The owner of the London Lightning, a Museum London mainstay, and a coalition of youth and adult mentors who combat Islamophobia have made the mayor's annual New Year's Honour List.
Mayor Josh Morgan released the list on Monday. It recognizes 14 Londoners who have made significant contributions to the city in a variety of different categories, including heritage, sports, accessibility, and humanitarianism.
Among the honourees is Vito Frijia. He is the owner of the London Lightning, the city's professional basketball team. As owner, Frijia has brought six national championships to London in 11 years. He was elected president of the National Basketball League of Canada in 2015. He was recognized under the sports categories.
Evelyn Chertkow and the Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia are being honoured as "distinguished Londoners". Chertkow has spent more than 50 years volunteering as a tour guide with Museum London, while the Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia has been dedicated to raising awareness, advocating for change, and combating Islamophobia through workshops, events, and educational resources.
The full list of 2024 honourees are as follows:
Jennifer Williams – Accessibility
Don Pollock – Age Friendly
Audrey Cooper – Arts
Bill Brady – Distinguished Londoner
Brian Harris – Distinguished Londoner
Evelyn Chertkow – Distinguished Londoner
Sheilah Hogarth – Distinguished Londoner
Youth Coalition Combating Islamophobia (YCCI) – Distinguished Londoner
Rumina Morris – Diversity and Race Relations
Diane Szoller - Environment
Jason Hick – Heritage
Jenna Rose Sands – Humanitarianism
Jamie Walls – Safety and Crime Prevention
Vito Frijia – Sports
“The New Year's Honour List is an exciting opportunity to recognize the inspiring achievements made by members of the London community," said Morgan. “Each honouree has made a significant contribution to the mosaic of our city.”
The Mayor’s New Year's Honour List was created in 1976. It originally only recognized those who had made contributions to the arts. Additional categories including diversity & race relations, environment, heritage, housing, humanitarianism, persons with disabilities, age friendly, and sports have been added since 1989. In 2019, the distinguished Londoner category was added.
Recipients of the annual list are selected by city council on the recommendation of advisory committees or community organizations, through the city’s standing committees.
