Doctor, politician, volunteer among those to receive Order of Manitoba

Twelve Manitobans will soon receive the province's highest honour for their outstanding achievements.

The latest recipients of the Order of Manitoba were announced Sunday. The ceremony will be held July 18 at the Manitoba Legislative Building. 

The recipients encompass a broad range of careers, and include a philanthropist, athlete, researchers, and a former politician. Their contributions were noted in a news release sent by the office of Lt.-Gov. Janice C. Filmon: 

Vivian Bruce: Bruce is a professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Manitoba whose research was instrumental in establishing the unique nutritional properties of canola oil.

Marcel Desautels: Desautels is a prominent philanthropist and champion of post-secondary education in Canada who has given more than $100 million to various schools. He was president and general manager of Creditel of Canada Limited.

James Ehnes: Ehnes is a Grammy Award-winning concert violinist, who has performed in more than 30 countries, and appeared with many of the world's most famous orchestras and conductors.

Kathy Hildebrand: Hildebrand has been a community volunteer in Winkler for more than 35 years, working with Habitat for Humanity, the Stanley Agricultural Society, community round tables and her church. In recent years, she has helped immigrant families obtain basic necessities, while also connecting them with local programs to help them learn English.

Arvid Loewen: Loewen has cycled more than 400,000 kilometres as a means of increasing public awareness of the needs of orphaned African children. Through his cycling, he has raised more than $4 million for the Mully Children's Family Orphanage in Kenya.

Barbara Nepinak: Through her work with the Manitoba Association of Native Languages, Nepinak has contributed to the reclamation and retention of Indigenous languages. Nepinak is a prominent cultural awareness co-ordinator and a member of the Standing Indigenous Advisory Committee of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Clarence Nepinak: Nepinak is dedicated to preserving and advancing Indigenous culture, serving on many boards and councils including the Vancouver-based Healthy Aboriginal Network, and the Elders Advisory Council at the University of Winnipeg.

Steven Schipper: Schipper has led the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre for 30 years, the longest serving artistic director of the organization. Schipper was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2012 for his contributions to Canadian theatre.

Trudy Schroeder: Schroeder is the executive director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO). The Order of Manitoba Advisory Council has dubbed her an "administrator extraordinaire," who has helped the organization remain profitable.

Harvey Secter: Secter is the former dean of the University of Manitoba's faculty of law. He became dean after being an instructor, and also teaching courses in negotiation and mediation at Harvard University. From 2010 to 2019, he was the chancellor of the U of M.

Joy Smith: Smith is a former MLA and MP who is one of the country's leading anti-human trafficking activists. During her 11-year tenure in parliament, Smith helped enact minimum sentencing guidelines for the trafficking of minors and laws making the purchase of sex illegal in Canada.

Michael West: West is a physician and researcher who established a centre of neurosurgery excellence in Manitoba. He introduced gamma knife surgery in Canada, a procedure used to treat conditions such as brain tumours that is less invasive and allows patients to recover faster.