You may download an information sheet on the receipients here or see the information below.

Recipients

Dr. Frank Frantisak, Awarded on June 25, 2008

Dr. Frantisak has played a catalytic role moving matters of the environment from the fringes of corporate awareness and decision-making to the heart of company boardrooms.

In 1990, as the Head of Environment for Noranda, one of Canada’s dominant natural resource firms active in forestry and mining, Dr. Frantisak published Noranda’s—and Canada’s—first Annual Corporate Environmental Report, and he affected the formation of the Environmental Committee of the Board of Directors (at a time when such Boards did not exist).

Today, almost two decades later, such committees and reporting are commonplace with the majority of large global companies doing both.

Aside from his pioneering endeavours at Noranda, Dr. Frantisak has long been an ardent advocate on the national and international stage for transforming the relationship between the business sector and the environment to an intercourse that is of a more symbiotic nature.

In Canada, Dr. Frantisak co-founded the Conference Board of Canada’s Environmental Program, as well as having lead efforts that resulted in the establishment of Canada’s ARET Program, and Canada’s Climate Change and Voluntary Challenge & Registry.

Internationally, Dr. Frantisak headed the Canadian Delegation to ISO Technical Committee on the Environment, which lead to establishment of the ISO 14001 standard; chaired the Environmental Committee of the Canadian Council for International Business; chaired the Canada/US Relations Subcommittee on Environment; and led the Environmental Business/Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD.

To download an article on Dr. Frantisak, click here.

Dr. Maurice Strong, Awarded on June 4, 2003

Maurice Strong, the world’s leading environmentalist, has played a unique and critical role in globalizing the environmental movement and bringing businesses on board.

As President of Power Corporation and director on several corporate boards, Strong made his view clear that Canada’s foreign policy should concentrate on being a friend of the developing world. This brought him to the attention of the Minister of External Affairs, Paul Martin Senior, and Prime Minister Lester Pearson. Strong became a Deputy Minister of External Aid in Pearson’s cabinet and led the creation of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Strong's work with CIDA gave him new insights into the complexities of development. He was troubled by the environmental and social disruption caused by major infrastructure projects, which CIDA supported, and he became involved with environmental politics.

Strong became Secretary General of both the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which launched the world environment movement. In 1976, at the request of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Strong returned to Canada to head the newly-created Petro-Canada. He then became Chairman of the Canada Development Investment Corporation and later became Chairman of AZL Resources Incorporated.

Strong’s role in leading the UN’s famine relief program in Africa was the first in a series of UN advisory assignments, including reform and his appointment as Secretary General of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, or the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. This was a landmark event attended by more heads of government than had ever met together before, as well as more media and non-governmental representatives.

After the Earth Summit, Strong continued to take a leading role in implementing the results of Rio through establishment of the Earth Council, the Earth Charter movement, his Chairmanship of the World Resources Institute, Membership on the Board of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the Stockholm Environment Institute, the African-American Institute, the Institute of Ecology in Indonesia, the Beijer Institute of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and others. Strong was a longtime Foundation Director of the World Economic Forum, a Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank, a Member of the International Advisory of Toyota Motor Corporation, the Advisory Council for the Center for International Development of Harvard University, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World Wildlife Fund, Resources for the Future, and the Eisenhower Fellowships.

From December 1992 through 1995, Strong served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Hydro, then North America’s largest electric power utility. During this period, the company made the transition from the largest loss in its history and rising rates to its largest ever profit, which allowed lower rates to be established and major programs for efficiency and sustainability to be undertaken.

In 1999, at the request of then UN Secretary-General, Perez de Cuelar, Strong took on the task of trying to restore the viability of the University for Peace, headquartered in Costa Rica. As Chairman of its governing body, the Council, and initially as Rector, Strong led the process of revitalizing the University for Peace and helped to rebuild its programs and leadership. He retired from the Council in the spring of 2007.

Strong now spends most of his time in China and is active as an advisor in the environment, energy, and technology sectors. His principal activities are centered at Peking University, where he is an active Honorary Professor, as well as Honorary Chairman of its Environmental Foundation and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Research on Security and Sustainability for Northeast Asia.

To download an article on Dr. Strong, click here.