Order of Canada awarded to British Columbians in 2020

© Provided by Vancouver Sun Helen Burt, a professor of drug delivery at the University of B.C.’s faculty of pharmaceutical sciences, was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2020 for her life-altering research on drug delivery systems, for her leadership at UBC and for her community engagement.

Little did teenager Helen Burt know growing up in England that a school field trip to a pharmacy, to what seemed almost like a sorcerer’s den in the basement of a hospital, would one day lead to becoming an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Pharmacies in those days were magical labs where people in white coats mixed potions and ointments.

“I smelled the amazing aroma of all these medicinals and saw what was going on, it looked like chemistry but fun,” Burt said. “That’s when I decided, ‘OK, I’m going to pharmacy school.’ ”

She and seven other British Columbians were among the Canadians named as 2020 recipients of the Order as Officers, while several more British Columbians were among those honoured as Members of the Order of Canada.

Burt was between Zoom meetings last week when her landline rang, which she pretty much never answers because it’s always robocalls. But, what the heck, she picked up.

“It took me a few minutes to believe it,” Burt, a professor of drug delivery at the University of B.C., said Tuesday. “I think the person on the other end was laughing because I kept asking if it was for real.”

The seven Officers for 2020 from B.C. are:

• John Borrows , Victoria, for his scholarly work on Indigenous rights and legal traditions, which have had a significant impact across Canada and abroad;

• John Challis , West Vancouver, f or his seminal contributions to the field of obstetrics and gynecology, and to health research and innovation in Canada and abroad;

John Challis of West Vancouver, a Simon Fraser University professor and principal of LHC Life Health Consulting.

• Burt , Vancouver, f or her life-altering research on drug delivery systems, for her leadership at UBC and for her community engagement;

• Daniel Justice , Halfmoon Bay, f or his prolific contributions to the field of contemporary Indigenous studies in Canada and abroad;

• Antony Penikett , Vancouver, a former premier of Yukon, f or his contributions as a teacher, negotiator and public servant, and for his human rights activism;

• Justice Lynn Smith , Vancouver, f or her extensive and pioneering contributions to the Canadian legal system as a lawyer, academic and judge

Justice, who moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2013 with his husband, is a Colorado-born member of the Cherokee Nation who has been at UBC teaching Indigenous studies since 2012 and is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Literature and Expressive Culture.

Daniel Justice of Halfmoon Bay, UBC professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Literature and Expressive Culture

“It’s still kind of surreal,” said Justice, who before the pandemic would commute to the Point Grey campus from Halfmoon Bay when needed. “I’m still kind of working through what it means.

“I’m very grateful to the people who put my name forward, there are a lot of people I’m very appreciative to, and I’m very appreciative to be able to do the work I do here in B.C. with Indigenous writers and the community here and in Canada.

“It’s still pretty overwhelming, I think it will take a long time to sink in. I know I still have a lot of work to do and I think anything like this is striving to be as worthy as you can be going forward.”

The Members from B.C. named in 2020 are:

• Robert Krell , Vancouver, for contributing to our understanding of mass ethnopolitical violence and for his advocacy on behalf of Holocaust survivors;

• Terry Salman , West Vancouver, for contributions to mining exploration, generous philanthropy and community activism;

• David Cooper , Vancouver, for his innovative contributions to Canadian performance photography and for his dedicated mentorship of emerging artists.

The Order of Canada was established in 1967 as part of Canada’s Centennial celebration, and since then more than 7,000 people from across the country have been honoured for exemplifying the Order’s motto of desiderantes meliorem patriam (Latin for “desiring to improve the homeland”).

The Queen is Sovereign of the Order, followed by the governor-general and then, in order of rank, Companion (national pre-eminence or international service or achievement); Officer (national service or achievement); and Member (outstanding local or regional contribution in a special field of activity).

Each level has its own insignia, variations on a white six-pointed snowflake with a red annulus at the centre bearing a stylized Maple Leaf circumscribed with the motto of the Order.

gordmcintyre@postmedia.com

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