Vancouver Chinatown visionary Carol A. Lee and arts advocate Zainub Verjee among those appointed to Order of Canada
Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s André Lewis and Canada’s first Inuk opera singer, Deantha Rae Edmunds, also among 78 people to acquire the honour
Carol A. Lee.
GOVERNOR GENERAL MARY SIMON has announced 78 new appointments to the Order of Canada.
The list includes prominent Vancouverites such as Carol A. Lee, who is also a member of the Order of British Columbia. Lee was recognized as a member for her “transformational leadership and business acumen, and for her commitment to the revitalization of Vancouver’s Chinatown”. Lee is a philanthropist and business owner who founded the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. In 2021, the foundation established the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, the first of its kind in Canada, to share and preserve the stories and heritage of Chinese immigrants in Canada.
“The Chinatown Storytelling Centre is a central component of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation’s cultural revitalization efforts,” Lee said at the time. “It has been years in the making, and we are excited for people to visit, learn about the history of those who have come before us, and experience the rich heritage of the Chinese Canadian community, especially those from Vancouver’s Chinatown. Every unique piece of memorabilia, video, photograph, and story has been thoughtfully curated by our dedicated and hardworking team, with contributions from across Canada. We look forward to this space becoming the heart of our community in Chinatown.” Lee also owns Chinatown BBQ and Ho Ho Restaurant and she is the chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee.
Zainub Verjee.
Zainub Verjee was appointed as a member of the Order of Canada “for advancing representation and equitable policy legislation within Canada’s arts and culture sectors as a leading artist, administrator and critic”. Verjee, who is now based in Mississauga, was born in Nairobi, educated in England, and immigrated to Canada in the early 1970s, when she was part of the thriving intermedia arts community in Vancouver as a multidisciplinary artist. She’s also a programmer, curator, critic, writer, and arts administrator. Verjee was instrumental in the forming of the BC Arts Council and Vancouver Asian Heritage Month, and she was the executive director of Western Front for nearly a decade; prior to that she co-directed and -founded InVisible Colours, an international film and video festival. She is a laureate of the 2020 Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts for Outstanding Contribution and now serves as executive director of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries.
Vancouver’s André Pierre Picard was named a member “for his dedication to advancing public health understanding and practices in Canada as a leading health journalist and bestselling author”. His books include Neglected No More: The Urgent Need to Improve the Lives of Canada’s Elders in the Wake of a Pandemic, Matters of Life and Death, and The Gift of Death.
Surrey’s Chang (C.K.) Keun was named a member “for his dedication to the development and promotion of taekwondo in Canada and around the world”.
Other people in the arts sector who were appointed include André Leon Lewis, a member of the Order of Manitoba whom Vancouverites are familiar with through his “decades of outstanding leadership of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and for his contributions to the world of dance”. One of Lewis’s best-known works is the RWB’s popular annual production of Nutcracker, which he adapted in 1999 to reflect prairie life and Canadian traditions. Lewis has also presented classics such as Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, Giselle, and The Sleeping Beauty. The former dancer has commissioned new and experienced choreographers to create original works, including Mark Godden’s Dracula. The year 2025 will mark Lewis’s 50th anniversary with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Other notable Canadians to acquire the honour are George Stroumboulopoul os, “for his leading contributions to Canadian media and journalism as a renowned broadcaster and producer in television and radio”, and Deantha Rae Edmunds, Canada’s first Inuk opera singer.
To view the complete list, see here.
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