Announcing the 2016 Award of Excellence Recipients

Born in St. George's, Grenada, The Honourable Jean Augustine is an energetic advocate of social justice. Before entering politics, she was an elementary school principal and was Chair of the Board of the Metropolitan Toronto Housing Authority. In 1993, she became the first Black woman elected to the Parliament of Canada and the first to serve in the federal Cabinet. During her years as a federal member of parliament, Jean Augustine served notably as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada and as Secretary of State and Minister of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women. Among her accomplishments as an MP was the introduction of a motion, to have February proclaimed as Black History Month in Canada and a motion to have the Statue of the Famous Five placed on Parliament Hill.

During her tenure as Ontario’s first Fairness Commissioner from 2007 and 2015, she was responsible for ensuring that qualified foreign-trained professionals could obtain the required licenses to practice in the province. Throughout her career, Augustine has supported many social causes through her involvement in boards such as that of The Hospital for Sick Children, the Board of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, and as the National President of the Congress of Black Women of Canada. In recognition of her achievements, she was inducted as Member of the Order of Canada and was awarded many distinctions, including the Canadian Black Achievement Award, the YWCA Woman of Distinction. She holds honorary doctor of laws degrees from the University of Toronto, McGill University, York University and Guelph University.

Orlando Bowen is a corporate speaker, trainer and the founder and Executive Director at One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization. For more than a decade, Orlando has used story-telling, fitness activities and cognitive exercises to teach resilience, leadership and teamwork to over 300,000 people. When it comes to building teams, creating momentum and employing winning strategies, Orlando is the real deal.

As a community advocate, former professional athlete and most importantly, father of three, Orlando knows what it means to beat the odds. His professional sports career was cut short by a racially motivated assault that almost cost Orlando his life. Orlando has publicly forgiven the perpetrators and empowers people to overcome adversity, find their passion and to use their gifts to serve. This is the reason Orlando breathes and is a gift that has placed him on hundreds of stages, boardrooms and in presentations across North America and has garnered him numerous awards.

Sid’s main goals are to help build a strong Canada, and to promote harmony and peace by working together. Sid has worked with the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre since 1974 and served as President for nine terms. In 1998, he made sure young directors took on the President position to lead JCCC into the 21st century, and became Special Ambassador to start the outreach program to work together with the community at large. Sid was also very active in the centennial celebration, and was a founding member of the JCCC Foundation, the Japanese and Canadian Community Network Organization, Momiji Health Care Society and the Canadian Multicultural Council- Asians in Ontario. Sid has been on the advisory council to the Metropolitan Police Chief through the tenure of the last four chiefs. He has chaired and participated in countless fundraising events for charities for over 25 years. Sid was also a Boy Scouts leader for five years. He joined Rotary in 1981 and chaired the Monte Carlo fundraising event for Easter Seals with Rotary and the JCCC for 15 years. Sid volunteered with the Ontario Crippled Children Society Rehab Centre every Wednesday for nine years. He ran 10 kilometre runs to raise funds for many international needs.

Sid has received numerous awards and recognitions, including The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays from the Emperor of Japan, Japanese Government Award, Governor General Caring Canadian Award, Ontario Volunteer Service Award, as well as awards from Toronto City Council, Police Department, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Patrcia and Moses Mawa are the Visionaries behind Diversity Magazine, Diversity Expo, The Transformation Institute For Leadership and Innovation, Planet Africa Magazine, Planet Africa Television, Planet Africa Magazine and Destiny Magazine.

In 2007, their company Silvertrust was commissioned by the Government of Ontario as producer of the Bicentenary Legacy Project, which included a documentary film, a magazine and a photo reel on the commemoration of the Bicentenary of the 1807 Abolition of the British Slave Trade Act. In 2008, they created the Crossover Mentorship Program to transform the lives of youth.

Moses received the 2011 Reel World Visionary Award from the Reel World Film Festival for his work in creating opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds in the media. In 2009, he was honoured by the Toronto Police with the “Excellence in Community Service Award”. In 2010, he received the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada Award for “Professional Excellence in Media”. He received the 2011 Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Media Award at the BBPA Harry Jerome Awards gala.

Patricia Bebia Mawa is the President of Planet Africa Group and is best known as the Host and Producer of the Planet Africa Television show, a weekly series broadcast across Canada on OMNI TV and syndicated to Europe and Africa. Listed in the Who’s Who in Black Canada she is a recipient of the Toronto Police Community Service Award, Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, the International Women Achievers award and the Martin Luther King DreamKeeper Award. Patricia and Moses have been also featured on CNN International in a half hour special. Just this year the duo received the Civic Leadership Award from York Regional Police Services board and in March this year they made history by launching a 24 hour television channel called Afroglobal Television which is available on Rogers Cable and Bell Fibe across Canada.

Avrum founded Ve’ahavta, Canada’s only Jewish humanitarian organization, in 1996 after a seven year stint raising funds for the UJA/Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto. Avrum has spearheaded a plethora of Veahavta’s programs, worked with hundreds of lay volunteers, as well as leadership from over three dozen countries. He is a blogger and a writer and regularly published in the Canadian Jewish News and other publications. Avrum is an artist and former “restaurant and food” radio and tv personality.

Avrum is Ve’ahavta’s founder and visionary, and their source of guidance and inspiration. Avrum works closely with the senior staff in organizational planning, program development, and fundraising.

Dr. Joseph Yu Kai Wong, C.M., B.Eng., M.D., D.Sc., is a Canadian physician and philanthropist. He has fought racism and racial discrimination in Canada for over three decades.

Dr. Wong is the founder and the first National President of the Chinese Canadian National Council, established to promote understanding and protect the rights of all individuals in Canadian society. CCNC is the organization that spearheaded the Chinese Head Tax Redress movement in 1984, with success finally arriving 22 years later in 2006. CCNC also helped push the Federal Government to formally apologize to and compensate the Japanese Canadian community in 1990, in redress for their internment during World War II, after which PM Brian Mulroney established the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

From 1990 to 1992, he served as the chairman for the United Way of Greater Toronto, where he helped bring about the transformation of the organization to reflect all Torontonians, including newcomers and new communities. Dr. Wong helped to open new doors and channels to outreach to the diverse population groups in the City, and established the basis of funding to needy communities.

Dr. Wong worked tirelessly for various anti-racism and anti-discrimination causes like the Anti-W5 movement, and founded organizations to promote equality and justice, including the Harmony Movement and ALPHA Education.

He is also known for his leadership role in health care research and various refugee relief and natural disaster relief efforts around the world. He founded the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care in 1987, which provides culturally appropriate services to 4 ethnocultural communities (Chinese, South-Asian, Filipino and Japanese) in the Greater Toronto Area. His relief work includes the Boat People crisis of Indochina in 1979, North Korean Famine Relief in 1988, Indian Earthquake Relief in 2000, South-east Asian Tsunami Relief in 2004, and Earthquake Relief in Sichuan, China, and Haiti in 2007.

Dr. Wong has been widely recognized and awarded for his various community involvements. He was named Man of the Year in 1986 by the Toronto Star, and one of Toronto's most influential people in 1991 and 1992 by Toronto Life magazine. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1993. Dr Wong was the winner of the 2005 Canadian Red Cross Power of Humanity Award, presented to him by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. He was named one of the 180 most influential people in Toronto's history by the Toronto Star for the city's 180th birthday.