Prominent Canadian hockey figure Don Cherry is among 30 new appointments to the Order of Ontario for 2025. Photo: The Don Cherry’s Grapevine Podcast
Prominent Canadian hockey figure Don Cherry is among 30 new appointments to the Order of Ontario for 2025.
Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of the Order of Ontario, announced the 30 new appointments on Tuesday.
Cherry, 92, is known for his influential coaching career, bold broadcasting style and decades of dedication to the sport, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor said. After coaching the Boston Bruins, he became a defining voice on Hockey Night in Canada through Coach’s Corner.
Cherry is also recognized for extensive philanthropy, supporting the military and police, youth sports and animal welfare through Don Cherry’s Pet Rescue Foundation.
In the late 1990s, he helped bring junior hockey to Mississauga as part-owner of the IceDogs franchise, a team he coached during the final year of his association with the club in 2001-02.
He founded Rose Cherry’s Home for Kids and is a strong advocate for organ donation. In 2004, he was ranked the seventh-greatest Canadian in CBC’s The Greatest Canadian.
Cherry was fired by Sportsnet in 2019 following on-air comments that seemed to blame newcomers to Canada for not respecting the country’s past by not wearing poppies on Remembrance Day. He continued his broadcast career through his podcast, Grapevine, which he hosted with his son Tim. Don Cherry’s Grapevine last podcast was in June 2025.
Fellow Mississauga resident Ahmad Attia was also appointed to the Order of Ontario.
Ahmad Attia is a leader in global public affairs and communications whose work has advanced inclusive public policy, human rights and civic confidence in Canada and internationally.
Ahmad Attia, a Mississauaga resident, is a leader in global public affairs and communications whose work has advanced inclusive public policy, human rights and civic confidence in Canada and internationally.
As chief executive officer of Gestalt Communications, he advises governments and non-governmental organizations, including humanitarian and civil society partners, on governance, accountability, humanitarian diplomacy and countering disinformation.
In Ontario, he has strengthened community confidence through board service with Trillium Health Partners, Human Rights Watch Canada and the Peel Police Services Board.
A Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award recipient, he is recognized for policy leadership and public engagement that reinforce democratic institutions.
“I dedicate this great honour to my late father, Dr. El-Tantawy Attia, who devoted his life to strengthening communities and public institutions across this province,” Attia said in a statement. “This recognition reinforces my responsibility to continue advancing community well-being, human rights, and strengthening institutions that serve the public good, whether through my work at Gestalt Communications or through the public service.”
Attia said he marking the moment in a meaningful way in keeping with his faith tradition of responding to blessings with charity. He will support his mother’s fundraiser to rebuild the Muneeba Centre (Deen Support Services), a permanent, accessible home for young Muslims with disabilities in Mississauga.
The Order of Ontario recognizes those whose distinguished service and extraordinary achievements have helped build a stronger Ontario and Canada. Members of the Order come from all walks of life and represent many fields, including public service, skilled trades, business, technology, mining, sports, the arts, health care, science and many more.
“The 2025 Order of Ontario appointees represent the very best of our province,” said Dumont. “Through their exceptional dedication and achievements, they have made profound contributions that have touched lives across Ontario and beyond. May their remarkable examples continue to inspire us all to work together for the greater good.”
Other Greater Toronto Area residents appointed to the Order of Ontario include Cameron Bailey, chief executive officer of the Toronto International Film Festival, diplomat and business leader David MacNaughton, and Tracy Moore, a celebrated Canadian broadcaster and advocate who co-created Citytv’s award-winning special Ending Racism: What Will it Take?
The 2025 Order of Ontario appointees will be invested at a ceremony in Toronto in 2026.
The 2025 appointees to the Order of Ontario are:
Ahmad Attia
Cameron Bailey
Arron Barberian
Major-General (Retd) Jean-Robert Bernier, OMM, CD
John B.W. Carmichael
Jamaica Cass
Don Cherry
Donette Chin-Loy Chang
Robert James Cusimano
Philip J. Devereaux
Morris Freedman
Jacques Frémont
Kathleen Gartke
Amanda Grzyb
Zabeen Hirji, MSM
Shirley Horn
Bernard Lawless
Nathan Leipciger, CM
David MacNaughton
Joe Mancinelli
Claudette McGowan, CM
Tracy Moore
Edward Rogers
Richard Rooney
John L. Semple
Nancy Mei Chun Siew
Stephen J. R. Smith
The Honourable George Strathy
J. David Wake, KC
Mary Wells
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