Collège Boréal will award two honorary diplomas and eight community awards of merit as part of its 15th anniversary celebration.
A press release stated the awards will be given to individuals and community organizations that are influential in the Franco-Ontarian community.
Honorary diploma recipients will be awarded at the Sudbury Campus on June 4.
Mariette Carrier-Fraser will receive an honorary diploma in health and community service for her devotion and commitment to the French language. A former teacher turned superintendent, Carrier-Fraser has been president of the Francophone Assembly of Ontario since June 2006.
Donald Obonsawin will receive an honorary diploma in technology and administrative studies for his many roles in the Francophone community. He served as a deputy minister in the Ontario government, a CEO of Jonview Canada and since January 2009, Obonsawin has been the general director of Direction Ontario.
Collège Boréal will award one community award of distinction to a member of the community from each of its campus locations.
Sudbury Campus
Rick Bartolucci and John Rodriguez will be honoured. Bartolucci is the
current Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, and the
former Minister of Northern Development and Mines. Rodriguez is the
mayor of Sudbury.
Timmins Campus
Alliance de la francophonie de
Timmins is a community development organization, contributing to the
expansion of Timmins' francophone community. It deals primarily with
education, cultural development, seniors and retirees, youth and human
services.
Hearst Campus
La Maison verte is an enterprise affiliated with the Parmi-Elles, a charitable organization that promotes the well-being of women. La Maison verte helps women make their way into the workplace, and creates jobs in the community. The company produces about nine million seedlings annually.
Kapuskasing Campus
Bernard Thibodeau has been highly involved in the Franco-Ontarian education community. Originally from the Sudbury region, Thibodeau has been in Kapuskasing since 1972, and has actively worked to establish a Collège Boréal campus there. He is on the La Fondation franco-ontarienne board of directors and chairman of the Board of Governers for Université de Hearst.
New Liskeard Campus
Jeanne and Albert D'Arc Gautheir have been committed to the advancement of agriculture in their region. Albert was the vice-chair of the Founding Committee for the International Plowing Match in 2009. They were also awarded the Pierre-Bercier Award of Excellence in Agriculture.
Nipissing Campus
Au Château is a seniors care facility, adapted to the needs of francophones from the Sturgeon Falls area. The organization aims to provide training for qualified workers with an ongoing commitment toward quality health care for francophones.
Toronto Campus
Dr. Éric Pierre is the founding president of Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire, an organization dedicated to assisting children affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Pierre is a dentist, originally from Haiti. He has worked for a number of years to regroup the Haitian, Caribbean and francophone communities.
The community awards of distinction will be presented at each campus' graduation ceremony.
