Monday 16 September 2024

Fourteen exceptional Ontarians Celebrated at Annual Lieutenant Governors’ Legacy Awards ceremony

Two remarkable young Black Canadians, Given Messam-Harris and Lladaneyah Gayle were among those that received the Lieutenant Governors’ Legacy awards awards, on Monday.

Both Given Messam-Harris and Lladaneyah Gayle received the Lincoln M. Alexander Award. Established in 1993, this award recognizes young people who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in eliminating racial discrimination and promoting equity and inclusion.

TORONTO – The Ontario government is recognizing 14 exceptional Ontarians with awards at the annual Lieutenant Governors’ Legacy Awards Ceremony for the work they have done to build a stronger, more inclusive and welcoming Ontario.

These awards, named after four previous Lieutenant Governors —the Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, the Honourable James Bartleman, the Honourable David C. Onley and the Honourable Hilary M. Weston — honour their legacies and contributions in the areas of anti-racism, literature, accessibility and mental health research.

“I am proud to further the legacy of my predecessors by presenting these awards that bear their name to 14 worthy recipients,” said the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. “Through their creativity, leadership and determination to improve the lives of others, they have made impressive and inspirational contributions to their communities and to our province.”

The recipients of these awards have demonstrated leadership by supporting and empowering Indigenous and underrepresented communities, following in the footsteps of the previous Lieutenant Governors. This is the first time since her appointment as Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Edith Dumont recognized recipients at the annual award ceremony.

The 14 recipients recognized at the Lieutenant Governors’ Legacy Awards ceremony are:

• Lincoln M. Alexander Award: Established in 1993, the 2024 award recognizes young people who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in eliminating racial discrimination and promoting equity and inclusion.
  • Lladaneyah Gayle
  • Given Messam-Harris
  • Rukshika Krishnamoorthy
• James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing Award: Established in 2008, the 2024 award recognizes Indigenous youth for their creative writing talent.
  • Loveena Nothing
  • Jersey Kakekayash
  • Amethyst Richard
  • Noah Faucher
  • Michael Taukei
  • Tatum Naveau
• David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility: Established in 2014, the award recognizes Ontarians who have gone above and beyond to improve accessibility and the quality of life of people with disabilities.
  • John Leadston
  • Prasanna Ranganathan
  • Jolie Gan
• Hilary M. Weston Scholarship: Established in 2002, the 2024 scholarship recognizes graduate-level social work students for their contributions to mental health research.
  • Robyn Mahood
  • Ngaire Rasmussen

The recipients were recognized in a ceremony at the Art Gallery of Ontario presided over by the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. She was joined by Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, and Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education.

Denise Siele

It was an honour and privilege to attend the Lieutenant Governors’ Legacy Awards Ceremony in hashtag#Toronto yesterday. These awards named after 4 previous Ontario Lieutenant Governor’s recognize Ontarians who do game-changing work and exhibit leadership in building a better province for all.

Congratulations to the 14 recipients of the James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing Award; the David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility; the Hilary M. Weston Scholarship for Graduate-Level Students in the Area of Mental Health; and the Lincoln M. Alexander Award for Leadership in Eliminating Racial Discrimination.

Thank you to the Province of Ontario for entrusting me to serve as Chair of the Lincoln M. Alexander Award Selection Committee, along with my colleagues Kathy McDonald, Ron Cunningham and Mark Beckles MBA, ICD.D

A hearty congratulations to the 3 recipients of this year’s “LINC” award: Lladaneyah Gayle (Student Award), Given Messam-Harris (Student Award), and Rukshika Krishnamoorthy (Community Award) for the work you are doing as young people in Windsor, Waterloo and Mississauga to ensure that young Ontarians from all walks of life can harness and reach their full potential free from racial discrimination. Thank you Jill Dunlop for your heartfelt remarks about this year’s recipients.

I was also pleased to convey thanks and offer a toast to all 14 recipients on behalf of the Alexander family and convey the deep gratitude that we have for the work you do.


As Ontarians, I encourage you to visit the Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat website to learn more about how you can nominate someone in recognition of their service to Ontario.

Miigwetch. Merci. Thank you.

Source: LinkedIn