Order of Canada’s 99 game-changers
From a social justice activist, to a hockey Hall of Famer, to the voice of a big green ogre.
The second annual Order of Canada has been issued today, celebrating 99 Canadians for outstanding achievement in a range of sectors.
Included on the list are nine people with diverse, distinguished backgrounds.
Toronto Cathy Crowe is one of the recipients, a street nurse and social justice advocate helping homeless people on a local and national level.
“To me, it’s a sign of progress,” she said. “Somewhere, people at that level are honouring and respecting me, but really, for me, it’s all about the issues.”
Crowe has written extensively about homelessness in Canada, been involved in multiple documentary films and teaches classes at Ryerson University. She is the co-founder of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, an organization that promulgated homelessness to be a national disaster in 1998. Eight other Order of Canada awards reflect a diverse pool of recipients that have also contributed to the betterment of the country. The award is “merit-based, apolitical and accessible,” said a spokesperson from the Rideau Hall press office.
Mark Messier played in the NHL for 25 years as a forward, garnering 694 goals and1,193 assists by the time he retired in 2005.
He was the captain for the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers and won six Stanley Cups. He was presented with the Hart Trophy for being the most valuable player, and helped Team Canada secure three victories.
Messier was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.
Beyond his hockey career, Messier was given an award “for his leadership in encouraging children to take up the sport,” states the Order’s briefing note.
Canadian actor and comedian Mike Myers appeared in movies such as Wayne’s World, Austin Powers, and the unforgettable voice of Shrek.
He grew up in North York and Scar- borough, initially acting in commercials and appearing in Canadian TV programs before becoming part of the Second City theatre in Toronto and later Saturday Night Live.
More recently, the Gong Show was revived this month with Myers as its new host, as Tommy Maitland, a character he created.
Myers now resides in New York, and recently released a book called Canada which documents his life and offers humorous and thoughtful reflections on the country.
Catherine O’Hara another Toronto-born actor, appeared in movies like Home Alone, Beetlejuice, and SCTV, a popular Canadian comedy sketch show that ran between 1976 and 1984. More recently she has appeared with Eugene Levy in CBC’s Schitt’s Creek.
The Order of Canada acknowledges her crucial role in Canadian media, along with her acting career.
Alex Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy! for 33 years, long enough to set a Guinness Book World record for his consistent onscreen appearances on the show over the years.
Trebek was born in Sudbury Ont. in 1940, cutting his teeth as a CBC announcer in Ottawa and Toronto before moving to the U.S. and turning to television. He officially became a U.S. citizen in 1998. He also holds a key to the city of Ottawa.
The Order of Canada was issued to Trebek for his work in television and promotion of education.
Toronto-born Graydon Carter has served as Vanity Fair’s editor since the early 1990s.
He wrote for various magazines, like Time, before assuming the role. In 2004 he wrote What We’ve Lost, a sharp criticism of the George W. Bush presidency.
Legendary music producer Daniel Lanois helped shepherd such landmark albums as U2’s The Joshua Tree, Peter Gabriel’s So, Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy and Emmylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball to their hallowed posi- tions in the annals of pop history.
The Hull, Que., native is also an accomplished songwriter, guitarist, drummer and singer, with a diverse and distinguished discography of his own dating back to 1989’s acclaimed folk album Acadie and most recently topped off by the debut album from his inspired dub/blues fusion project Black Dub in 2010.
Born in Montreal in 1963, JeanMarc Vallée has directed and produced noted films such as C.R.A.Z.Y. and Wild.
He recently directed the HBO series Big Little Lies.
Christine Sinclair, 34, is one of Canada’s most famous soccer players.
The Burnaby, B.C. native was named player of the year by the Canadian Soccer Association 13 times. She also helped Canada progress to the Olympics in Rio, scoring two goals against Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic tournament. With files from Star archives