News release

For immediate release

The winners of the 2022 Arts, Culture and Heritage Awards in front of the Saanich Municipal Hall.

Saanich, BC – The Arts, Culture and Heritage (ACH) Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions made by individuals, groups, organizations and businesses to arts, culture, and heritage that impact our municipality. The 2022 ACH Awards were announced at the August 8 Council meeting. 

The awards, held once per Council term, are an initiative of the Saanich ACH Advisory Committee and were presented by Mayor Fred Haynes. The ACH Advisory Committee is a dedicated group of appointed volunteers whose duties include reviewing the nominations received from community members and carefully selecting the winners.

“Today we are recognizing and celebrating the individuals, groups, organizations and businesses that have made outstanding contributions to arts, culture, and heritage over the last four years in our municipality,” said Mayor Fred Haynes. “Thank you to our award winners for making a positive impact on the cultural fabric of Saanich and a heartfelt congratulations!”

The 2022 ACH Award recipients include:

Cultural Steward (Organization) Friends of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory	Proactively reviving and expanding the ‘Centre of the Universe’ visitor centre as an important resource for public education on scientific literacy.
Unsung Hero (Individual) Parminder Virk	Building community connections and positive social change through cultural education and charitable work.
Unsung Hero (Individual) Ashley Howe	Threading together the artistic community through environmental education and access to sustainably repurposed art supplies.
Unsung Hero (Individual) Teresa Ranson	Charitable fundraising and artistic education through quilting and sewing projects.
Youth (Individual) Olivia Hahn	Inspiring the youth arts community through positive collaboration and expression, including writing a book on teenage grief to help others processing the loss of a parent to cancer.
Lifetime Achievement (Individual) Pulchérie Mboussi	Fostering an educational environment and organizing community events that celebrate cultural exchange and the dismantling of systemic barriers.
Lifetime Achievement (Individual) Steven Baileys	Building capacity and empowering community through conservation, education, and vibrant celebration of cultural programs and events.

Arts, culture, and heritage enrich and enhance our community, and the recipients of the ACH Awards are making an exceptional difference in our community now and into the future.

In addition to being honoured at the August 8 Council meeting, award recipients received a framed certificate and are recognized on the Saanich website.

Learn more about the recipients and the awards at saanich.ca/ACHawards. 

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Media contact:
Megan Catalano        
Communications Manager
250-475-7639
megan.catalano@saanich.ca