FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Karen O'Shannacery, Executive Director or Lookout Society, Awarded the Order of British Columbia

VICTORIA - Fourteen British Columbians who have contributed to the province in extraordinary ways will be awarded the Order of British Columbia, Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point, Chancellor of the Order, announced today.

The Order of British Columbia recognizes the excellence and achievements of our citizens. It is the highest honour we can bestow on individuals in our province," Point said.

“I want to offer my congratulations to all of this year’s Order of British Columbia recipients,” said Premier Christy Clark. “The one shared trait amongst all of them is a passion for making British Columbia a better place.”

This year’s recipients are:

• Luigi Aquilini of Vancouver - builder, entrepreneur, philanthropist
• Peter Norman Baird of Vancouver - bridge-builder between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal British Columbians
• Gordon M. Campbell of Vancouver - visionary, leader, proud British Columbian
• Ken Dobell of Vancouver - dedicated public servant
• Crystal Dunahee of Victoria - community leader and advocate for child safety
• The Honourable David Emerson, P.C. of Vancouver - private and public sector leader
• Yuri Fulmer of West Vancouver - dynamic entrepreneur and dedicated volunteer
• Tim Jones of North Vancouver - dedicated search and rescue leader
• Dr. Phil Muir of Hazelton - long-time northern doctor and innovator
• J.C. (Jim) O'Rourke, P.Eng. of West Vancouver - builder of British Columbia’s mining communities
• Karen O'Shannacery of Vancouver - tireless advocate for homeless people
• Jim Robson of Vancouver - the voice of hockey in British Columbia
• Baljit Sethi of Prince George - advocate for immigrants and for equality
• Ellen White of Nanaimo - native educator and activist

Recipients of the Order of British Columbia have been selected by an independent advisory committee from public nominations. The 2011 Advisory Committee consists of: The Honourable Lance S. G. Finch (chair), Chief Justice of British Columbia; The Honourable Bill Barisoff, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and MLA for Penticton; Dr. Ralph Nilson, president and vice-chancellor, Vancouver Island University; Councillor Barbara Steele, president, Union of British Columbia Municipalities; Pierrette Maranda, associate deputy minister, Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat; and John Furlong, O.B.C., and Barbara Ward-Burkitt, O.B.C. (previous recipients of the Order).

The Order of B.C. investiture ceremony will be held for recipients and invited guests at Government House in Victoria on Oct. 4, 2011. Since the Order was first introduced in 1989, 301 people have received the honour.

Karen O’Shannacery, O.B.C. – Vancouver
Karen O’Shannacery has worked for more than four decades seeking solutions and providing comfort to the homeless and disenfranchised of Vancouver’s downtown eastside.

Ms. O’Shannacery’s compassion for those less fortunate has led to the establishment of quality resources and housing. She has a thorough understanding of the issues, is a tireless advocate for homeless people, a respected, well-spoken leader and a team player who works across boundaries to achieve change.

Among her many successes, Ms. O’Shannacery’s has created 17 housing projects, including three multi-use buildings, renovation of two single-room occupancy buildings and the opening of Antoinette Lodge, subsidized housing in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. She co-founded a provincial shelter network and was instrumental in the purchase and renovation of New Westminster’s former College Place night club, which now serves as a homeless shelter and transitional housing.

Ms. O’Shannacery has served on committees, boards and organizations involved with homelessness, including the Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy committee, the Urban Core Workers Community Association and municipal task forces on homelessness in Burnaby, New Westminster and North Vancouver, and she is the original long-standing member of the Metro Vancouver’s Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness.