Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton hosted a small ceremony Monday night to honour 21 area residents with a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
The recipients were, in alphabetical order:
- Christoph Becker
- Robert Bourgeois
- Carolle de Ste-Croix
- Pat Estabrooks
- Dr. Janet Hammock
- John Higham
- Dorothy Kean
- George R. LeBlanc
- Roméo H. LeBlanc
- Diane Carmel Léger
- Patricia Léger
- Marilyn Lerch
- Dr. Vett Lloyd
- Quinn MacAskill
- Amanda Marlin
- David G. McKellar
- Captain Connor Poirier
- Nicole Porter
- Reginald (Reg) Tower
- Margaret Tusz-King
- Linda Varner
The 21 medals awards in the Memramcook-Tantramar riding are among a total of 3000 awarded across the province. That number includes medals awarded to members of the Order of Canada and Order of New Brunswick, as well as MPs and First Nation chiefs.
According to the province’s website, “the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal [for New Brunswick] was created to mark the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty’s Accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The medal honours The Queen and her lifelong service to Canada, as well as those residents of New Brunswick who, like Her Majesty, have been exemplary in their service to others.”
The program is administered by New Brunswick’s Office of Protocol, in partnership with MLAs, Senators, various governmental departments, Indigenous leaders, the RCMP, and the Canadian Armed Forces.
One third of the total medals were specifically intended for New Brunswickers who made outstanding contributions to the province’s COVID-19 pandemic response. The other criteria for consideration in nominations were those who:
- made a tangible contribution to New Brunswick’s reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples;
- made a contribution to New Brunswick’s diversity and inclusion goals;
- provided volunteer service at the local level;
- served (veterans) or are serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP and other emergency services;
- made a positive impact on the preservation of the environment.