Two Central Alberta leaders will receive the province’s highest honour in October.
On Friday, former Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewwelling and Willie Littlechild from Maskwacis were named to the Alberta Order of Excellence.
They were named along with six others to this year’s class — Sharon Carry, Colin Glassco, Julia Hamilton and Fred Mannix of Calgary, and Tony Cashman and Reinhard Muhlenfeld of Edmonton — bringing the total number of members to 140.
This year’s class will be honoured at a ceremony, presided over by Lt.-Gov. Donald S. Ethell at Government House in Edmonton on Oct. 15.
“One of the things that the world is lacking today is leadership, and these people have all been leaders in their field,” said Angus Watt, chairperson of the Alberta Order of Excellence Council. “What we’re hoping to do is increase the visibility of strong leadership so others can learn from it.”
Flewwelling served on Red Deer’s city council from 1974 to 2013, including the last three terms as mayor. He has also been a tireless volunteer supporting many causes over the years, and has helped the city become more culturally diverse.
He has already been honoured numerous times, including being named Red Deer’s Citizen of the year in 1982, receiving a Queen’s Jubilee Medal for distinguished volunteer leadership and community service, and the Order of Canada in 1997.
Littlechild has a long history of excellence in the province. In 1976, he became the first Treaty First Nations person to get his law degree from the University of Alberta, and operates his law firm on the Ermineskin Reserve. He served as a member of Parliament for Wetaskiwin-Rimbey from 1988-1993. He is an advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Littlechild is an honourary Chief for the Maskwacis Crees and honoured by the Chiefs of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations as the International Chief for Treaty No. 6 Confederacy. Recently, he was a commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
l It was also announced on Friday that Vanessa Omeasoo, of Maskwacis of the Samson Cree Nation, is a recipient of a 2014 Community Justice Award in the Partnerships and Collaboration category, in a ceremony co-hosted by the Lethbridge Regional Police Service. The awards recognize the achievements of volunteers involved in community safety, crime prevention and the criminal justice system.
jaldrich@www.reddeeradvocate.com