Prime Minister Stephen Harper presents Aaron Semkuley and Mylaine Tsaprailis, accepting on behalf of Dr. Myron Semkuley and Elaine Semkuley, with the Prime Minister’s Volunteer Award for Lifelong Achievement during a special ceremony in Toronto marking the third Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards.
18 March 2015
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today honoured the recipients of the third Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards (PMVA) at a special ceremony in Toronto. He was accompanied by Joe Oliver, Minister of Finance.
The Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards recognize two national recipients – one for lifelong achievement and one for an emerging leader – as well as 15 regional recipients, including individuals, businesses and not-for-profit organizations. The awards also highlight best practices in community leadership and encourage partnerships across sectors.
National award recipients are:
- Lifelong Achievement: Dr. Myron & Mrs. Elaine Semkuley, Calgary, Alberta.
- Emerging Leader: Matt Cardwell, Whitby, Ontario.
Regional award recipients are:
- Community Leader: Cody O’Brien (Atlantic); Sylvie Ethier (Quebec); Dr. Syed Aslam Daud (Ontario); Rev. (Dr.) Deborah Olukoju (Prairies); and Raghbir Singh Bains (British Columbia and the North).
- Business Leader: LaHave River Credit Union (Atlantic); Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services (Quebec); The Printing House Limited (Ontario); Chandos Construction Ltd. (Prairies); and Victory Square Labs (British Columbia and the North).
- Social Innovator: New Brunswick Youth Orchestra (NBYO – Sistema New Brunswick) (Atlantic); La Tablée des Chefs (Quebec); Haven on the Queensway (Ontario); Canadian Western Agribition (Prairies); and Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association (British Columbia and the North).
The recipients were presented with medals, certificates and lapel pins during the ceremony. As part of their recognition package, each recipient will identify a not-for-profit organization to receive a one-time funding grant in their honour. Not-for-profit organizations identified by the 15 regional awards recipients will each receive $5,000, and those identified by the two national awards recipients will each receive $10,000.
