Queen\u2019s alumnus Stephen J. R. Smith, Sc\u201972, LLD\u201917, one of the country\u2019s leading financial services entrepreneurs and philanthropists, is among 30 appointees to the Order of Ontario, the province\u2019s highest civilian honour.<\/p>\n
Announced by Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont on Feb. 17, the Order of Ontario recognizes those \u201cwhose distinguished service and extraordinary achievements have helped build a stronger Ontario and Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jamaica Cass, PhD\u201914, a leader in Indigenous health and medical education, Major-General (Retd) Jean-Robert Bernier, DSc\u201915, who was previously Canada\u2019s Surgeon General and NATO’s chief medical adviser, J. David Wake, LLB\u201972, a former associate chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice, and Richard Rooney, a longtime member of the Queen’s community and a distinguished leader and philanthropist who has advanced health care, education, arts and community development, were also appointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 2025 Order of Ontario appointees represent the very best of our province,\u201d said Dumont. \u201cThrough 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith received the news with gratitude, noting that Queen\u2019s continues to play a role in his life and career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am deeply honoured to receive the Order of Ontario,\u201d he said. \u201cMy time at Queen\u2019s University helped shape both my approach to business and my belief that leadership carries a responsibility to serve. I remain grateful for the education, mentorship, and values that continue to guide my philanthropic work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith was recognized as a pioneer in mortgage technology who expanded access to homeownership and built businesses, including Canada Guaranty and Fairstone Bank, that have employed thousands of Canadians. \u00a0<\/p>\n
He was also cited for his historic philanthropic contributions to Queen\u2019s, \u201credefining business and engineering education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s gift of $100 million in 2023 was the largest gift made to an engineering faculty in\u202fCanada, one of the largest to any university in\u202fCanada\u202fand one of the largest ever to Queen’s, positioning engineering graduates to have a lasting impact on\u202fCanada\u202fand the world.<\/p>\n
It was Smith\u2019s second transformational gift to Queen’s. In 2015, he gave $50 million\u202fto Queen’s to advance the leadership position of the university and its business school within\u202fCanada\u202fand internationally. Since then, Smith School of Business has continued to attract top faculty and student talent.<\/p>\n
Cass is the first Indigenous woman in Canada to earn both a medical degree and a PhD. A proud member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, she is a primary care and obesity-medicine physician on-reserve at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. She also serves within the Queen\u2019s Department of Family Medicine\u202fas the director of Indigenous health and the program director for the Indigenous health enhanced skills program. \u00a0<\/p>\n
She was recognized for driving \u201csystemic change through governance, curriculum reform and national best-practice guidelines,\u201d noting that \u201cher leadership and mentorship advance Truth and Reconciliation, expand representation and transform health outcomes for Indigenous communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bernier was honoured for shaping global health security through a career leading military medicine and international governance, noting that as Canada\u2019s Surgeon General and NATO’s chief medical adviser, he \u201cstrengthened health system capability modernization and integration and oversaw life-saving initiatives in conflict zones and humanitarian crises.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wake, an associate chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice from 1999-2005, was cited as a \u201ccatalyst for judicial reform and ethical governance\u201d who \u201ctransformed transparency and accountability in Ontario and beyond.\u201d His work unifying oversight offices and strengthening ethics standards when he was integrity commissioner created a \u201clegacy of trust, collaboration, and systemic change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rooney, co-founder of Burgundy Asset Management, was lauded for various initiatives, including Canada\u2019s first theranostics program at The Princess Margaret, a \u201cgroundbreaking approach that integrates diagnostics and therapy to deliver highly personalized cancer treatment, alongside support for cultural institutions and academic diversity nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n
The announcement will be followed by an investiture ceremony in Toronto later this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queen\u2019s alumnus Stephen J. R. Smith, Sc\u201972, LLD\u201917, one of the country\u2019s leading financial services entrepreneurs and philanthropists,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-136983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}