Three black Canadians appointed to the Order of Ontario

TORONTO:

The new year started on a significant note for two Jamaican-Canadians and a trailblazing community stalwart in the black community.

On Wednesday, Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of the Order of Ontario, announced that Trelawny-born prominent journalist, Royson James; UK-born, Spanish Town-raised retired Captain Kevin Junor; and Zanana Akande, the first African-Canadian to serve as provincial cabinet minister and a social justice advocate, were among 29 new appointments to the Order of Ontario for 2024.

This is the province’s highest civilian honour recognising the extraordinary contributions of Ontarians.The appointees will be invested by the lieutenant governor at a ceremony in Toronto later in the year.

James immigrated to Canada in 1969 and started his journalism career as a reporter/writer for Contrast newspaper in 1979. The citation notes that his passion and writing have made him a powerful agent of change in areas such as policing, city governance, traffic and transportation, and racial equality.

He spent 35 years with the Toronto Star, beginning as a reporter, and later became the Toronto Star’s City Hall Bureau Chief and an editorial board member before becoming the Municipal Affairs columnist in 1998. James has been a strong advocate on issues like gun violence, uplifting marginalised communities, and combating anti-black racism.

“I consider it affirmation of the community that I belong to – my church community, my civic community, the city of Toronto, and my African-Canadian community which includes all the wonderful Jamaicans that have relocated here and continue to make the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario and Canada a much better place,” said James who grew up in Orange, St James, and attended Cornwall College.

James said everything he does is with the intent that it will reflect well on those communities “and so whatever I am, they are.” He is happy that they can share in the honour which he describes as theirs.

INCREDIBLE RECOGNITION

Captain Junor’s military career spans almost four decades with the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves, notably as regimental sergeant major with the Toronto Scottish Regiment – the first black individual appointed to this position in the regiment; later an officer in Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada.

The citation notes that beyond military service, Junor made significant contributions to community safety in Ontario. He also serves as citizen security sector-lead on the Global Jamaican Diaspora Council.

“I am just taking a breath as it soaks in. This is an incredible recognition for a small boy that grew up in Spanish Town. I thank God for this blessing; it is a direct result of a praying grandmother and mother,” he said.

Junor, who was born in Birmingham, England, on April 8, 1963, grew up in Tawes Pen, Spanish Town, where he attended Barracks School – now Spanish Town High School – and Crescent All Age before migrating to Canada at the age of 10 to join his mother.

His role on the Global Jamaican Diaspora Council allows him to give back to Jamaica, he said. “I have developed competencies over my career that enable me to provide advice and guidance to security-focused professionals in Jamaica. I am also able to bring security experts from across the diaspora to share their expertise as required. It is important to bring our knowledge to the table. It is equally as important to provide guidance that is aligned with the Jamaican culture. If not aligned with the culture, then the practices implemented will not be sustainable.”

HISTORIC, CRITICAL LEGISLATION

Junor has been an advocate for diversity and inclusion globally. His leadership contributed to the Government of Canada’s historic apology to the descendants of No. 2 Construction Battalion, the only all-black battalion in Canadian military history.

He retired from the military in 2023 and is also a retired deputy superintendent from the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General.

Akande was born in Toronto in 1937 to parents from St Lucia and Barbados who were teachers in the Caribbean but denied teaching jobs in Canada. She earned bachelor of arts and master of education degrees and became a teacher in the Toronto District School Board where she served as a vice-principal and principal.

In 1990, she ran as a candidate for the New Democratic Party in the Ontario election and won thus becoming the first black woman elected to the provincial legislature. Premier Bob Rae appointed her as the Minister of Community and Social Services, a position she served until 1994.

“While in government, she led the passing of historic and critical legislation for the highest increases in social assistance rates and for employment equity, which improved and opened employment for women, people of colour, and the differently able. Outside politics, she had a distinguished career in education developing programmes for special needs, including the gifted. She also contributed to the development of a more accurate and inclusive curriculum for history classes,” notes the citation.

Akande has served on numerous boards and was a founding board member of Milestone Radio, the owner of Canada’s first urban music radio station.

Since its creation in 1986, over 903 individuals have been recognized with the Order of Ontario.