2015 James McGregor Stewart Award

We proudly announce that Sarah Dube is the winner of the 2015 James McGregor Stewart Award.

left to right
Speaker Kevin Murphy, Rod MacLennan, Angela Bishop, Sarah Dube, Gus Reed

In a  ceremony on June 30th, Jim Stewart's 126th birthday, Sarah was presented with a $1000 cheque by Speaker Murphy.

The Award recognizes leadership, effective advocacy and outstanding personal achievement of a person with a disability.  “The award honours the resolve shown by Stewart”, says Warren Reed, a co-founder of the Society.  “In Sarah our selection committee found a person that, like Stewart, leads and excels regardless of barriers”.

Sarah has been an active advocate for accessibility since 1995, first with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and then as a Board member of Independent Living Nova Scotia. She now co-chairs that organization and is a passionate advocate for young adults.  As a student she was a champion for improved campus accessibility and a founding member of Students for Teaching Peace.  She completed King’s College’s challenging Foundation Year Program and graduated with a combined honours BA in contemporary studies and history.  This spring Sarah received her Master of Planning degree from Dalhousie University.

Sarah is well-known in the community. Steve Estey, one of Sarah’s references, says “Sarah is a wise and thoughtful young woman with a deep commitment to the human rights of people with disabilities and indeed to the community at large.”

The Award recognizes the spirit of Mr. James McGregor Stewart who overcame many barriers, despite a disability resulting from polio. First in his class at Dalhousie Law School in 1914, he was also President of the Students' Council. He was shortlisted for the Rhodes Scholarship but was not successful, due to concerns expressed about his physical condition. Nevertheless, Stewart went on to head a Halifax law firm that became the present day Stewart McKelvey. He was Chairman of Dalhousie's Board of Governors.  In 2000, Canadian Lawyer magazine named him as one of Canada’s ten greatest lawyers.

A crew from Accessible Media filmed the event.  Links will be posted soon.

The Award was established by friends of the Society through the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia, an organization that supports philanthropy across the province.