76-year-old patients’ rights activist receives D’Arcy-McGee National Assembly Citizenship Medal

76-year-old patients’ rights activist Beverly Spanier was awarded the D’Arcy McGee National Assembly Citizenship Medal at a virtual ceremony on Tuesday.

The former teacher, union activist and volunteer has been fighting for the safety and wellbeing of her fellow residents at Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Cote-Saint Luc.

“I’m being given the award in some cases by individuals that I’ve given a hard time to,” says Spanier.

“It’s amazing to me that they then would turn around and give me an award for the very things that I’ve been doing that might have upset them.”

Spanier calls herself just a “regular person” — but anyone who has come into contact with her would agree she’s anything but.

“Beverly’s passionate persistence is aimed at taking care of people,” says  D’Arcy-McGee MNA David Birnbaum, who nominated Spanier.

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“That’s what she does and if there’s some prisoners to be taken along the way, so be it,” he adds.

Spanier’s good friend Janet Arts says she has a heart of gold.

“She’s a champion of the underdog and she’s a disrupter. No one can leave and not be unmoved or complacent with her.”

Paralyzed from the waist down since 2013, the 76-year-old has had her fair share of illnesses and hospitalizations, including a battle with COVID-19 and two recent stints in the ICU.

But despite all that, she has spent much of her time fighting for the rights of her fellow residents at the Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Cote-Saint-Luc.

Spanier has also found the time to write two books; an autobiography and one on the conditions at Maimonides, focusing on the difficult COVID-19 outbreak last year.

“I learned that our labour shortage became even more evident, I learned that we attempted to set up many hospitals in a situation where we are not set up for hospitals and I learned that we need more medical care in the institution, more doctors present,” says Spanier.

Spanier was a teacher for 28 years. She spent 16 of them at Wager High School, where she taught her students English literature, economics, history and political science.

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Cote-Saint-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein tells Global News he was one of her students.

“She was a favourite teacher who always took good care of us. Especially to those needing a little extra encouragement,” he said.

Birnbaum admits he has had his fair share of run-ins with Spanier but says he couldn’t think of someone better to nominate.

“I’ve seen that what makes things work is engaged, determined, honourable citizens who care about making the world around them better, and that’s Beverly.”