Sports leaders top list of new Order of Canada appointees

Canadian sports icons including Stacey Allaster, Donovan Bailey and Angela James are among the 85 new appointees to the Order of Canada this year.

This year's list of appointees also includes Canada's first Indigenous female MP, the first MP for Nunavut, and a number of contributors to the arts, including Emmy nominated actress Sandra Oh.

Considered one of Canada's highest civilian honours, the Order of Canada is meant to recognize people who make "extraordinary contributions to the nation," according to the Governor General of Canada website.

Allaster was named as a companion, the highest of the honour's three levels, which also include the level of officer and member. There can be no more than 165 living companions at any time.

Born in Windsor, Ont., and raised in Welland, Ont., Allaster was an executive with the Women's Tennis Association from 2006 to 2015, first serving as president before being promoted to chair and CEO in 2009.

During her tenure, she was instrumental in securing equal prize money for women at six WTA tournaments and all four Grand Slams. She also played a key role in streamlining the WTA calendar and securing a landmark international media agreement.

In 2020, Allaster was named as the first female tournament director of the U.S. open.

Former Olympic and world champion sprinter Donovan Bailey will be invested as an officer of the order. The former world record holder won Olympic gold in 1996 in the men's 100-metre race and in the men's 4x100-metre relay.

"It's incredible," Bailey said of the appointment to the order. "I'm very blessed, I'm extremely humbled to have shared incredible moments with Canadians."

Bailey said being invested with the Order of Canada is an official recognition of what he has been hearing from fans for the past few decades.

"Getting the officer of the Order of Canada is a tremendous honour, but I'm telling you that I've been validated for 27 years; I've been validated every single day by the incredible fans," he said.

Angela James is a pioneer in women's hockey, first as a player and now as the general manager and part-owner of the Toronto Six women's pro hockey team.

The winner of four world championships, including the first in 1990 where she scored 11 goals in five games and was a tournament all-star, she said being invested in the order encapsulates all her achievements on and off the ice.

"I think it encompasses everything that I've pretty much done in my life, and to think that my life matters to Canadians is pretty special," she said.