The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos celebrates the recipients of Canada's Volunteer Awards including the return of the Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award
News Release
June 9, 2016 Ottawa, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada
The recipients of Canada’s Volunteer Awards were honoured today at a special ceremony in Ottawa. The exceptional contributions of businesses and individuals from across Canada were acknowledged in various categories including the return of the Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award.
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development , gave out 16 awards recognizing the accomplishments of deserving individuals, businesses and not-for profit organizations that volunteer their time and make a difference in their communities. Award recipients have the opportunity to identify an eligible not-for-profit organization to receive a grant for either $5,000 or $10,000, depending on the award category.
Close to 13 million people, aged 15 years and over, volunteered their time, and almost twice as many, 82 percent, gave money to a charitable or not for profit organization.
Through these Awards, all Canadians have the opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of deserving individuals, businesses and not-for profit organizations that are volunteering their time and making a difference in their communities.
Quote
“I’m pleased to recognize the exceptional contributions of some of Canada’s top volunteers today through Canada’s Volunteer Awards. These volunteers give of themselves and help to make Canada a great place to live. It is a pleasure to be able to give back to them in return.”
– The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
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Backgrounder
Canada’s Volunteer Awards 2016 Recipients
Complete biographies of the Award winners can be found at Canada.ca/volunteer-awards
National awards
Jean-Marie De Koninck – Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement
Ryan Victor Hreljac – Emerging Leader
Regional awards
Exit Realty Inter Lake – Business Leader for Atlantic
Royal LePage – Business Leader for Ontario
Landrex Corp. – Business Leader for the Prairies
Jon Zwickel – Business Leader for British Columbia and the North
Linda M. Follett-Ryan – Community Leader for Atlantic
Denis Poitras – Community Leader for Quebec
Jessica Suzanne Coriat – Community Leader for Ontario
Donald Leslie Wall – Community Leader for the Prairies
Marilyn Lenzen – Community Leader for British Columbia and the North
Stella's Circle – Social Innovator for Atlantic
Service d’entraide de Breakeyville –Social Innovator for Quebec
Startup Canada – Social Innovator for Ontario
Habitat for Humanity On the Border Lloydminster Society – Social Innovator for the Prairies
Vancouver Island Providence Community Association – Social Innovator for British Columbia and the North
Canada’s Volunteer Awards
The Government of Canada is committed to recognizing the enormous contribution volunteers make to Canada. Canada’s Volunteer Awards complement other government activities that engage individuals at the community level to promote partnerships and lever resources across sectors to address persistent social problems.
The objective of Canada’s Volunteer Awards is to recognize annually and bring national prominence to the enormous contributions individuals, not-for-profit organizations and businesses make to their communities through volunteer contributions. This aligns with the Government of Canada’s interest in promoting innovative solutions to local social problems.
There are a total of 17 awards, both at the regional and the national levels.
There are 15 regional awards, 3 for each of the five regions across Canada (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies and British Columbia and the North):
- Community Leader (for individual volunteers or groups of volunteers);
- Business Leader (for businesses); and
- Social Innovator (for not-for-profit organizations).
And 2 national awards:
- Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award (generally for those who have volunteered for at least 20 years); and
- Emerging Leader (for new volunteers; generally, those who have volunteered for no more than three years).
Recipients are selected through a three-step assessment process:
- Department officials screen nominations to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria.
- Regional reviewers (volunteer representatives from across the country) assess eligible nominations based on the assessment criteria and develop a list of top‑ranked nominations for the National Advisory Committee.
- A National Advisory Committee comprising of up to 15 volunteer committee members from various regions of Canada is selected by the Minister of Employment and Social Development. The National Advisory Committee assesses the top-ranked nominations and advises the Minister on final decisions.
Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award
Thérèse Casgrain was a Canadian senator and social activist. Throughout her life, she chose to defend the cause of disadvantaged members of society, to denounce social injustice and to lend a voice to those who had none. Thérèse Casgrain was the founder and president of the Quebec League of Women’s Rights and helped Quebec women gain the right to vote in 1940. The Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement Award recognizes the lifelong voluntary contributions of men and women from communities across Canada whose pioneering spirit, social commitment and persistent endeavors have contributed significantly to the advancement of a cause and the well-being of their fellow citizens.
The Government of Canada and its role in supporting volunteering:
As the lead department for volunteering, Employment and Social Development Canada supports a number of initiatives including Canada’s Volunteer Awards, Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, and the New Horizons for Seniors Program which encourages seniors to engage in volunteerism. The Social Development Partnerships Program also includes projects that address volunteerism as a way of increasing the sustainability of community organizations.
Recognition package for recipients:
The award recipients are invited to attend a ceremony where they are recognized by the Government of Canada. In addition, regional award recipients are eligible to identify a not-for-profit organization to receive a $5,000 grant. National award recipients are eligible to identify a not-for-profit organization to receive a $10,000 grant.
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