Health
The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal was presented to 10 British Columbians today in recognition of their significant contributions and service to fellow citizens.
Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid, Children and Family Development Minister Stephanie Cadieux, Justice Minister and Attorney General Shirley Bond and Social Development Minister Moira Stilwell attended the presentation ceremony held in Vancouver.
Created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne, the Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way to pay homage to Her Majesty for six decades of dedicated service and to honour everyday Canadians who, like the Queen, have made Canada better.
To ensure representation from all the regions of Canada, representatives of the federal and provincial governments, as well as national and provincial non-governmental organizations in various fields of endeavour, were invited to select recipients for the medal. The provincial government will present approximately 760 medals.
Quotes:
Minister of Health Margaret MacDiarmid -
"The individuals who are honoured by this medal are truly making a difference. They remind us of the power each of us have to create change and what can be accomplished when we work together for a greater good. The determination of these B.C. citizens is inspiring."
Minister of Children and Family Development Stephanie Cadieux -
"It's an honour to present these awards to British Columbians who have done so much to advocate for and drive social policy. We should all strive to emulate the example they've set in giving back to our communities and looking out for the well-being of those around us."
Minister of Justice and Attorney General Shirley Bond -
"Today we're recognizing truly outstanding and inspiring British Columbians who've helped families and communities across our province. Hard work, dedication, and compassion for others are really what being a British Columbian is all about. We're very lucky to be able to call these recipients our own in B.C. and it's an absolute honour to meet them in person and share in this special recognition event."
Minister of Social Development Moira Stilwell -
"It is an honour to acknowledge the work that these individuals are doing within the community. Strong leadership at a grass roots level is one of the key components as we work toward an inclusive, accessible and barrier free British Columbia."
Learn More:
Governor General of Canada: www.gg.ca/diamondjubilee.
Royal Canadian Mint: www.mint.ca
Photographs of recipients receiving their Diamond Jubilee Media are available here: http://www.sendtonews.com?SK=PjVtyimkMV
A brief backgrounder about today's recipients follows.
Media Contacts:
Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)
Sheldon Johnson
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Children and Family Development
250 356-1639 (media line)
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 356-6961 (media line)
Joanne Whittier
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Social Development
250 356-1670 (media line)
BACKGROUNDER
Ten B.C. residents honoured with Diamond Jubilee Medal
Keli Anderson
(flickr.com) Keli has been instrumental in creating awareness and change regarding children's mental health in Canada. For 13 years, after co-founding B.C.'s FORCE Society for Kids' Mental Health, she served as its executive director. Keli also co-founded the National Institute of Families for Child and Youth Mental Health and currently serves as its president and CEO. She founded and set up the BC Provincial Family Council, has been co-chair of the National Infant, Child & Youth Mental Health Consortium and a member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada's Child & Youth Advisory Committee. Keli won the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2007 in B.C.
Jan Christilaw
(flickr.com) Dr. Jan Christilaw is president of the BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre. In that role, she leads the largest obstetrical hospital in Canada, with 7000-7500 deliveries a year, and is responsible for the care of high-risk pregnancies for the province of British Columbia, as well as many other aspects of women's health for the province. Christilaw is currently heading up an initiative at BC Women's called "Power to Push" and is the co-chair of the Provincial Breast Health Strategy. Christilaw has served on several community-based boards, and globally she is working to improve access to health care for women in the developing world with a special interest in international maternal mortality.
Dr. Clyde Hertzman
(flickr.com) Earlier this month, B.C. lost a leader, a teacher, a scientist and an innovator whose applied research in early childhood development has helped communities, parents, teachers and school boards all work towards improving learning environments at school and at home.
Dr. Hertzman was the director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, Canada research chair in Population Health and Human Development, and professor in the school of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia.
Barb Goode
(flickr.com) Barb Goode is a self-advocate who has been working since the 1970s to change the public's opinion of people with developmental disabilities. Her work has made significant impacts in the lives of people with developmental disabilities living in B.C. and different parts of the world.
In 1986, Barb served as the chairperson of a committee that helped people with developmental disabilities win the right to make their own decisions. For example, during the 1980s Barb was involved in an important court case involving sterilization without consent.
Barb currently shares her expertise with Community Living BC by supporting other self-advocates, facilitating workshops and advising on plain language in booklets.
Bev Gutray
(flickr.com) Bev Gutray is the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, B.C. Division (CMHA BC). In her role, Gutray has worked to implement the association's broad vision of Mental Health for All and has promoted mentally healthy workplaces as a top priority over the past 14 years. Gutray is a founding member of the B.C. Alliance for Mental Health and Addictions and a founding member of the Disability Without Poverty Network.
Michael Middelaer
(flickr.com) Michael Middelaer is a co-founder of the Alexa Middelaer Memorial Fund, established to reduce impaired driving in British Columbia. In May 2008, his four-year-old daughter Alexa was struck and killed by an impaired driver while feeding a horse with her aunt along a residential road in Delta. The two main programs supported by the memorial fund, Alexa's Team and Alexa's Bus, are a collaborative effort with a number of partners, including the province, civic governments, police, ICBC and the BCAA Road Safety Foundation. The goal of the Alexa Middelaer Memorial Fund is to reduce driving fatalities in B.C. by over 35 per cent by the end of 2013. That original goal has already been far surpassed, with alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths in B.C. already down by 46 per cent.
Nigel Livingston
(flickr.com) Nigel Livingston was born and raised in London, U.K. and moved to Canada in 1977. He is the proud father of two daughters, the youngest of whom, Hannah, has special needs. In 1990 he took a faculty position in the department of biology, at the University of Victoria, where he was first introduced to assistive technologies. This led him to create a volunteer-based organization able to harness the resources within the university and in the greater community. The organization quickly evolved into "CanAssist" - a program dedicated to developing and providing technologies and services that help people with special needs increase their independence and quality of life.
Tracy Porteous
(flickr.com) Tracy Porteous is a registered clinical counsellor in B.C. and first became involved in the anti-violence field as a volunteer on the crisis line, then as staff at the Victoria Women's Sexual Assault Centre 31 years ago. In 1995, Tracy left the centre to become the executive director of the Ending Violence Association of B.C., a provincial association supporting 240 anti-violence programs throughout B.C. and specializing in responding to sexual and domestic violence, child abuse and stalking. Tracy conceived of and launched the current and successful province wide prevention program, Be More Than A Bystander; Break The Silence on Violence Against Women, and will be presenting the program to the United Nations in New York in 2013.
Rachael Ross
(flickr.com) Rachael Ross is the director of the Provincial Disability Strategy and the Minister's Council on Employment and Accessibility, and has worked for the Province of B.C. since 2004. She has over 10 years experience in disability policy and project management and is a regular guest speaker and lecturer on disability issues at the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia and Douglas College. Rachael has worked as a researcher for the Centre for International Rehabilitation based in Washington, DC and was also involved in the national consultations and development of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Charles Scudamore
(flickr.com) Dr. Charles Scudamore is one of British Columbia's leading surgical experts in the areas of liver transplantation and hepatobiliary oncology and trauma. He currently holds a number of positions including staff surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital and B.C. Children's Hospital, surgical director of the B.C. Liver Transplant Program and Head of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Scudamore studied at both UBC and the University of Cambridge and has primarily focused his research on the early recognition of pancreatic cancer as well as respective techniques for advanced colorectal metastases to the liver.
Media Contacts:
Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)
Sheldon Johnson
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Children and Family Development
250 356-1639 (media line)
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 356-6961 (media line)
Joanne Whittier
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Social Development
250 356-1670 (media line)
