Province Recognizing Outstanding Contributions from Ontario Colleges
TORONTO – Yesterday, the Ontario government announced the winners of the annual Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Premier’s Awards for college graduates, which honour college leaders and graduates who have made enduring contributions to Ontario’s postsecondary system and helped build a stronger Ontario. The awards were presented at the Colleges Ontario Higher Education Summit in Toronto.
Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities, presented the Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award to two outstanding leaders who made a lasting difference to Ontario’s public colleges. The 2022 recipients are:
- Anne Sado, former president of George Brown College
- MaryLynn West-Moynes, former president and CEO of Georgian College
“I would like to congratulate these two exceptional women for their hard work, dedication and contributions on advancing Ontario’s colleges,” said Minister Dunlop. “By acting as ambassadors of the college system, they have made a lasting mark on postsecondary education in our province. It is an honour to present them with lifetime achievement awards.”
The Premier’s Awards for college graduates recognizes recent and past graduates from seven categories who have made outstanding social and economic contributions to society. The 2022 recipients are:
- Shereen Ashman from Centennial College for Community Services
- Murray Brewster from Niagara College for Creative Arts and Design
- Mark Cameron from Humber College for Health Sciences
- Steve DeRoy from Fleming College for Technology
- Jennifer Green from Conestoga College for Apprenticeship
- Jason Rasevych from Confederation College for Business
- Erica Williams from Niagara College for Recent Graduate
"Ontario colleges are critical in providing students with the career-focused education they need and in addressing the labour requirements of key sectors driving the province’s economy,” said Premier Doug Ford. “The winners of the Premier’s Awards are perfect examples of the potential our college students hold and why I have such confidence in our future. They are making a lasting impact and we are so proud of what these incredible Ontarians are accomplishing.”
“The extraordinary success of these graduates shows how our colleges are preparing students with the skills, knowledge and experience they need to have rewarding careers, supporting the workforce of today and tomorrow,” said Minister Dunlop. “Their incredible achievements – from developing career training programs for young Black professionals, to adding Canada’s Indigenous communities to Google Maps and Google Earth – are helping to strengthen our economy and make very real and tangible differences in the lives of Ontarians.”
“These awards are a great tribute to our college graduates’ phenomenal success in Ontario and throughout the world. We’re very proud of all of our nominees and recipients and congratulate them on everything they have achieved in their chosen fields,” said Linda Franklin, President and CEO, Colleges Ontario.
For a full list of the 2022 Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Awards and Premier’s Awards recipients, see Backgrounder.
Quick Facts
- The Minister’s Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 2005 to recognize those who have made enduring contributions to Ontario's college system throughout their career.
- The Premier’s Awards for college graduates were launched in 1992 to mark the 25th anniversary of Ontario’s college system. The province partners with Colleges Ontario to administer the awards.
- Award recipients are chosen from nominations submitted by Ontario’s 24 public colleges. The recipients must demonstrate outstanding achievement related to their college experience and have made a significant contribution to their communities.
- In 2020-21, about 77 per cent of 2019-20 Ontario college graduates were employed within six months of graduating, and 91 per cent of employers were satisfied or very satisfied with the graduates they hired.
- In April 2022, the government announced that Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges may develop and seek consent to offer new three-year degree programs and additional four-year degree programs in key sectors to address gaps in the province’s labour needs.