TORONTO—Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner Autumn Peltier, of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, is one of four recipients to be honoured with the first-ever Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Awards.
Mr. Peltier was presented with the Young Leaders award by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on June 15, marking the 60th anniversary of Ontario’s Human Rights Code, in a YouTube premiere, an Anishinabek News release explained. She was one of four recipients who were honoured for having each made significant contributions to advance human rights in Ontario and beyond.
Awards were presented in three categories. The Young Leaders award was presented to Ms. Peltier. She is the Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner and a water protector who began her fight for Indigenous peoples’ right to clean drinking water when she was eight years old.
Now seventeen, Ms. Peltier has campaigned for water protection around the world. She is one of the leading youth changers in the world today, and is an inspiration to young people and people of all ages, says the OHRC.
The awards are named after Daniel G. Hill, who was the first director and first black chair of the OHRC. Dr. Hill was one of the earliest human rights visionaries and set a solid legacy that still resonates today.
The OHRC received dozens of nominations and choosing recipients was very challenging because there were so many deserving candidates. A special committee, which included members form the OHRC’s Community Advisory Group, reviewed and short-listed the nominations and the OHRC Commissioners made the final decision.
“The Daniel G. Hill awards are just a small showcase of how the work of people across Ontario is positively transforming the human rights landscape,” said Chief Commissioner Patricia DeGuire in the release. “I say thank-you to the myriad people and organizations across Ontario who continue, every day, to promote and reimagine human rights-a veritable tool in maintaining peace, order, and good government in Ontario.”
