City honours citizens for improving community's quality of life
Published Friday, July 30, 2010
Cindy Wilson, Telegraph-Journal
SAINT JOHN — The city has handed out Merit Awards to individuals and groups who have made a major impact on the quality of life for Saint John citizens.
Merit Awards winners are from left, John Irving, president of Commercial Properties Ltd. for the business award; Saint John East MLA Roly MacIntyre for the community leadership award; Wayne Long, president of the Saint John Sea Dogs for the sport, recreation and active living award; Judge Alfred Brien for the public service award; Mary Snyder of the Marigolds on Main Street for the environment award; Mayor Ivan Court; Patricia Gallagher for the arts and culture individual award; Peter Buckland, a member of the Saint John 225 committee for the arts and culture award as well as special recognition for his involvement in arts and culture; Harold Mayes, for the volunteer service award; Michael Wennberg with a special recognition for his involvement in arts and culture; and Lisa Hrabluk, a member of the Saint John 225 committee.
The Saint John 225 Committee is received the award in the arts and culture category for its organization of signature events and programs designed to celebrate Saint John's 225th anniversary celebrations this year.
“As everyone already knows, the City of Saint John has been designated a Cultural Capital of Canada this year by the federal government,” said Bernard Cormier, the city's cultural affairs officer.
“The Saint John 225 Committee, on behalf of the City of Saint John, is the organization that is responsible for planning and managing the year-long 2010 festivities,” he said.
A second award winner in the arts and culture category is Patricia (Trish) Gallagher who has been teaching music, for 18 years, primarily at Saint John High School.
She has directed the music in more than 30 musical productions and, under her direction, the Saint John High School Concert Choir has performed at Lincoln Center, where it earned silver in the New York International Choral Festival. Next month the choir will compete at the national level in Montreal.
Gallagher has been the music director and pianist at Holy Trinity Church for more than 20 years.
Commercial Properties is the recipient of the city's business award. The company recently presented the city with a clock to commemorate the 225th anniversary celebrations. It sits at the foot of King Street.
“Commercial Properties is an Irving company that has contributed a great deal to the city of Saint John,” Cormier said.
“The gift of the clock to the city of Saint John was a gift of both John Irving and his father, Jack.” Jack Irving died last week.
Retiring Saint John East MLA Roly MacIntyre was recognized with a merit award for community leadership.
He spent 25 years as a senior public servant with Human Resources Development Canada, until his retirement in 1995 and, since then, has served as a member of the Legislative Assembly and in a variety of cabinet positions.
He has been the recipient of several awards, including the Canada 125 Medal, the Queen's Jubilee Medal for Community Service, and Canada's Literacy Volunteer Award. He was named Sportsperson of the Year for the City of Saint John and is a life member of Canada Jaycees.
MacIntyre has held numerous executive positions with a diverse range of organizations and clubs, including past chairman of PRO Kids and the New Brunswick Senior Friendship Games.
The Marigolds on Main Street committee clinched the city's environment merit award for its work planting flowers for the past 13 years. Co-chairwoman Mary Snyder accepted the award.
The idea has expanded from Sussex to St. Stephen, around the province, and as far away as Kelowna, B.C., and into the U.S.
“The continuance of the marigold projects is extremely important in the ongoing education of students with respect to the wonder of nature and community responsibility,” Cormier said.
In June, hundreds of children from Centennial School, Lorne Middle School, Millidgeville North School and Princess Elizabeth School once again gathered on Main Street to beautify the street by planting more than 40,000 marigolds.
The sport, recreation and active living award went to the Saint John Sea Dogs for the programs they sponsor for the community, including their work to help deliver the DARE program at school and community centres, their Get FANatical About Math program in School Districts 6 and 8, sponsored by Canadaport LNG, and the Irving Oil Team Player program that promotes the positive values of minor hockey and the importance of being a team player, both on and off the ice.
Harold Mayes is the recipient of the volunteer service award for his more than 60 years of volunteer leadership and service, including his leadership of the Saint John Salvage Corps and Fire Police, which provides organizations with security, traffic and crowd control and safety services. The 81-year-old has donated more than 200 toy fire trucks to the Firefighters Museum and escorts cruise ship passengers safely across Water Street for eight- to 10-hour stints.
Judge Alfred Brien has been awarded the city's merit award for public service for his “pioneering and innovative” work in establishing Saint John's mental health court, which has been in operation for more than nine years. “The concept and work of the Brien-inspired Saint John mental health court has been the subject of several laudatory and positive studies,” Cormier said. “It has been acknowledged both locally and internationally as cutting-edge practise for the compassionate handling of vulnerable participants while, at the same time, maintaining the integrity of the court system. The judicially monitored program encourages voluntary treatment over punishment while holding individuals to account all in an effort to address the underlying cause of the criminal conduct.”