Award Category: Community Award

Beatrice Frank is a conservation social scientist whose work is rooted in community leadership, collective stewardship, and care for both people and nature. For nearly three decades, she has worked alongside communities, supporting locally driven efforts to protect biodiversity, strengthen public engagement, and shape more inclusive approaches to governance across terrestrial and marine environments. Her work emphasizes the connections between healthy ecosystems and thriving, resilient communities.

Her career includes senior roles with the Capital Regional District Regional Parks and WWF Canada, and she is proud to be now the Executive Director of the Georgia Strait Alliance. She is also a board member of the Coexisting with Carnivores Alliance and contributes as an adjunct faculty member and independent social science specialist. Across these roles, her work prioritizes collaboration with Indigenous Nations and local communities, advancing participatory approaches that centre community voices, knowledge systems, and leadership in conservation and decision-making.

Through her leadership, she has helped bring together Indigenous Nations, residents, stakeholders, stewardship groups, and partner organizations to collaboratively address shared priorities such as ecosystem protection and species recovery. She is deeply committed to building capacity within communities by developing workshops, toolkits, and learning opportunities that support volunteers and emerging practitioners, while fostering inclusive, community-based spaces that broaden participation in environmental stewardship and justice.

Anita Kaur Atwal, K.C., is a labour, employment, and human rights lawyer and founder of Anita Atwal Law. Her practice focuses on workplace investigations, mediations, and professional discipline, and she advises organizations on governance, ethics, equity, and inclusion. She serves as Integrity Commissioner for the City of Maple Ridge and as an ad hoc Integrity Commissioner for other local governments.

Her contributions to public service extend through several board roles. She serves on the Board of the Fraser Health Authority, where she chairs the Human Resources and Governance Committee and co-chairs the Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Committee of the Indigenous Health Collaborative Council. She is also a board member of the Organized Crime Agency of BC and chairs its Human Resources Committee. Previously, she served as Board Member and Chair of the HR & Governance Committee at BC Infrastructure Benefits, supporting workforce development initiatives and engagement with Indigenous communities, women, and underrepresented groups in skilled trades.

Her leadership includes being the longest-serving President and Director of the South Asian Bar Association of BC, where she advanced mentorship and continuing education initiatives for racialized legal professionals. She has also held leadership roles at Simon Fraser University as the Principal Consultant (Interim Director), Human Rights, contributing to policy development addressing systemic inequities. She is a frequent speaker and mentor within the legal and broader professional community.

Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh is a physician and hospitalist whose work spans healthcare, advocacy, and governance. As President of Doctors of BC, she advanced equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, including the first Physician Master Agreement to incorporate gender equity and Indigenous cultural safety and humility. She also signed the inaugural Memorandum of Understanding on Indigenous-specific anti-racism and continues to serve on its working committee. Her contributions have supported primary care reform, including being a part of the development of the longitudinal family physician payment model.

Ramneek currently serves as Executive Vice President, North America, for the Medical Women’s International Association. She is also the Past President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada and a member of its Sexual and Reproductive Health and Human Rights Committee. She has presented at international forums, including the United Nations, and has mentored a generation of students from minority and underrepresented groups.

Bridging healthcare and legal systems to better support families navigating the justice system, she co-founded the Health and Justice Alliance, and led initiatives focused on child and youth mental health. Her governance roles have included Child Health BC, the White Rock–South Surrey Division of Family Practice, and the BC Coroners Service’s Toxic Drug Supply Steering Committee and the Provincial Digital Health steering committee. Ramneek is also the author of Dreamland, a children’s book about connection also adopted into palliative care settings and Canuck Place.

Jacquelyn Cragg is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, a Canada Research Chair, and an internationally recognized scientist whose work bridges research and community impact. Alongside her academic contributions, she is known for advancing mentorship initiatives that support youth affected by violence and adversity.

Drawing on lived experience, Jacquelyn founded and leads Fostering Science (est. 2020) and Resilience with Research (est. 2024), two federally funded programs in British Columbia that connect youth with mentors and hands-on learning in science. These initiatives provide pathways into post-secondary education and careers, while fostering confidence, curiosity, and a sense of belonging. Through partnerships with educators, researchers, and community organizations, she has developed a sustainable, trauma-informed model for science outreach.

Since 2010, she has served as a judge at local and national science fairs, supporting students from diverse backgrounds through meaningful engagement and encouragement. At UBC, she is recognized for mentoring graduate students who excel in research and demonstrate strong leadership and community engagement. Through her combined work in research, education, and outreach, Jacquelyn has contributed to expanding access to science and creating supportive learning environments for youth across the province.

 

Cecilia Ching Yee Leung is a long-serving volunteer with a culturally based community policing centre in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Widely regarded as a central connector within the organization, she supports programs that strengthen relationships between the Vancouver Police Department and the Chinese community, including Victim Services, Citizens’ Report, translation, outreach, and Chinatown Watch, and more.

Contributing approximately 150 to 200 hours annually, Cecilia plays a key leadership role in organizing events, mentoring new volunteers, advising board members, and participating in stakeholder meetings. She is actively involved in community engagement, including outreach to local businesses, attending public forums, addressing racial harassment, and supporting initiatives that address public safety and community well-being in Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside.

