Three prominent Saskatonians have been named to the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.
Former Saskatoon mayor Don Atchison, filmmaker and journalist Doug Cuthand, and Dr. Andew Potter were named recipients of the province’s highest honour on April 25.
“The 2019 recipients of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit are visionaries who have made extraordinary contributions to our province,” Lt.-Gov. W. Thomas Molloy said in a press release.
“I congratulate each of them on this well-deserved honour and I thank them for their outstanding leadership.”
Atchison served for roughly nine years on Saskatoon city council before being elected mayor in 2003.
He had his hand in various major projects, like Circle Drive’s expansion; however, other ventures he supported, like the Remai Modern art gallery, officially opened without Atchison cutting the ribbon.
Atchison became a senior consultant for Canwest Commercial & Land Corporation, a builder and land developer operating in Saskatchewan, after losing the 2016 civic election as Saskatoon’s longest-serving mayor.
Cuthand, who is a member of the Little Pine First Nation, runs the Saskatoon-based production company Blue Hills Productions, and his many director/producer credits include the mini-series Big Bear, the stop-motion animation series Guardians Evolution.
He also writes for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post. He received the 2003 best column award from the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA).
Potter is the former director and CEO of VIDO-Intervac, a research organization of the University of Saskatchewan.
He was involved in avian flu, E. coli, swine flu, bovine tuberculosis, and Zika virus research, and was a pioneer of groundbreaking research over the course of his 34-year career.
In 2018, Potter received the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) achievement award.
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This year’s induction class also includes Lyn Goldman, Grit McCreath, and Dr. William Francis Ready.
Since 1985, the Saskatchewan Order of Merit has recognized outstanding people who have made significant contributions in areas such as agriculture, business, community leadership, research and volunteer service.
This year’s recipients will receive the province’s highest honour in June.
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