Wanted: Outstanding East Yorker

The East York community wants to recognize the true heroes among us.

Nominations are open for this year’s Agnes Macphail Award.

The annual award is presented to an East York resident who has made outstanding volunteer contributions in women’s rights, fairness to seniors, criminal justice system and penal reform, international peace and disarmament, or access to adequate housing, health care and education.

The award was established in 1994, in recognition of the trail Macphail blazed as the first woman to sit in the Canadian House of Commons, elected in 1921, and the Ontario Legislature, elected in 1943. While she represented the Grey-Bruce region on Parliament Hill, she was East York’s rep at Queen’s Park until 1951.

The ideal award candidate demonstrates Agnes’ motto, “Think globally, act locally”.

The 2009 award recipient was Patricia Moore a Thorncliffe Park resident who has made outstanding contributions to equality rights and social justice.

The award ceremony will be held on March 24 — Macphail’s birthday — at 7 p.m., at the East York Civic Centre, at 850 Coxwell Avenue.

Nominations are open until Feb. 4.

For more details on the award and on Macphail herself, visit [url]www.toronto.ca/macphail_award/index.htm.[/url]