Four Ottawa residents appointed to the Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is one of Canada’s highest civilian honours (Courtesy: MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall).

Four Ottawa residents and two people from Kingston, Ont. are among the 85 Canadians appointed to the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honour.

The Governor General's office announced the new appointments on Friday, including three Companions, 22 Officers and 60 Members.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the new members of the Order of Canada from Ottawa and eastern Ontario.

Charles Gordon

The former Ottawa Citizen columnist has been appointed to the Order of Canada for his "exceptional body of work as a distinguished journalist and author who has educated, enlightened and entertained Canadians for decades."

Richard Jean L’Abbé

The Ottawa entrepreneur and philanthropist co-founded Med-Eng Systems, shortly after graduating from the University of Ottawa.

Rideau Hall says L’Abbé was appointed to the Order of Canada, "For his contributions to the field of explosive ordnance disposal through his company Med-Eng, and for his support of engineering students."

Peter Showler

Lawyer Peter Showler has been appointed to the Order of Canada, "For his leadership in immigration and refugee law, and for his mentorship of the next generation of refugee lawyers."

Showler is the director of the Refugee Forum at the University of Ottawa and the former chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Norman Kiyomitsu Takeuchi

Ottawa artist Norman Takeuchi has been appointed to the Order of Canada, "For his enduring commitment to honouring, preserving and sharing the history and heritage of Japanese Canadians."

His work is represented in collections at the Canada War Museum, Canada Council Art Bank, the City of Ottawa Fine Art Collection, the Ottawa Art Gallery and other collections in Canada and abroad.

Will Kymlicka

Will Kymlicka of Kingston, Ont. has been appointed to the Order of Canada, "For his prominent contributions to political philosophy, notably his application of liberal theory to multiculturalism and minority rights."

Dr. Joseph L. Pater

Dr. Joseph Pater has been appointed to the Order of Canada, "For his outstanding contributions to the fields of cancer research and treatment, and for his leadership in cancer clinical research in Canada."

Dr. Pater is a professor emeritus at Queen's University in Kingston, and was the head of the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology. He was also the vice-president of Clinical and Translational Research at Cancer Care Ontario.