Order of British Columbia
Encyclopedia
The Order of British Columbia is a civilian
honour
for merit in the Canadian province
of British Columbia
. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor
David Lam
, on the advice
of the Cabinet
under Premier
Bill Vander Zalm
, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council
and is intended to honour current or former British Columbia residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour amongst all others conferred by the British Columbia Crown
.
, is intended to honour any current or former long time resident of British Columbia
who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, demonstrating the "greatest distinction and excell[ence] in any field of endeavour benefiting the people of the Province or elsewhere." Only those who are elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office. There are no limits on how many can belong to the order or be inducted at one time.
The process of finding qualified individuals begins with submissions from the public to the Order of British Columbia's advisory council, which consists of the Chief Justice of British Columbia, who serves as the Chair; the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
; a president, in turn, of one of British Columbia's public universities, for a two-year term; the President of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities; the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations; and two Members of the order. This committee then meets once yearly to make its selected recommendations to the lieutenant governor. Posthumous nominations are not accepted, though an individual who dies after his or her name was submitted to the advisory council can still be retroactively made a Member of the Order of British Columbia. The lieutenant governor, ex officio a Member and the Chancellor of the Order of British Columbia, then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by an Order in Council that bears the viceroyal sign-manual
and the Great Seal of the province; thereafter, the new Members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters
OBC.
in Victoria
, new Members are presented with the order's insignia. The main badge consists of a gold
medallion in the form of a stylized flower of the Pacific Dogwood
the official provincial flower with the obverse in white enamel
with gold edging, and bearing at its centre the escutcheon of the arms of British Columbia
, all surmounted by a St. Edward's Crown
symbolizing the Canadian monarch's role as the fount of honour
. The ribbon is patterned with vertical stripes in green, white, blue, and gold, reflecting the colours within the provincial coat of arms; men wear the medallion suspended from this ribbon at the collar, while women carry theirs on a ribbon bow at the left chest. Members will also receive for wear on casual clothing a lapel pin, appearing as a smaller enamel Dogwood flower capped by a crown.
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
honour
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
for merit in the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia
The Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia is the viceregal representative in British Columbia of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared with equally the ten other jurisdictions of Canada and resides predominantly in her oldest...
David Lam
David Lam
- External links :**...
, on the advice
Advice (constitutional)
Advice, in constitutional law, is formal, usually binding, instruction given by one constitutional officer of state to another. Especially in parliamentary systems of government, Heads of state often act on the basis of advice issued by prime ministers or other government ministers...
of the Cabinet
Executive Council of British Columbia
The Executive Council of British Columbia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
under Premier
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
Bill Vander Zalm
Bill Vander Zalm
Wilhelmus Nicholaas Theodore Marie "Bill" Vander Zalm is a politician and entrepreneur in British Columbia, Canada. He was the 28th Premier of British Columbia from 1986 to 1991.-Early life:...
, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council
Queen-in-Council
The Queen-in-Council is, in each of the Commonwealth realms, the technical term of constitutional law that refers to the exercise of executive authority, denoting the monarch acting by and with the advice and consent of his or her privy council or executive council The Queen-in-Council (during...
and is intended to honour current or former British Columbia residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour amongst all others conferred by the British Columbia Crown
Monarchy in British Columbia
By the arrangements of the Canadian federation, Canada's monarchy operates in British Columbia as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. As such, the Crown within British Columbia's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in Right of British Columbia, Her Majesty in...
.
Structure and appointment
The Order of British Columbia, which evolved out of and replaced the earlier Order of the DogwoodOrder of the Dogwood
The Order of the Dogwood was the province of British Columbia 's highest award for civilian achievement. The award began as the Dogwood Medallion as a project of the BC provincial centennial in 1957. The medallion award was renamed to Order of the Dogwood in 1966 and continued as the highest...
, is intended to honour any current or former long time resident of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement in any field, demonstrating the "greatest distinction and excell[ence] in any field of endeavour benefiting the people of the Province or elsewhere." Only those who are elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office. There are no limits on how many can belong to the order or be inducted at one time.
The process of finding qualified individuals begins with submissions from the public to the Order of British Columbia's advisory council, which consists of the Chief Justice of British Columbia, who serves as the Chair; the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the presiding officer of the British Columbia legislature.-The office of Speaker in British Columbia:...
