Twelve remarkable British Columbians honoured on B.C. Day

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At 64, Anderson, who admits she is naturally shy, said she never would have envisioned a life that included testifying in court, or speaking to lecture halls filled with hundreds of students.

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“I love teaching. It’s invigorating, exhilarating and fun.”

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To young people just starting out, who may not know what they want to do with their lives, Anderson offers encouragement, based on her own journey. “I tell them not to be stressed, to take the courses that interest them, enjoy what you are doing, and they will find their way.”

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Other Order of B.C. honourees named Monday include Selen Alpay, a Canadian Tire store owner in Prince George, whose support for local organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the YMCA, School District 57, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Prince George Native Friendship Centre, and the Prince George Parkinson’s Society has made a difference in the community.

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Marc Bains of Vancouver is a three-time cancer survivor and heart transplant recipient, and co-founder of the HeartLife Foundation. He was honoured for community work including raising tens of millions of dollars for cardiac care throughout B.C.

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Former B.C. Chief Justice Robert Bauman in 2023. Photo by Jason Payne /PNG

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Robert Bauman of Vancouver is the former Chief Justice of B.C. and the Yukon. He was honoured for strengthening access to justice and modernizing B.C.’s legal system through decades of principled service, innovation and public engagement.

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Jill Bodkin, B.C.’s first female deputy minister and founding chair of the B.C. Securities Commission, was honoured for her leadership in public service, finance and entrepreneurship, advancing global trade and investment, strengthening market integrity, fostering clean-energy innovation, and building international partnerships benefiting B.C.

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Stephanie Cadieux. Photo by Mike Bell /PNG

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Stephanie Cadieux of Surrey is Canada’s first chief accessibility officer, and the former MLA for Surrey-Panorama. She was honoured for her work in public policy and empowering people with disabilities.

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Dr. Jim Christenson of Vancouver was named to the Order for transforming emergency care in the province through groundbreaking research, clinical innovation, and his work to transform emergency care in B.C. with life-saving advances in prehospital care and resuscitation science, as well as advocacy for improved care in remote Indigenous communities.

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Bristol Foster of Salt Spring Island was honoured for his work as a naturalist, conservation biologist, and filmmaker whose decades-long career has advanced environmental stewardship in B.C. and beyond and led to the protection of vital ecosystems.

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Marianne Ignace (Gulḵiihlgad) of Savona is a distinguished professor at Simon Fraser University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She was honoured for advancing Indigenous language revitalization through years of research, education and community partnership.

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Patrick Kelly (T’esóts’en) of Victoria and a member of the Leq’á:mel First Nation within the Stó:lō Nation, was named for his commitment to reconciliation, dialogue, and public service for strengthening reconciliation and unity across B.C. by bringing diverse communities together to resolve conflicts.

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Elio Luongo of Burnaby, the recently appointed chancellor of SFU and a former CEO and senior partner of KPMG, was honoured for his contributions to the province’s economy and communities through decades of business excellence, innovation and public service.