Award Category: Community Award

Lily La Mer’s determination to raise the image of PADS, the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, is remarkable. Now able to use her camera because of her own PADS-trained service dog, she works selflessly on behalf of PADS raising funds by producing calendars, brochures, newsletters and preparing successful grant proposals. It was Lily who approached her MLA to have 2006 proclaimed The Year of the Working Dog.

Ben Lee has served the city of Kelowna and the community of Rutland for more than 34 years. Ben served 12 terms as a Kelowna city councillor; he founded the Kelowna Multicultural Society and the Kelowna Folkfest, and is a champion of heritage preservation, regional parks development and health care.

This forward-looking, community-minded leader has done much to promote the long-term economic and social development of Prince George. Bill played an important role in encouraging the establishment of a medical health initiative at UNBC and in the formation of Initiatives Prince George. He also helped secure funding to establish a $30-million major sports facility for the university and the city.

Through a lifetime of public service, Gordon Mackie has contributed to the overall prosperity and well-being of Sicamous and Eagle Valley. Gordon’s remarkable civic involvement includes participation in the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, the Sicamous Waterworks District, the Eagle Valley Arts Council and Citizens on Patrol. Gordon served with distinction as the first mayor of the District of Sicamous after its incorporation.

Dr. Sharon McCoubrey has enthusiastically spearheaded the appreciation, promotion and enjoyment of public art in the District of Lake Country. Since its inception in 1995, Sharon has chaired the Public Art Advisory Commission and has been instrumental in the commission’s art fairs, symposia, events and ArtWalk, one of B.C.’s largest art shows.

Jim McMynn served the Village of Midway with distinction as its mayor from its incorporation in 1967 to his retirement in 2005. His leadership contributed to the development of Midway’s economy and its necessary services and its amenities. His leadership and involvement in the well-being of the community set an example for others to follow and has made Midway a better place to live.

During his 13 years as president of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, Dr. John Nightingale has moved the aquarium to a focus on conservation, increased attendance, advanced scientific research and embarked on a new expansion and revitalization while at the same time ensuring the aquarium’s self-sufficiency. As important, he has developed strong relationships between the business sector and the public, including serving as a member of the Board of the Vancouver Board of Trade.

Doris Paul, Xelem’th, is the founder and chair of Caring for Our Youth Committee, a community organization formed to protect youth from drug dealers, violence, and suffering and pain caused by addiction. Her undaunted spirit has brought together both native and non-native partners to achieve the restoration of a sense of safety, security, health and community pride.

Audrey Salahub has been so instrumental in the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder that her influence has spread from its small beginnings in Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows to now reaching throughout BC. Audrey’s vision, determination and advocacy lead to the opening of the Asante Centre for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Maple Ridge in 2000, which is provincially recognized for its assessment, diagnosis and preventative education of FAS.

Baljit Sethi is the founder and executive director of the Immigrant and Multicultural Services of Prince George, which provides settlement services to communities in northern B.C. She is committed to improving the lives of immigrants and refugees, and she has contributed greatly to the community’s cross-cultural understanding of diversity, racism, family violence and seniors’ issues.