The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C. Lynch-Staunton granted royal assent to the Alberta Order of Excellence Act, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour current or former Alberta residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour amongst all others conferred by the Canadian Crown in right of Alberta.
Rebecca "Beckie" Scott is a Canadian retired cross-country skier. She is an Olympic gold and silver medallist, and the first Canadian to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing. She is the founder of a national organization dedicated to improving health, wellness and education outcomes for Indigenous youth through sport and play. Scott was Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athlete Committee, and gained notoriety for her position during the Russian (2014–2019) doping scandal. She served as an International Olympic Committee member by virtue of being elected to the IOC Athlete's Commission along with Saku Koivu between 2006 and 2014. She is married to the American former cross-country skier Justin Wadsworth. They have two children, Teo and Brynn.
Eric Patrick Newell, OC, AOE, was the 17th chancellor of the University of Alberta, having previously served as chair of its board of governors. He is a former chairman and CEO of the oil company Syncrude.
Thomas Benjamin Banks was a Canadian pianist, conductor, composer, television personality, and Senator.
Lacombe is a city in central Alberta, Canada. It is located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Red Deer, the nearest major city, and 125 kilometres (78 mi) south of Edmonton, the nearest metropolitan area. The city is set in the rolling parkland of central Alberta, between the Rocky Mountains foothills to the west and the flatter Alberta prairie to the east.
Burman University is an independent publicly funded university located in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. It is sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system. By date of founding, it is the oldest university in Alberta. The school's official mission statement is to educate learners to think with discernment, to believe with insight and commitment and to act with confidence, compassion, and competence. The university places emphasis on service in local and global communities.
Lieutenant-General Donald Currie Laubman, was a Second World War Canadian fighter pilot and flying ace. He remained in the Canadian armed services after the war rising to the rank of Lieutenant-General.
J. Wilton Littlechild, known as Willie Littlechild, is a Canadian lawyer and Cree chief who was Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and a member of Parliament. A residential school survivor, he is known for his work nationally and internationally on Indigenous rights. He was born in Hobbema, now named Maskwacis, Alberta.
The Meritorious Service Medal is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, through the Governor-in-Council. Created in 1991, the medal is intended to recognize individuals—both Canadian and foreign—who have carried out meritorious acts bringing benefit and honour in either of two categories: military and civilian. Award of the medal grants recipients the ability to use the post-nominal letters MSM.
James Deverell Horsman, is a politician from Alberta, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1975 to 1993 and held numerous cabinet portfolios in the government of Alberta.
Donald Stewart Ethell is a retired Canadian Army colonel and was the 17th lieutenant governor of Alberta from 2010 to 2015.
A Better World (ABW) is an organization that is based in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. It is a charitable organization, formed in 1990. Eric Rajah is one of the co-founders of ABW. More than 1800 people had volunteered on ABW projects by 2010.
Terry Jones, nicknamed Large or Jonesy, is a Canadian journalist and author based in Edmonton, Alberta. He is currently a sports columnist with the Edmonton Sun.
Stanley Albert Milner was a Canadian businessman and politician from Alberta.
Lois Elizabeth Mitchell is a Canadian businesswoman and philanthropist who was the 18th lieutenant governor of Alberta from 2015 to 2020. Her appointment as the lieutenant governor was made by Governor General of Canada David Lloyd Johnston on the Constitutional advice of Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, effective June 12, 2015. A former teacher and founder of a consulting firm, Mitchell is also a longtime organizer of events and active volunteer in the Calgary community, along with her late husband, Doug Mitchell.
The following are the appointments to various Canadian Honours of 2016. Usually, they are announced as part of the New Year and Canada Day celebrations and are published within the Canada Gazette during year. This follows the custom set out within the United Kingdom which publishes its appoints of various British Honours for New Year's and for monarch's official birthday. However, instead of the midyear appointments announced on Victoria Day, the official birthday of the Canadian Monarch, this custom has been transferred with the celebration of Canadian Confederation and the creation of the Order of Canada.
Salmabegum Lakhani is the 19th lieutenant governor of Alberta. Her appointment as lieutenant governor became effective upon the swearing of the oath of allegiance and oath of office on August 26, 2020.
Rear-Admiral Rebecca Patterson, OMM MSM CD CHE is a Canadian senator from Ontario. She was appointed to the Senate of Canada on November 21, 2022, on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On January 12, 2023, Patterson joined the Canadian Senators Group.