; a president, in turn, of one of British Columbia's public universities, for a two-year term; the President of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities; the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations; and two Members of the order. This committee then meets once yearly to make its selected recommendations to the lieutenant governor. Posthumous nominations are not accepted, though an individual who dies after his or her name was submitted to the advisory council can still be retroactively made a Member of the Order of British Columbia. The lieutenant governor, ex officio a Member and the Chancellor of the Order of British Columbia, then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by an Order in Council that bears the viceroyal sign-manual
Royal sign-manual
The royal sign manual is the formal name given in the Commonwealth realms to the autograph signature of the sovereign, by the affixing of which the monarch expresses his or her pleasure either by order, commission, or warrant. A sign-manual warrant may be either an executive actfor example, an...
and the Great Seal of the province; thereafter, the new Members are entitled to use the post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
OBC.
Insignia
Upon admission into the Order of British Columbia, in a ceremony held at Government HouseGovernment House (British Columbia)
Government House of British Columbia is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, as well as that in Victoria of the Canadian monarch, and has casually been described as "the Ceremonial Home of all British Columbians." It stands in the provincial capital on a 8.9 ha ...
in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, new Members are presented with the order's insignia. The main badge consists of a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
medallion in the form of a stylized flower of the Pacific Dogwood
Pacific Dogwood
The Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii , is a species of dogwood native to western North America from lowlands of southern British Columbia to mountains of southern California. An inland population occurs in central Idaho. Cultivated examples are found as far north as Haida Gwaii...
the official provincial flower with the obverse in white enamel
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
with gold edging, and bearing at its centre the escutcheon of the arms of British Columbia
Coat of arms of British Columbia
The original coat of arms of British Columbia, also known as the Arms of Her Majesty in right of British Columbia, was granted to British Columbia by a Royal Warrant of King Edward VII on 31 March 1906...
, all surmounted by a St. Edward's Crown
St. Edward's Crown
St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels, being the official coronation crown used in the coronation of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realms monarchs...
symbolizing the Canadian monarch's role as the fount of honour
Fount of honour
The fount of honour refers to a nation's head of state, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry to other persons.- Origin :...
. The ribbon is patterned with vertical stripes in green, white, blue, and gold, reflecting the colours within the provincial coat of arms; men wear the medallion suspended from this ribbon at the collar, while women carry theirs on a ribbon bow at the left chest. Members will also receive for wear on casual clothing a lapel pin, appearing as a smaller enamel Dogwood flower capped by a crown.
Inductees
Past appointments include:- Bryan Guy AdamsBryan AdamsBryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and photographer, appointed 1990 - Unity BainbridgeUnity BainbridgeUnity Bainbridge OBC, is a Canadian artist and writer of poetry inspired by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and its landscape.-Education:...
, artist and poet, appointed 1993 - Michael Conway BakerMichael Conway BakerMichael Conway Baker is a Canadian composer and music educator of American birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1970 and has resided more or less continuously in the Vancouver area since....
, composer, appointed 1997 - Dr. Geoffrey BallardGeoffrey Ballard (businessman)Geoffrey Ballard, CM, OBC was a Canadian geophysicist and businessman. A long time advocate of replacing the internal combustion engine, in 1979 Ballard founded what would become Ballard Power Systems to develop commercial applications of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell...
, geophysicistGeophysicsGeophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
and businessman, appointed 2003 - Brigadier Henry Pybus Bell-IrvingHenry Pybus Bell-IrvingHenry Pybus "Budge" Bell-Irving, OC, DSO, OBE, OBC, ED, CD was the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1978 to 1983....
, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, appointed 1990 - Robert Italo LenarduzziBob LenarduzziRobert Italo Lenarduzzi, OBC is a former North American Soccer League star, Canadian international, and coach of the Canadian national and olympic soccer teams. He is currently President of Vancouver Whitecaps FC...
, coach of Canadian Olympic and national soccer teams, appointed 2005 - Frank Arthur CalderFrank Arthur CalderFrank Arthur Calder, was a Nisga'a politician in Canada, the first Status Indian to be elected to any legislature in Canada....
, first aboriginal CanadianAboriginal peoples in CanadaAboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
elected to any Canadian legislature, appointed 2004 - Raffi CavoukianRaffi (musician)Raffi Cavoukian, CM, OBC , better known by his stage name Raffi, is a Canadian-Armenian singer-songwriter, author, essayist and lecturer...
, children's entertainer, appointed 2001 - Lori Fung MethorstLori FungLori Fung Methorst, CM, OBC is a Canadian gymnastics coach and retired rhythmic gymnast.Fung was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, she was the first gold medal winner awarded for the sport of Rhythmic Gymnastics. She has been a coach for the Canadian National Team,...
