Champion ice-dancers Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue and violinist Lara St. John are among 114 athletes, artists, scholars and community leaders named to the Order of Canada on Friday.
Moir and Virtue, from Ilderton and London respectively, catapulted to national stardom with their gold-medal performances at the Winter Olympics in 2018.
They’re being honoured for their athletic excellence and for inspiring a new generation of figure skaters.
The pair account for two-thirds of the honourees from the London, Ont., region.
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette’s office announced the new honourees Friday morning, which also includes Lara St. John of London, Ont.
St. John is being honoured “for pushing the boundaries of classical interpretation as a solo violinist and for supporting diversity in the arts.”
Others in the group include Indigenous writer Thomas King of Guelph, Ont., winemaker John Peller of Grimsby, Ont., dancer and choreographer Elizabeth Langley of Montreal, Que., geriatrician Roger Wong of Vancouver, B.C., Cree elder Doreen Spence of Calgary, and ex-politicians Bill Graham and Allan Rock, of Toronto and Ottawa respectively.
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The Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest civilian honours. The complete list of 2020 honourees can be found on the Governor General’s website.
— with files from the Canadian Press.
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