The Office of the Secretary to the Governer General has announced the seven winners of the 2017 Governor General’s Innovation Awards (GGIA), which recognize Canadian individuals, teams, and organizations that display excellence in innovation across various sectors.
Presented for the first time in May 2016, the awards are meant to inspire Canadians to embrace innovation, and celebrate entrepreneurs who are using innovation and technology to solve problems in spaces like healthcare and education. Each year, up to six winners are recognized for having innovations that are “truly exceptional, transformative, and positive in their impact on the quality of life in Canada.”
“The recipients of the 2017 Governor General’s Innovation Awards demonstrate that Canadians are among the world’s most creative and dynamic innovators,” said David Johnston, Governor General of Canada. “Through hard work, ingenuity and collaboration, each recipient has developed a unique and innovative approach to solving to an important challenge of our time. Their success is changing lives for the better in Canada and around the world.”
Some of this year’s winners include Audra Renyi, co-founder of WorldWide Hearing Foundation, which uses technology to help people affected by hearing loss; and Patricia Lingley-Pottie and Patrick McGrath, founders of the Strongest Families Institute, which uses software technology to connect trained coaches to children, youth, and families with the aim of delivering evidence-based health and well-being programs.
View the full list of winners here.
Photo credit Ronald Duchesne