‘Incredible day’: Several Manitobans appointed to Order of Canada

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Peggy

Tina Jones calls it “an incredible honour” but one that truly belongs to the group of people she works alongside to make a difference in health care in Manitoba.

The chair of Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre Foundation was named on Thursday as one of 83 new appointees to the Order of Canada by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.

Jones is joined by Winnipeggers Tina Keeper, Estelle Simons and William Kirby as new members of the Order.

“It’s an incredible day. It’s just an incredible honour,” Jones told CBC Manitoba’s Information Radio host Marcy Markusa on Thursday.

A woman with long blonde hair wears a black dress — Tina Jones is founder and owner of Jones & Company Wine Merchants, partner of The Rink and chair of Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre Foundation. (tinajones.ca)

The order’s citation for Jones calls her a passionate community builder who, as chair of the HSC Foundation, has championed philanthropy as a means of advancing innovation in health care.

“I don’t know that there’s any other group you can work for that changes thousands of lives every day. And that’s what motivates us,” she told Markusa. “This honour really belongs to the entire group.”

Jones is also the founder and owner of Jones & Company Wine Merchants and a partner of The Rink, a hockey academy and training centre in Winnipeg.

The Order of Canada, established in 1967, is one of Canada’s highest honours, recognizing people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to our nation, the award’s website states.

The appointments announced on Thursday include one new companion — the highest level of the Order of Canada — 16 officers, two honorary officers and 64 new members. Two of the appointments are promotions within the order.

Close up of a smiling woman with dark hair — Kistikan Pictures co-founder Tina Keeper focuses her Indigenous-themed film and television work on human rights, reconciliation and gender-based violence, the Order of Canada citation states. (John Woods/Canadian Press)

Keeper, a Cree actress, producer and advocate, is taking the honour as a chance to reflect on her roots.

“My late father, who just passed last year at the age of 94, was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1992,” she said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “It feels like a very special honour for me.”

Her father, Joseph Irvine Keeper, was a founder of the Manitoba Métis Federation. He blazed a trail the younger Keeper said she’s proud to follow.

Keeper is perhaps best known for starring in the 1990s CBC drama North of 60, but was also a member of Parliament, representing the Liberal Party in Churchill, from 2006 to 2008.

She has since moved to producing, including the CTV comedy Acting Good.

Co-founder of Kistikan Pictures, Keeper focuses her Indigenous-themed film and television work on human rights, reconciliation and gender-based violence, the order citation states.

“I’m grateful for all these opportunities I’ve had to be part of partnerships in trying to move Canada along into reconciliation,” she said. “That has always been important. It was important to my parents.”

A head-and-shoulders image of a woman with short, curly hair — Estelle Simons has advanced the field of anaphylaxis diagnosis and management and has been a leading presence in clinical immunology and allergy, according to the Order of Canada citation. (Canadian Medical Hall of Fame)

Keeper’s fellow new member, Estelle Simons, is a world-renowned allergy specialist inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2017.

The University of Manitoba professor emerita has had a profound global impact on mitigating the effects of allergic reactions and diseases, notably among children, the order’s citation states.

Simons has advanced the field of anaphylaxis diagnosis and management and has been a leading presence in clinical immunology and allergy, both as an educator and mentor, and through her leadership of national and international professional organizations, according to the citation.

William Kirby, the founder and executive director of the Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art, is the fourth Manitoban on the new inductee list.

He developed the Canadian Art Database, an innovative and extensive resource made freely accessible online for artists, educators, researchers and the general public to help promote contemporary Canadian art and artists, the citation states.

His dedicated archival work has broadened awareness of contemporary Canadian art and artists at home and abroad.

A person posing for a photo. — Daniel Lavoie, born in Dunrea, Man., is an award-winning singer and songwriter whose career spans several decades. (Valérie Paquette)

Also on the list is singer-songwriter, actor, poet and radio host Daniel Lavoie, who was born in the small French community of Dunrea, Man., about 45 kilometres south of Brandon, and now calls Montreal home.

A prominent ambassador for French-Canadian culture, Lavoie rocketed to the top of the charts with the 1984 hit single Ils s’aiment, the Order of Canada’s citation states.

He further distinguished himself as an original cast member of Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the most successful musicals in Quebec’s music and entertainment industry.

A hockey player in blue and white checks another one in orange and blue — Former Winnipeg Jet Jim Kyte gently checks Edmonton Oiler Jari Kurri during the NHL Heritage Classic Alumni game in Winnipeg in 2016. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)

Another Winnipeg connection comes in the form of former NHLer Jim Kyte. The first deaf player in the league, the Ottawa native was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 1982 and made his pro debut late in the 1982–83 season.

Kyte joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1989–90 season and ended up playing 598 games in the NHL during a career that also saw him wearing a uniform for the Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks.

This year’s class of honourees will be invested into the order at ceremonies in the coming months.