North Bay woman invested into Order of Canada
Nipissing Serenity Hospice hosted a ceremony on Friday to honour a local woman who helped create the facility.
Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont invests North Bay's Mathilde Bazinet into the Order of Canada on May 3, 2024. (X/Edith Dumont/Photo taken by Olivia Parker)
Mathilde Gravelle Bazinet was officially invested as a Member into the Order of Canada – one of the country’s highest honours.
The order recognizes people across all sectors of society who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to Canada.
The Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, invested Bazinet on behalf of the Governor General of Canada Mary Simon.
Gravelle-Bazinet called the honour a privilege.
“It really is a very moving day for me,” she said.
“It is so significant that we were able to receive this here at Nipissing Serenity Hospice because this has been the most important volunteer project I ever undertook.”
Mathilde Gravelle Bazinet was officially invested as a Member into the Order of Canada on May 3, 2024 by the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. (X/Edith Dumont/Photo taken by Olivia Parker)
Bazinet continues to contribute to hospice events and serves as director emeritus on the hospice’s board of directors, providing guidance to ensure the hospice continues its tradition compassionate care for palliative residents and their families.
Dumont said it was an honour to invest Bazinet into the Order of Canada.
“She thinks that we shouldn't be alone at the end of our life,” she said.
“It was a very touching moment for all of us.”
Dumont said the community is fortunate to have people like her being engaged for the elders and making sure that nobody is left behind.
The ceremony was emceed by Senator Lucie Moncion, who saluted Bazinet decades of service and contributions to health care, justice and education.
Lieutenant Governor Edith Dumont invests North Bay's Mathilde Bazinet into the Order of Canada at Nipissing Serenity Hospice at a ceremony emceed by Senator Lucie Moncion on May 3, 2024. (X/Edith Dumont/Photo taken by Olivia Parker)
In June 2023, Bazinet was one of 60 Members appointed to the Order of Canada by Simon.
Since its creation in 1967, the Order of Canada has honoured more than 7,800 people who through service have shaped Canadian society and through their compassion have united communities.
Bazinet has received other honours during her long career, including the Senate Sesquicentennial Medal in 2017 and the June Callwood Circle of Outstanding Volunteers award in 2022.
The Nipissing Serenity Hospice also named their Distinguished Volunteer of the Year Award after her in 2021 in recognition of her ongoing support.
With files from CTVNorthernOntario.ca journalist Eric Taschner
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Flammable kids' sleepwear, salmonella-contaminated chips: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for various items this week, including kids' bassinets, chips, and stoves. Here's what to watch out for.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
U.S. ambassador 'not aware' of any plans for Trudeau-Trump meeting
Canada's Ambassador to the United States says she's 'not aware' of any plans for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet with former U.S. president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump before the November American election.
Sentencing trial set to begin for Florida man who executed 5 women at a bank in 2019
Zephen Xaver walked into a central Florida bank in 2019, fatally shot five women and then called police to tell them what he did. Now 12 jurors will decide whether the 27-year-old former prison guard trainee is sentenced to death or life without parole.
'How do you get hypothermia in a prison?' Records show hospitalizations among Virginia inmates
The Virginia State Police investigator seemed puzzled about what the inmate was describing: "unbearable" conditions at a prison so cold that toilet water would freeze over and inmates were repeatedly treated for hypothermia.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.