Picton resident Judy Kent was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in Ottawa October 2.

Ms. Kent was instrumental in adding events for athletes with a disability to the Commonwealth Games. She also worked closely with athletes and leaders within Canada’s Indigenous nations to establish the Aboriginal Sport Circle and its Provincial/Territorial members.

Her paper on sport as a vehicle for social change laid the framework for Canada’s involvement in international development using sport.

She has dedicated countless hours in Canada and internationally, addressing social and governance issues related to diversity, inclusion, and equity. Working in Amman, Jordan as Lead Facilitator and Curriculum Developer for the global NGO, Generations For Peace, she trained and mentored over a thousand leaders from war-torn countries in peace building and conflict transformation.

“Judy Kent champions sport as a tool for social change. The first woman to serve as both president of Commonwealth Sport Canada and Canada’s chef de mission for the Commonwealth Games, she has ardently promoted gender equality and inclusion. Her seminal paper on sport for international development laid the framework for the creation of the SportWORKS program, and she was also lead facilitator of Generations for Peace.”

Judy Kent’s citation for the Order of Canada

The award was actually made in 2024, but the backlog created by the pandemic meant that Ms. Kent had to wait nearly two and a half years to go to Ottawa and meet the Governor General.

She says the wait was worth it.

Ms. Kent, who is also a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, told the Gazette about her experience. 

“Rideau Hall and its entire staff were highlights, and, of course, the Governor General, Her Excellency Louise Arbour.

“The outstanding presentation by the Governor General was to Michael J. Fox, the only member being promoted to the Companion of the Order of Canada. He was present throughout the ceremony and stood to receive his Order of Canada—a very challenging act given his very severe Parkinson’s disease.

“I was amazed at the mutual respect and camaraderie among the recipients. All fifty-one of us were quite humbled by what the others had accomplished to be named to the Order of Canada. We were all talking and laughing about feeling like ‘impostors.’

“The emotions were very high with the accomplishments of this group in so many different sectors—health, science and research, arts and culture, government, international contributions—that demonstrated Canadian excellence and leadership.

“We all left feeling extremely proud to be Canadians.”

On behalf of the whole County, the Gazette offers warm congratulations to Judy M. Kent, C.M.