Cecilia’s volunteer service spans more than two decades and includes roles with the Alzheimer Society of BC, St. John the Apostle Parish, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Western Canada) Association. She brings this experience to her work, contributing to programs such as art therapy and wellness initiatives for seniors that encourage volunteerism and active aging.

As a senior staff member for 15 years at the Central Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL), Carl Cavanagh supported diverse community needs in a busy downtown environment. He built partnerships with frontline organizations such as the Mustard Seed Food Bank and Our Place Society, bringing “pop-up libraries” to their clients and expanding access to books for underserved populations.

Carl is also recognized for establishing and sustaining a volunteer-run library at the Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre (VIRCC), which has been in place since 2011. Working in collaboration with GVPL, Russell Books, Bastion Books, the Times-Colonist, the Books to Prisoners organization of Vancouver, and many generous community donors, he helped develop a broad collection of fiction and non-fiction titles of all kinds.

The VIRCC library operates without a dedicated budget for staff or materials and now holds nearly 6,000 volumes. Each month, approximately 1,000 books are circulated among the prison’s living units, with inmates able to request materials to support their education, personal development, and recreation. Carl’s leadership brought together multiple partners to create a lasting resource within the facility.

Andrea Castro is the founder of Forever Kind, an initiative dedicated to creating inclusive public environments where every child is recognized, understood, and valued. Through her work, she develops practical, community-based solutions that support children of all abilities in communicating, connecting, and participating in shared spaces.

Her work began with a simple goal: to create environments where her daughter, Ariyana, could engage and belong. In public spaces, Andrea observed that children were eager to connect but often lacked shared communication tools. In response, she designed Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) boards integrating AAC-friendly visuals, sign-supported language, literacy cues, and emotional regulation supports. What began as a single prototype has grown into a province-wide initiative, with tools now installed in parks, playgrounds, schools, recreation centres, and community hubs across British Columbia.

Through Forever Kind, Andrea collaborates with speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, educators, municipalities, community partners and the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC) to advance inclusive design. She also serves on the Township of Langley Parks & Design Committee and the City of Langley Accessibility & Inclusion Committee, contributing to local planning and policy while supporting communities in building accessible, inclusive social infrastructure.

Don Blakely is a founding member and longtime leader in Search and Rescue (SAR), with nearly four decades of dedicated volunteer service beginning in Fort Nelson in 1987 and continuing in Vernon since 1995. With a background in military service and law, he brought strong organizational and administrative expertise to the field, supporting both operational and governance functions from the outset.

As Team Leader, Rope Rescue Team Leader, and Search Manager with Vernon Search and Rescue, Don has participated in hundreds of operations, including large-scale emergencies such as the evacuation of 7,000 residents during the 1998 Salmon Arm wildfire. Over more than 20 years as a Search Manager, he led complex, multi-agency responses and missing persons searches across the region.

At the provincial and national levels, Don has contributed extensively through leadership with the BC Search and Rescue Association and the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada. He also played a key role in developing and teaching training programs that continue to shape SAR practices today. Through mentorship and collaboration, Don has strengthened SAR capacity and professionalism across Canada.

Mariel (c̓ʕ̓n̓ c̓ʕ̓an̓) Belanger is a Syilx interdisciplinary performance artist, entrepreneur, and doctoral student in Cultural Studies at Queen’s University. Her practice centers on land-based arts, storytelling, and the transmission of Syilx knowledge systems through contemporary and traditional forms.

She is the founder of Studio sisp’lk’ Gallery, an Indigenous-led social enterprise delivering land-based cultural arts projects, food forest initiatives, and workshops focused on reconciliation, education, and community engagement. By offering in-person and virtual programming, the gallery advances cultural tourism and provides meaningful, hands-on experiences grounded in Syilx traditions.

For over two decades, Mariel has contributed to the Okanagan arts community, supporting emerging and established artists and mentoring Indigenous youth. Through her work with organizations such as the Sookinchoot Youth Centre, she has provided media arts programming, after-school initiatives, and skills development, encouraging youth to build relationships with each other and the land through harvesting, making, and participatory learning. Mariel also contributes to arts governance through jury and board service and is a founding member of Sqilxw Apna and Kama? Creative Aboriginal Arts Collective.

Varun Banthia is an emerging leader who demonstrates a sustained commitment to public service and support for vulnerable populations. He has focused his efforts on advancing equity, accountability, and access within public institutions and nonprofit organizations.

As Chair of the Board of PHS Community Services Society, one of the province’s largest providers of supportive housing and harm reduction services, Varun has provided oversight in a complex environment. His work with those facing homelessness, mental health challenges, and substance use disorders has additionally included volunteering at the Dugout Drop-In Centre and on the frontlines of the toxic drug crisis at the Overdose Prevention Society.

Visually impaired since birth, Varun has participated in the City of Vancouver’s Disability Advisory Committee. He has also empowered his young peers through involvement with UBC’s Ch’nook Aboriginal Management Program and research projects at Deloitte amplifying Indigenous youth perspectives.

Professionally, grounded in the belief that transparent and ethical institutions are essential to fair outcomes for those most at risk, Varun has focused on improving integrity and effectiveness in the public sector. After gaining experience at the OECD and the UN, he now supports the whistleblower program at Vancouver’s Office of the Auditor General.