2013 Recipients

Mayor of the City of BramptonMayor of the City of Brampton

Her Worship Susan Fennell is the Mayor of Brampton, one of the most diverse cities in North America. Her first priority when she took office was to eliminate Brampton's debt. The City has remained debt free for 10 consecutive years, with Triple-A credit rating. She was the Founder and first Commissioner of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL).

President, York University

Dr. Mamdouh Shoukri is the President of York University in Toronto, one of the leading Universities in Canada. He is also the Chair of the Government and Community Relations Committee for the Council of Ontario Universities (COU), and a Founding Board Member of the Ontario Centre of Excellence (OCE).

Chairman, Canadian Race Relations Foundation

Albert Lo is the Chairman of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, a leading advocacy organization dedicated to the elimination of racism and the promotion of harmonious relations in Canada. It was championed and founded by Japanese Canadians to address injustices they faced during and after World War II. Lo has played many leadership roles aimed to positive change.

Chief Executive Officer, Ethnic Channels Group

Slava Levin is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Ethnic Channels Group, a Canadian broadcaster and operations support corporation with over 100 television channels under its portfolio. The company provides programming of stations to Canadian and American multicultural communities via its state-of-the-art broadcasting centre in Toronto.

Governor at Centennial College; Chair of William Osler Hospital and Executive Director of MicroSkills

Kay Blair is the Chair of William Osler Hospital Board, Governor at Centennial College and Executive Director of MicroSkills, which assists the unemployed, especially women, youth and immigrants. She has served as President of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI).

Nasir Azam, President

The Rotary Club of Richmond Hill is a humanitarian organization that is making a difference in Canada and around the world. For over sixty years, the club has continued to raise funds to support projects that make lives better for the less privileged. The organisation's current President is Nasir Azim, a native of Pakistan.

Renowned Architect & Philosopher

Douglas Cardinal is a renowned architect and philosopher. He designed the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, National Museum of the American Indians in Washington, York Region Administrative Centre in Newmarket, Edmonton Space and Science Centre and First Nations University in Regina. His smooth, flowing architecture is influenced by his Aboriginal heritage.

President, National Ethnic Press & Media Council of Canada

Thomas Saras is the President of the National Ethnic Press & Media Council of Canada, whose mission is to promote and integrate economic, social and cultural interests of ethnic communities into the mainstream of Canadian society through media. Members include newspapers, radio, television as well as online media proprietors and journalists.

President and Founder, Hakim Opticalv

Sir Karim Hakimi is the Founder and President of Hakim Optical, a leading network of stores. Hakim optical operates over 160 eye wear outlets, including 140 one-hour factory outlets. Karim started off as a lens craftsman in his native country of Iran and later honed his skills in precision camera and telescopic lens development in Germany and Switzerland.

CEO of Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival

Denise Herrera Jackson is the Chief Executive Officer of Festival Management Committee, which runs the Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Festival. The largest street festival in North America, over 1 million people attend its festivities annually. It generates over $400 Million for the Canadian economy every year. She is passionate about fostering change through culture.

President and CEO of Paystation Inc.

Arun Srivastava is the CEO of Paystation Inc., a leading provider of payment solutions to financial institutions since 1955. He joined the company, formally Paymaster Cheque Writers of Canada, in 1989. He rose through the ranks to become President of the company and he eventually became its chief executive and sole owner.

Grammy & Multiple Juno Award Winner

Dan Hill is a Grammy & multiple Juno award winner, author and singer-songwriter. He is the co-producer of "Seduces Me" on Celine Dion's 30 plus million-selling "Falling Into You" album. Dan has released multiple gold and platinum albums. His international chart topping hits include the classic love song" Sometimes When We Touch" and "Can't We Try", a duet with Vonda Shepard.