Fourteen exceptional people will be appointed to the Order of British Columbia, the Province’s highest form of recognition.

“As representative of the Crown in British Columbia and as chancellor of the Order of British Columbia, it is my great honour to welcome 14 new members to the order,” said Janet Austin, lieutenant governor of British Columbia and chancellor of the Order of British Columbia. “I share these congratulations with gratitude to these incredible individuals who have done so much to enrich their communities. Their leadership and generous service has enhanced the lives of so many British Columbians and has contributed to shaping a better future for all residents of our province.”

This year, 194 British Columbians were nominated. Since its inception in 1989, 489 British Columbians have been appointed to the Order of B.C. Members have been appointed from all parts of the province and in numbers proportionate to a region’s population.

“On behalf of the people of British Columbia, I want to thank this year’s recipients of the Order of B.C. for their remarkable contributions,” said Premier John Horgan. “Your hard work, dedication and leadership are examples for us all. You have helped create a better British Columbia and for that we are grateful.”

Appointed to the order for 2022 are:

• Dr. Nadine Rena Caron of Prince George
• Kúkpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir of Kamloops
• Nezhat Khosrowshahi of Vancouver
• Kathy Kinloch of Surrey
• Joy MacPhail, CM, of Vancouver
• Fred Ting Shek Mah of Vancouver
• Harinder Mahil of Coquitlam
• Maureen Maloney, QC, of Victoria
• Geoff Plant, QC, of Vancouver
• Christine Sinclair, OC, of Portland, Ore.
• Paul Spong of Alert Bay
• Gerald St. Germain, PC, of Langley
• Jody Wilson-Raybould, PC, QC, of Quathiaski Cove
• Bruce Munro Wright of Vancouver

The B.C. government has worked to increase awareness of the Province’s highest honour to ensure that outstanding people from all walks of life and from all parts of the province have an opportunity to be honoured. The Province has received more than 6,400 public nominations for the Order of B.C. over the past 33 years.

An independent advisory council selects members of the Order of B.C. The 2022 advisory council consisted of:

• Robert J. Bauman (chair), chief justice of British Columbia;
• Raj Chouhan, speaker of the legislative assembly;
• Philip Steenkamp, president and vice-chancellor, Royal Roads University;
• Silas Brownsey, deputy minister, Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat;
• Laurey-Ann Roodenburg, president, Union of British Columbia Municipalities;
• Brenda Baptiste, Order of B.C. recipient from 2021; and
• Dr. Debra Braithwaite, Order of B.C. recipient from 2021.

The Order of B.C. investiture ceremony for 2022 recipients and invited guests is tentatively scheduled to be held at Government House in Victoria in the late fall.

The Province’s other honour, the Medal of Good Citizenship, recognizes people who have gone above and beyond without expectation of reward in service to their communities. Nominations for the Medal of Good Citizenship must be received by Sept. 6, 2022, to be considered for this year. 

Learn More:

The Order of British Columbia: http://www.orderofbc.gov.bc.ca

For information about the Medal of Good Citizenship, including how to submit a nomination, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/medalofgoodcitizenship

More information, nomination forms and submission instructions are available online, by telephone at 250 387-1616, or by email: bchonoursandawards@gov.bc.ca

Biographies of recipients: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/OBC_Bios_2022.pdf

A backgrounder follows.