• Awarded on: January 14, 2013

Yvette Ward
Welland, Ontario
Yvette Ward has dedicated much of her life to making Welland a better place to live. Credited by her peers as being "the mother of the festival industry", she was an executive member of the Welland Rose Festival for over 40 years, past chair of the Canadian Association of Festivals, and founder of the city's annual Heritage Folklore Festival. She established the Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre in 1976, and has also served as an executive member of the Ontario Folk Arts Council. Her list of achievements is seemingly endless.