Another honour has been bestowed on a distinguished former resident of Edam.
Wayne Wouters, who had gone on to become clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to cabinet, has been honoured by United Way Canada with the Andre Mailhot Award.
Wouters received that honour in late May at a gala celebration and recognition dinner in Hamilton, Ont. at the United Way's national conference.
The Andre Mailhot award is United Way Centraide Canada's highest honour. According to the United Way's news release at their website, Wouters was recognized for "setting an inspiring example of what it means to serve Canadians with integrity and vision. He is known for patiently, persistently and powerfully leading by example - whether he is directing departmental staff, managing Deputy Ministers, or briefing and advising the Prime Minister. And despite the demanding and unpredictable schedule of the country's most senior public servant, Wouters is also an active voice and a strong presence in the Ottawa community."
Wouters currently sits on the United Way Ottawa board where he is chair of their Board Governance Committee. He previously chaired United Way Ottawa's community campaign in 2007 and in 2012 received a Community Builder Award from Ottawa United Way as their volunteer of the year.
He is noted for encouraging fellow public servants to get involved and give back. One example United Way Centraide Canada pointed to was Wouters' "annual recommendation for a deputy minister volunteer to chair the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign. He has made it clear that this volunteer assignment is an honour and a privilege and an opportunity to exemplify commitment to community."
Wouters was described as having "forged a trail for public servants" to engage locally in their community. This comes in spite of the heavy time demands of Wouters' job in the public service. As an example of his responsibilities, Wouters was recently at Rideau Hall for the swearing-in of the new and returning ministers in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet.
Through it all Wouters remains a proud product of Edam, where he was born and raised. He was educated at the University of Saskatchewan where he earned an economics degree, before getting an MA in Economics at Queen's University.
Wouters is still held in esteem by his home community. The Regional Optimist was tipped off about Wouters' United Way honour by a local Edam resident, who described Wouters as "our most famous citizen."
