New members have made contributions in health care, art and technology, among other fields
Twelve more British Columbians were handed the province’s highest honour on Monday (Aug. 5), for contributions they have made in areas such as music, sustainable farming and health care.
Created in 1989, the Order of B.C. recognizes individuals who have excelled in their field and benefited people in B.C. and beyond as a result.
With the 12 new additions on Monday, a total of 515 people are members of the Order.
Those appointed this year include:
John Anderson, West Vancouver
The CEO of global produce company Oppy, Anderson employs thousands of people and runs millions of hectares of farms worldwide. His focus is on sustainability, with initiatives such as making 90 per cent of their packaging recyclable or biodegradable, reducing water consumption by 30 per cent and investing in drought-resistant crops and renewable energy.
Anderson has further donated several million dollars toward causes such as food security and health care. He is also the founder of corporate jet and aircraft company Anderson Air, the services of which Anderson has offered to BC Transplant in times of need.
Brenda Crabtree (Xyolholemo:t), Vancouver
Crabtree has spent the last 40 years revitalizing Indigenous arts and heritage. She helped facilitate an agreement with Emily Carr University to better educational options for Indigenous students, has fostered cultural exchanges between Indigenous communities in B.C. with those in New Zealand and Hawaii, and has helped raise funds for numerous Indigenous arts initiatives.
She helped establish the Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artist designation, which aims to support emerging talent.
Karimah Es Sabar, West Vancouver
As CEO of multiple major pharmaceutical companies, Sabar has secured funding for the launch of numerous health-care companies. In total throughout her career, she raised over $1.5 billion for enterprising health-care ventures.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she guided national response strategies. Currently, she mentors and champions women in leadership in her roles on multiple advisory boards, including at the University of B.C. She has previously been named one of Canada’s top 100 most powerful women.
qiyəplenəxʷ Howard Grant, Vancouver
Grant has been the executive director of the First Nations Summit Society for the last 26 years and a council member of the Musqueam First Nation for the last 37 years. He also spent 10 years working for Indian and Northern Affairs. All of his experience has provided vital expertise during negotiations and in developing partnerships, such as that between the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nation, the First Nations Health Authority and the First Nations Finance Authority.
With a Chinese father and Musqueam mother, Grant has also been dedicated to promoting intercultural understanding, some of which he has touched on his films he has produced. He played a key role in the province’s 2014 formal apology to the Chinese community for past wrongdoings.
Lily Lee, West Vancouver
Lee is best known for her dedication to building supports on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This is perhaps most evidenced by her establishment of the Lily Lee Community Health Centre Hastings. Lee and her husband Robert Lee have further supported Vancouver through their financial contributions to the YMCA and UBC.
Lee began as a public health nurse and said
12 more British Columbians appointed to Order of B.C.
