Governor General Mary Simon has made 88 new appointments to the Order of Canada — with a quarter of them from Toronto.
Some recipients were granted the status of Officer, which recognizes achievement and merit of a high degree; others received the status of Member, which recognizes distinguished service in, or to a particular community, group or field of activity.
Here are the 22 notable Torontonians who are on the list, with brief biographies that accompanied Wednesday's announcement:
OFFICERS:
Stephen Aaron Arshinoff — An ophthalmologist who has helped improve eye care worldwide.
Sylvia Beth Bashevkin — One of Canada’s top scholars of gender and politics.
Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta — One of the world’s foremost authorities on maternal and child health.
Dafna Debora Gladman — A highly respected field leader and mentor in the field of psoriatic arthritis, who has advanced our understanding of this chronic disease.
Maureen Ann Jennings — An author known for her historical crime novels, particularly the Detective Murdoch series, which inspired the long-running TV show Murdoch Mysteries.
Tania Murray Li — One of Canada’s leading anthropologists whose research shows how international land development and corporate agriculture generate unintended poverty.
George A. Trusler — A gifted pediatric surgeon and former head of cardiac surgery at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
MEMBERS:
Sandy Howard Buchman — A nationally renowned palliative care physician.
David A. Chitayat — A world-renowned clinical geneticist that has devoted his career to providing exemplary care to his patients.
Stacy Churchill — An educator and advisor on linguistic rights for Francophone minorities.
Carol Ann Cowan-Levine — A passionate health care advocate, particularly in service to women and youth.
Pyarali Gulamani Nanji — A prominent philanthropist in Canada, devoted to giving back to the country that welcomed him.
Pinchas Gutter —A renowned Holocaust educator recognized for his promotion of transformational dialogue on human rights.
Daniel A. Haas — A leading expert in dental anesthesiology and pharmacology.
Karen Levine — Recognized for her four-decade-long career at CBC Radio where her leadership made an unmistakable impact.
Lorin Jean MacDonald — A human rights lawyer and educator championing disability awareness and inclusion.
Vijayakumar Murty — One of Canada’s leading mathematicians and a renowned scholar of Indian philosophy.
Richard Rose — A revered artistic director who has produced many of the most memorable theatrical productions in Canada over the last four decades.
Greg Ryan — A leader in the field of fetal medicine and therapy.
Walter Schneider — An esteemed business leader, entrepreneur and philanthropist who co-founded RE/MAX Integra.
Valerie Sue Tarasuk — Canada’s principal academic on food insecurity and the lead of PROOF, the interdisciplinary research program working to reduce Canadian food insecurity through policy intervention.
Tirajeh Tehranchian — A highly regarded wealth advisor and philanthropist who is a role model in the financial services industry.
