A well-known volunteer is receiving a very special honour.
Mathilde Françoise Gravelle-Bazinet is among the 85 new appointees to the Order of Canada.
Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, announced 85 new appointments to the Order of Canada, including 3 Companions, 22 Officers and 60 Members. One appointment is a promotion within the Order.
Since its creation in 1967, the Order of Canada has honoured more than 7 800 people whose service has shaped our society, whose innovations have ignited our imaginations, and whose compassion has united our communities.
In the release, Simon stated Bazinet was recognized "for her decades of service and contributions to health care, justice and education."
Bazinet played a crucial role in the Nipissing Serenity Hospice project in North Bay.
Gil Pharand, executive director at the local hospice, was thrilled to hear the news.
"Mathilde was a driving force behind moving our hospice from a dream to a reality," Pharand told BayToday.
"She is a dedicated and passionate person and she truly deserves this recognition."
See related: Chair of Nipissing Serenity Hospice receives prestigious Senator's Award
This is not the first accolade for the hard-working local volunteer.
Back in 2017, she was one of 12 Franco-Ontarians nominated by Senator Lucie Moncion, to receive a prestigious award from the Senate for the work they do in"helping improve the lives of their fellow citizens and promote their communities beyond their borders."
Bazinet is no stranger to volunteer work, as was pointed out during that 2017 ceremony.
"I was a commissioner with the ONTC from 2004 to 2011. I've done a lot of volunteer work in the nursing field, being on various committees," she told BayToday's Linda Holmes during an interview in 2017.
"When I was in Ottawa, I did a lot of volunteer work with women that had been abused. And as a young nurse, I did a lot of volunteer work in a very poor section of Gatineau. We had set up a network to be able to provide care to families that were not getting the medical care they needed," said Bazinet
