Canada briefs: Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario

Man of the year

A Scarborough priest has been named the city’s citizen of the year in recognition of his long-time work in community development.

Canon Jack Roberts, incumbent of St. Margaret’s, West Hill, for the last 19 years, founded the Interfaith Council of Scarborough. He was also involved in trying to ensure social services were maintained at previous levels when the megacity came into being.

Canon Roberts helped welcome about 300 Czech Gypsies seeking asylum in Canada. He was part of a group providing clothes and housing for the Gypsies and his church provided courses in speaking English and office space for a translator.

Toronto Anglican

Aid to Bosnian kids

A senior Sunday school class in the Diocese of Huron has collected children’s socks and hiking boots to send to the children of Bosnia. The eight children and their teacher contacted their local newspaper and CBC Radio in their drive to collect supplies for needy Bosnians. They also made presentations in their own Church of the Epiphany in Kingsville and two other churches in a drive to collect as much as they could.

Huron Church News

Kindly memorial

People in the St. Catharines area were encouraged to perform random acts of kindness during Ribbon of Kindness Week in May, timed to coincide with what would have been Kristen French’s 22nd birthday.

Ms. French was brutally murdered six years ago by Paul Bernardo.

The week sprang from an idea by Rev. Lynne Corfield of the Church of the Redeemer in Stoney Creek. Ms. Corfield is also a friend of Mrs. French.

The campaign opened with an ecumenical service. Volunteers raised $12,000 to create public awareness through buttons, posters, a web site and advertisements.

Niagara Anglican

First-class volunteer

The wife of the bishop of Moosonee, who also edits the diocesan quarterly, The Northland, has received an Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism in Ontario. Maureen Lawrence was honoured for her work as provincial commissioner of Girl Guides of Canada, Ontario Council.

Mrs. Lawrence “faced the monumental challenge of retaining 20,000 adult volunteers – the majority with their own full-time careers outside the home – to work with 90,000 girls,” states the award.

“Because of her keen leadership and skills, she surmounted that challenge in turning Guiding into a user-driven, streamlined and responsive movement – and without sacrificing valued traditions … she has been instrumental in developing programs to help Guiders deal with social and community issues like abuse prevention, ethnic diversity, HIV awareness and women’s wellness.”