Committed to helping individuals and communities prevent
and openly address mental health and addiction issues.


2008 National Awards for Excellence Winners

2008 Awards Highlights
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Excellence in Aboriginal Programming:
Peter MacDonald, Principal, and
Drama Teacher John Bosma,
Eel Ground First Nation School Drama Club, Eel Ground, NB. 
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Nominated by Judy Bowman, Miramichi, NB

The Eel Ground First Nation School Drama Club Program uses an innovative approached to the arts to teach students life and coping skills through drama, music and other forms of media.  The program helps students connect to their culture and has inspired students to deal directly with issues common to First Nation communities, such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) and teen stress and suicide. Movie versions of the students’ plays have been shown across Canada, inspiring students from other communities follow the lead of Eel Ground School.

Excellence in Community Programming:
Mario Gagnon, General Director, Point de Repères, Ville de Québec, Québec.
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Nominated by Françoise Côté, Université Laval

Point de Repères (PdR) is a health service conducted through needle exchange and related initiatives aimed at prevention of harms, especially blood-borne and sexually-transmitted infections, among intravenous drug users in Quebec City.  It attempts to bring together mobilized users, concerned researchers and sensitized community stakeholders in a concerted endeavour to intervene effectively against the hazards associated with intravenous use.

Excellence in Leadership:
Dr. Ronald Abrahams, Family Physician and Medical Director - Private practice, Sheway, Fir Square Combined Care Unit, Vancouver Native Health - Vancouver, BC.
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Nominated by Dr. Susan Harris & Sarah Payne, RN; BC Women's Hospital

One of Canada’s pioneers in harm reduction, Dr. Ron Abrahams has been applying the harm reduction model of care to substance-using pregnant women since 1984, notably in community settings such as Sheway, a Vancouver pre- and post-natal program for women who are who have current or previous issues with substance use, and the Vancouver Native Health Clinic. He has consistently modeled a non-judgmental approach to care. In 2004, his leadership as Medical Director of the Fir Square Combined Care Unit at BC Women’s Hospital was recognized by Canadian accreditation as a Best Practice area.

Excellence in Media Reporting: 
Peter McKnight, Columnist, The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, BC.
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Nominated by William Booth, AIDS Vancouver

For years, Peter McKnight has been a voice for evidence-based discussion on issues largely misunderstood by the public, giving a voice to those who live with addiction or its effects. He has clearly demonstrated a grasp of complex substance-related issues and has been able to present them, in their complexity, to mainstream readers, combining evidence with its application (or often the lack of application to policy or public debate) on a range of relevant social determinants. He consistently writes from a range of perspectives, providing a context which enables readers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of relevant issues.

Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Programming: MPA Berman House (Motivation, Power and Achievement Society), Vancouver, BC.
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Nominated by Lynda Kennedy, MPA Society

MPA Berman House is a program featuring personalized, high-adventure therapy for men with concurrent mental health concerns. This one-year residency program is unique in that it serves men typically viewed as hard to house, those with severe mental health and substance use problems who are not accepted elsewhere. The program has an extremely high completion rate, with 100% positive response from participants. Staff have demonstrated skill in assessment, motivation techniques and client care. Their success in helping so many clients is testimony to their skills.

Excellence in Public Policy: 
Dr. Eric Single, Adjunct Prof. of Public Health Sciences and Prof. of Sociology (joint appt.), University of Toronto; Scientific Advisor Emeritus, CCSA, Toronto, ON.
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Nominated by Brian Rush & Wayne Skinner, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Toronto

Since the 1970s, Dr. Eric Single has played an increasingly central role in the conceptualization and assessment of substance use problems and their burden on society. His conceptual models have helped shaped the contemporary framework in addiction, while his broad perspective has set the context for action-oriented policies and practices such as server intervention programming and inclusive programming for people who do not or cannot reduce or stop drug use. His insistence on establishing the evidence base for innovative practices has led to their greater acceptance in Canada and beyond and has contributed to their development and expansion.

Excellence in Youth Leadership: 
Daniel McKennitt, Founder and Director, Aboriginal Health Group, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.
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Nominated by Nicole Hetu, Aboriginal Healthcare Careers Program, University of Alberta

Daniel McKennitt was born in the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation in Manitoba and grew up in Edmonton. Witnessing the devastating effects of problem alcohol and drug use in Aboriginal communities, he entered medical school, determined to help his people. While a medical student at the University of Alberta, he created the university-based Aboriginal Health Group by recruiting other Aboriginal health students from fields of Nursing, Pharmacy and Rehab. He also spearheaded project involving cultural use of tobacco among Aboriginal youth, raising awareness about traditional uses of tobacco while exposing high smoking rates among Aboriginal youth, and introducing Western smoking prevention tools.