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Premier’s Awards
2008
Patricia O’Connor
Upon graduating from the Nursing program in 1976, Patricia O’Connor completed the Emergency Medical Care Attendant certification. She was a member of the first group of paramedics trained in Ontario and become the province’s first female paramedic in 1978. Later that year, she completed her flight paramedic training and became part of the first air ambulance team in Ontario.
After joining the St. John Ambulance para-medical program servicing remote Canadian Arctic communities, O’Connor was involved in a plane crash while en route to Pelly Bay, Nunavut in 1989. Waiting to be rescued, she performed her nursing duties under extreme duress and received a commendation for her actions. Recognizing the need for additional health-care support, she established her own air ambulance company, Medflight, in 1995.
O’Connor has spent more than 20 years flying to remote villages in Canada’s north, providing care to patients or stabilizing them in preparation for flights to receive treatment in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. During this time she has continued her training in various aspects of nursing; provided lectures across Canada; and became a founding member of the Canadian Association of Aero-medical Transport,a national organization for the development and promotion of aero-medical services in Canada.
O’Connor was recognized for her outstanding career achievements when she was named to the Order of Canada on December 28, 2007 and received the prestigious Premier’s Award in 2009.
2006
Jeffrey S. Boyce
Jeffrey S. Boyce graduated from the Business Administration – Marketing program in 1980 and has achieved great success in numerous professional fields. He is president and chief executive officer of Sure Energy Inc., a Calgary-based multimillion-dollar publicly traded corporation in the oil and gas sector. Boyce is also the former president and CEO of Vermilion Resources, a $1-billion oil and gas exploration and production company that he co-founded.
Recognizing the importance of community participation, he is an active volunteer with the United Way as well as various community associations and minor league sports organizations. In 2004, he was recognized by Ernst and Young as the Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2006 received the prestigious Premier’s Award.
2000
Paul Vessey
A 1975 Durham College Business Administration – Marketing graduate, Paul Vessey’s promotion to chief operating officer at Visa USA marked the latest success in his illustrious 26-year career. In addition to his Durham College diploma, he holds a graduate degree from Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.
His current and past board experience includes working with organizations such as CIBC Mortgage Corporation, Equifax Canada, the Toronto Film Festival and Women’s College Hospital. Vessey is the director of the Durham College Foundation and spoke at the college’s 1999 convocation ceremonies.
1994
Fred Upshaw
After graduating from the Durham College Registered Nursing program in 1975, Fred Upshaw began his career at the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (formerly the Whitby Mental Health Centre) in Whitby, Ontario where he worked as a registered nurse. There, he became involved with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), acting as chief steward to the president of the local union.
Upshaw has served as president of OPSEU, which represents 110,000 Ontario public sector workers, vice-president of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. He was president of the Toronto region of the Jaycees organization and served as its national director of leadership training. He also coached minor sports in Oshawa for 20 years and received the Premier’s Award in 1994.
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