People across Ontario are making important contributions to advance human rights and equity, many of which go unacknowledged. Each of our collective successes have started with a single step, by someone who had an idea for how to make Ontario a better place to live. And each collective success in the future will also rely on individual vision, advocacy and imagination.
The Daniel G. Hill Awards will help to showcase how the work of people across Ontario is forever altering the human rights landscape in a positive way. The awards are named after Daniel G. Hill, who was the first director and first Black chair of the OHRC. Dr. Hill was one of the earliest human rights visionaries, who set a solid legacy that we have all worked to follow and that still resonates today.
The awards were given in three categories:
- Young Leaders, awarded to a person under age 30 for their outstanding contribution to advancing human rights in Ontario
- Distinguished Service, awarded for outstanding contribution to advancing human rights
- Lifetime Achievement, awarded to an individual for significant contributions over their lifetime to advance human rights.
The OHRC received dozens of nominations, and choosing recipients was a very challenging process since there were so many deserving candidates. A special committee, which included members from the OHRC’s Community Advisory Group, reviewed and short-listed the nominations, and the final decision was made by the OHRC Commissioners.