, Olympic gymnast, appointed 1990 - Garde Basil GardomGarde GardomGarde Basil Gardom, QC, OBC is a Canadian politician, lawyer, and the 26th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.Born in Banff, Alberta, he obtained his BA and LLB degrees from the University of British Columbia. During his undergraduate years, he was an active member of the BC Alpha Chapter of...
, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, appointed 2002 - Gordon GibsonGordon GibsonGordon Gibson, OBC is a political columnist, author, and former politician in British Columbia , Canada. He is the son of the late Gordon Gibson Sr, who was a prominent businessman and Liberal Party politician in mid-1950s BC....
, politician, columnist, and author, appointed 2008 - Nancy Catherine GreeneNancy GreeneNancy Catherine Greene, OC, OBC, OD is a Canadian Senator for British Columbia and a champion alpine skier voted as Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century...
, Senator and Olympic alpine skier, appointed 2004 - Richard M. HansenRick HansenRichard M. Hansen, CC, OBC is a Canadian Paralympian and an activist for people with spinal cord injuries. Following a car crash at the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the waist down. Hansen is most famous for his Man In Motion World Tour...
, paraplegic athlete and activist, appointed 1990 - Walter HardwickWalter HardwickWalter Hardwick , 1997 Order of British Columbia recipient, was a distinguished community leader for many decades....
, teacher and deputy minister of education, appointed 1997 - Edward John HughesE. J. HughesEdward John Hughes, CM, OBC was a Canadian artist.Hughes was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, and spent a significant part of his childood in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Raised during the Depression he studied at the Vancouver School of Applied Art and Design where he graduated in 1933...
, artist, appointed 2005 - Douglas JungDouglas JungDouglas Jung, CM, OBC, CD was the first Chinese Canadian Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons.-Early life:...
, first Chinese CanadianChinese CanadianChinese Canadians are Canadians of Chinese descent. They constitute the second-largest visible minority group in Canada, after South Asian Canadians...
federal Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, appointed 1997 - Joy KogawaJoy KogawaJoy Nozomi Kogawa, CM, OBC is a Canadian poet and novelist of Japanese descent.-Life:Born Joy Nozomi Nakayama in Vancouver, British Columbia, she was sent with her family to the internment camp for Japanese Canadians at Slocan during World War II...
, author and poet, appointed 2006 - Diana Jean KrallDiana KrallDiana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
, jazz musician, appointed 2000 - Trevor LindenTrevor LindenTrevor John Linden, C.M., O.B.C. is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre and right wing with four different teams: the Vancouver Canucks , New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals...
, professional hockey player, appointed 2003 - Sarah Ann McLachlanSarah McLachlanSarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
, musician, singer, and songwriter, appointed 2001 - James Mavor MooreMavor MooreJames Mavor Moore, CC, OBC was a Canadian writer, producer, actor, public servant, critic, and educator.-Biography:...
, writer, producer, critic, and educator, appointed 1999 - Stephen John NashSteve NashStephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
, National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player, appointed 2006 - Derek Porter-NesbittDerek PorterDerek Nesbitt-Porter is a gold medal-winning Olympic rower from Canada. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and his father Hugh rowed for the United Kingdom at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in the eight-oared race.Porter won his gold medal in the...
, Olympic rower, appointed 1996 - Ernest Alvia SmithErnest SmithErnest Alvia Smith, VC, CM, OBC, CD was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
, last living Canadian recipient of the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, appointed 2002 - Kenneth McVay , internet activist, appointed 1995
- David Takayoshi SuzukiDavid SuzukiDavid Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...
, environmentalistEnvironmentalistAn environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
and science broadcaster, appointed 1995 - Peter WingPeter WingPeter Wing , CM, OBC was a Canadian politician and was the first mayor of Chinese descent in North America. He was born in Kamloops, British Columbia in 1914 and had lived most of his life there...
, first mayor of Chinese descent in North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, appointed 1990 - Arthur Vickers (artist)Arthur Vickers (artist)Arthur Vickers , OBC is a Canadian West Coast storyteller and artist. He received the Order of British Columbia in 2008 for his charitable work fundraising.-Artwork:...
, artist, storyteller and philanthropist, appointed 2008
See also
- Canadian order of precedence (decorations and medals)Canadian order of precedence (Decorations and Medals)The following is the Canadian order of precedence for decorations and medals. Where applicable, post-nominal letters are indicated.-Awards of valour:-National orders:-Provincial orders:-National decorations:-National medals:...
- Symbols of British ColumbiaSymbols of British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is one of Canada's provinces, and has established several provincial symbols.-Official symbols:-Other symbols:...
- State decorationState decorationState decorations are orders, medals and other decorations granted by a state. International decorations are similar, but are not granted by a specific nation but rather an international organization....