REGINA – The best that the province of Saskatchewan has to offer were honoured Tuesday night.
Nine new names were added to the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, the province’s highest honour. The individuals were honoured at an investiture ceremony at the Hotel Saskatchewan where they received their medals from Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre.
According to the government’s news release those receiving the Saskatchewan Order of Merit are:
Dr. Raymond B. Blake – One of the province’s most distinguished historians, Blake has been a professor at the University of Regina for over 25 years and has been author, editor, or co-editor of 23 books.
Dr. Anne Doig – A nationally respected physician and educator who was President of the Canadian Medical Association from 2009–2010.
Dr. Chris Ekong – Honoured posthumously for his work as a neurosurgeon in southern Saskatchewan for four decades, known for his leadership in spine and neurotrauma surgery.
Ronald J. Kruzeniski, S.V.M., K.C. – A distinguished Saskatchewan lawyer, public servant, and volunteer who was. Chief Commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, championing human rights and accessibility issues.
Dr. Melissa Morgan – A distinguished Saskatchewan-based conductor, educator, and community leaderwhose work has shaped the province’s choral, cultural, and educational landscape, serving as an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Regina.
Harold Walter Orr – An engineer whose work in air filtration measurement and heating energy reductions has made Saskatchewan leader in energy-efficient housing and building science.
Donny Parenteau – A celebrated Métis musician, educator, and community leader from Prince Albert who has earned national and international recognition as a performer. He has received well over 100 nominations across eight major award programs in Canada and the United States and performed on world-class stages including the Winter Olympics and the Grand Old Opry.
Lionel Auburn Peyachew – an Indigenous artist from Red Pheasant Cree Nation best known for his public sculptural works, who since 2005 has served as Associate Professor of Indigenous Fine Arts at the First Nations University of Canada.
Phoebe Voigts – Among Saskatchewan’s most influential leaders in music education and choral artistry, who in 1996 founded the Saskatoon Children’s Choir with a goal to create a world-class choir rooted in artistic excellence, humanitarian values, and global understanding.
Those honoured at the event said they were humbled by being chosen for this distinguished honour. Blake said his initial reaction when he heard about it was “great surprise” and “why me?”
But he said it was a great honour to be included among those who have invested in the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.
“Just looking down through the list since 1985, it is an impressive list of not just provincially known people, but nationally, internationally known, for all the work that they do, and to be counted among that select group is really, truly remarkable.”
Parenteau was asked if he ever imagined an honour like this when he started along his musical journey.
“The thing is, when I started playing music at the age of 14, I started playing fiddle. And I used to envision, and I visualised it,” said Parenteau.
“I would play around the house, and I'd say, one day I'm going to live in Nashville, I will play on the Grand Old Opry, and I'm going to play to people all over the world. And my mum used to call me a big dreamer. Well, being a big dreamer, it came true. Not only 10 years later, at the age of 24, I walked on the Grand Old Opry stage. So it can happen. Put your mind to it, and focus. Go get it.”
At the event, Lieutenant Governor McIntyre had this to say about all the individuals being honoured.
“The great orator and wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill once wrote, ‘All great things are simple and can be expressed in a single word.’ Freedom. Justice. Honour. Duty. Mercy. Hope. Tonight's honourees have excelled in vastly diverse fields of endeavor, yet they share in common some profound yet simple ideals that can be expressed in a single word. Passion. Resilience. Courage. Creativity. Generosity. Vision.
“To the newest recipients of our highest honour, I thank you for your truly outstanding contributions. Thank you for improving and enriching the lives of people in Saskatchewan and far beyond our borders. In addition to sharing many ideals, you also share in common this province. Some of you were born here, others adopted Saskatchewan as home. All of you have been shaped by this place, this challenging, magnificent place. As you receive this honor tonight, you join a company of past recipients who are nothing short of extraordinary. You are the most deserving to be counted among their number. Congratulations on being invested into the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. I hope you will wear your medal with pride.”
