Women of Note

Mary Scott, a local women’s equality advocate, received a Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case on Oct. 1 for her work in the community. This is the 30th year of the awards, which commemorate the Persons Case of 1929 when five Canadian women, including Manitoba’s Nellie McClung, fought for women to be declared persons under the law.

Scott’s accomplishments are numerous including volunteer work with the University Women's Club of Winnipeg, the Council of Women of Winnipeg, UNIFEM Manitoba and the UN Platform for Action Committee. She was also vital to the success of the Babs Friesen Councils of Women Archival Project.

On Nov. 10 at the Canadian Bureau for International Education annual conference, Rhonda Friesen was presented with the Internationalization Service Award. The award recognizes outstanding service to international education within an institution or organization. Friesen, who is the manager of International Co-operation Agreements at the University of Manitoba, recently helped finalize a $2.5-million deal between the U of M and South American hydroelectric company, Itaipú Binacional.

The Hon. Susan Devine of Winnipeg won the 2009 Canadian Bar Association Cecilia I. Johnstone Award for her work in aiding the advancement of women in the legal profession. Judge Devine, who is recently retired, is a founding member of the International Association of Women Judges and was instrumental in the establishment of a Canadian chapter of the organization. She also helped form a mentoring program for new judges in the Provincial Court of Manitoba.

Local RN Wendy Weighel received the Canadian Chapter Society for Vascular Nursing Marge Lovell Award for excellence in vascular nursing. Weighel, a St. Boniface General Hospital clinical research co-coordinator, was presented the award at the chapter’s annual conference in Ottawa on Sept. 25.