During a dinner presentation at the Coast Prince George Hotel, Shirley Bond received the third annual Bob Scott Award – Making a Difference.
Special guests, Sara Lindsay and Joel Scott, Bob’s daughter and son, were in attendance to present the award. D.A.R.T. (Drug Awareness Recovery Team) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022 and the organization honored its inspirational founder Bob Scott by establishing an annual community award known as the Bob Scott Award – Making a Difference.
The inaugural recipient of the award was UNBC’s Dr. Theresa Healy and last year’s winner was Active Support Against Poverty (ASAP).
The Bob Scott Award – Making a Difference is awarded annually to an individual(s), business, organization or agency that exemplifies integrity, leadership and inspiration in contributing to the betterment of the Prince George community and thereby Making a Difference.
Shirley Bond was first elected in 2001 as the MLA for Prince George-Valemount. Most recently she served as the critic for Health, Seniors Services and Long-Term Care and critic for Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery.
Bond has extensive experience serving as Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, Deputy Premier, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Minister of Education, Minister Responsible for Early Learning and Literacy, Minister of Advanced Education, and Minister of Health Services. She was the first female to hold the position of Attorney General in British Columbia’s history, a title she held while Minister of Justice. She has been honoured as a trailblazer in the B.C. justice system.
Bond has also served as the interim Leader of the Opposition, as well as the Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Official Opposition Finance critic.
Before her election to the Legislative Assembly, Bond served three terms on the Prince George School Board, the last as chair. She also worked with the continuing education department of the Prince George School District, becoming its business manager. She was given the B.C. Interior, North & Yukon Woman of Distinction Award for her work in public education.
Locally, Shirley Bond is known for her years of fierce advocacy for the North. She was instrumental in convincing her government to establish the Cancer Centre for the North here in Prince George to ensure that countless families would be able to access treatment closer to home. Her advocacy was also key in opening the Northern Medical Program at the University of Northern British Columbia, as well as establishing the Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut as one of BC’s newest provincial parks. In addition to major projects such as these, Bond has provided countless local organizations with assistance in gaining financial support for programs that benefit residents across our region.
The Drug Awareness Recovery Team (DART) was developed to meet the needs of those recovering from drug/alcohol addiction. DART has been registered as a millennium project and was incorporated in 2000.