Canada’s cities better places to live and work thanks to award-winning citizens

For Immediate Release: May 21, 2009

From the Canadian Urban Institute

Toronto, Ontario  –  Eighteen citizens and organizations from coast to coast have made Canadian cities better places to live and work and will be honoured at the Canadian Urban Institute’s Urban Leadership Awards June 5 in Toronto.

The CUI has judged dozens of nominations from across Canada and selected 18 exceptional “city builders” who tackle everything from reducing poverty in Hamilton and homelessness in Vancouver to beautifying historic riverbanks in Quebec and showcasing children’s art on buses in Toronto.

“For the first time in Canadian history more Canadians now live in urban centres than in rural settings,” said CUI President and CAO Glen Murray. “To recognize how increasingly important it is for our cities to be healthy, creative, dynamic places we doubled the number of Urban Leadership Awards this year. We invited some of Canada’s who’s who of city building to judge the awards and their standards are very high so we know our winners are exceptional people making powerful contributions to their cities,” Murray said.

About 500 elite members of Canada’s city building community will gather in Toronto at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto to honour the 18 award winners from across the country who are making Canadian cities exciting and dynamic places to live and work. 

The civic-minded, community-building award winners (www.canurb.com/awards/ula/leadershipawards2009.php) this year are: 

Centre for Social Innovation, Toronto, Ontario: The City Innovation Award, focusing on social change and entrepreneurialism.

Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec, Québec City, Québec: The City Renewal Award for revitalization efforts.

imagineCalgary, Calgary, Alberta: The Natural City Award for projects that improve the local or global environment.

Stella Burry Community Services, St. John’s, Newfoundland: The Universal City Award for diversity initiatives, inclusion, and human rights.

Mayor Hazel McCallion, Mississauga, Ontario: The City Prosperity Award for economic development.

4 Pillars Drug Strategy, Vancouver, B.C.: The Secure City Award for efforts that promote justice, security, and risk management.

MaRS Centre, Toronto, Ontario: The Creative City Award for building creative capacity.

Doors Open Toronto, Toronto, Ontario: The City Soul Award for pursuits that inspire and enrich our collective spirits.


Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo Region, Ontario: The Global City Award for initiatives that position a city as a global centre of excellence.

The City Youth Award for outstanding contributions by individuals under 30.

Nadia Warsi, Markham, Ontario
Leonardo Zuniga, Toronto, Ontario

Local Hero Awards for individuals or groups making a difference in their communities.

Ellen Shonsta, Kimberly, B.C. for her work feeding street youth in Vancouver.

Calgary Public Library Volunteers, Calgary, Alberta: for providing 30,000 volunteer hours a year.

Coun. Moya Johnson, Halton Hills, Ontario: for improving accessibility in her community.

Lola Rasminsky, Toronto, Ontario: for bringing free arts education to the children and youth of Toronto’s underserved neighbourhoods.

The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, Hamilton, Ontario: The David Crombie Award for collaborative solutions to urban problems in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

The Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award for an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to the public realm over many years will be revealed and awarded in Winnipeg on May 28th.

Complete press releases on each recipient are available on the CUI website (http://www.canurb.com/awards/ula/leadershipawards2009.php).

The Urban Leadership Awards (ULA) Program honours Canadian individuals, groups and organizations that have made significant contributions to improving the quality of life in Canada’s cities and urban regions. The 2009 ULA’s have been made possible by the generous support of a variety of corporate sponsors including Gold Sponsors Loblaw Properties Ltd., Scotiabank, TD Bank Financial Group, the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Environics, the City of Toronto, GE Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Community Builder Sponsors include Toronto Hydro, Local 27 of the Union of Carpenters and Allied Workers, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Great West Life, London Life and Canada Life Assurance Companies.
 
The judges for this year’s awards included Canadians who have dedicated their lives to public service and who have detailed knowledge of the local stories and triumphs of Canadians in their home communities. Under the chairmanship of the Hon. David Crombie, the committee included; Al Duerr, former Mayor of Calgary; Newfoundland’s Dr. Linda Inkpen; Dr. Antonia Maioni, Director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada; John Kim Bell, founder of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation; Ms. Mitzie Hunter, a Vice President at Goodwill Industries; and, Dr. Nola Kate Seymoar, President and CEO, International Centre for Sustainable Cities, based in British Columbia.
 
The Canadian Urban Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in urban areas across Canada and throughout the world.

For more information; to arrange for interviews with Glen Murray or ULA winners; to attend the awards ceremony contact:
   
Janis Lynch, Manager, Urban Leadership Awards, Canadian Urban Institute
p: 416-365-0816, ext 283,  c. 416-986-1771, email: jlynch@canurb.com