be the voice for people who might not have had a chance,” Karetak-Lindell said.
Nancy Uqquujuq Karetak-Lindell, former Member of Parliament for Nunavut, is seen wearing a traditional beaded tuilik made by her mother, Rhoda Karetak. (HO-Hinaani Design/The Canadian Press)
After stepping away from federal politics in 2008, she would later become the president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 2016, serving for a two-year term.
Although she said she feels honoured to receive the Order of Canada, she said “the biggest reward will always be in that maybe I made someone look to the future with more hope.”
Blondin-Andrew will be invested as an officer of the order, while Karetak-Lindell is being invested as a member.
Other Indigenous leaders among the appointees include Elders David and Imelda Perley of New Brunswick for contributions to education around Wabanaki culture.
Elders Reg and Rosemary Crowshoe of Alberta are similarly being recognized for their preservation of Blackfoot culture.
Contributors to the arts
A number of Canada’s top contributors to the arts have also been appointed to the order, including actress Sandra Oh, who will be invested as an officer.
The Emmy Award nominated actress is best known for the hit TV series including Killing Eve and Grey’s Anatomy. She has also lent her talents to the big screen in movies such as Turning Red and Under the Tuscan Sun.
Sandra Oh arrives at the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/The Associated Press)
Donald Mowat is also being recognized for his contributions to the big screen, having been the head of makeup and design on such films as The Fighter, 8 Mile, Sicario, Nightcrawler, Prisoners, Nocturnal Animals, Stronger, Blade Runner2049.
Mowat was recently nominated for the Oscar for best makeup and hairstyle for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune.
On the music front, founder of the independent record label Attic Records Alexander Mair is being appointed as a member of the order.
Attic represented a number of Canadian artists and groups including Anvil, Irish Rovers, Triumph and Teenage Head.
The Order of Canada
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has appointed the following people, who were recommended for appointment by the Advisory Council of the Order of Canada:
Companions of the Order of Canada
Stacey Allaster.
Frank Hayden (This is a promotion within the order).
Peter Russell (This is a promotion within the order).
Donald Savoie (This is a promotion within the order).
Officers of the Order of Canada
Naomi Azrieli.
Donovan Bailey.
The Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew.
Robert Davidson (This is a promotion within the order).
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
