Calgary’s real estate mogul Navjeet (Bob) Dhillon,the CEO of Mainstreet Equity, has been appointed as one of the 39 appointed officers to the Order of Canada. Dhillon has been appointed “for his achievements in business, and for his unwavering commitment to philanthropy and higher education.”
“Learning today that I have been named an Officer of the Order of Canada has left me utterly speechless. I am so honoured and grateful to my fellow Canadians; for this. I am truly proud to be Canadian,” Dhillon wrote on his Twitter.
Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, announced 135 appointments to the Order of Canada. The new appointees include 2 Companions (C.C.), 39 Officers (O.C.), 1 honorary Member and 93 Members (C.M.).
They will be presented with their insignia at investiture ceremonies to be held on future dates.
The Order of Canada is one of our highest honours. Created in 1967, it honours people whose service shapes our society, whose innovations ignite our imaginations and whose compassion unites our communities.
More than 7 500 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order of Canada.
His family comes from Tallewal in the district of Barnala, Punjab. His grandfather moved to Hong Kong for business reasons and set-up the North China Shipping Company to carry out trade with Japan. Dhillon was born in Japan in 1965.
His family lived in Liberia before settling in Canada in the 1970s.[3] As a small child he was sent back to India for his schooling. He was educated at Bishop Cotton School (Shimla). After graduating from university, he completed his master’s degree (MBA) at Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
Dhillon founded Mainstreet Equity Corp based in Calgary, Alberta. The Canada-based real estate company is the only Sikh-owned company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.[6][1] He reportedly owns more than 13,000 apartments in Canada and is developing a high-end tourist resort in Belize.[3][7] He is also the honorary consul general of Belize to Canada.[4]
According to the information posted on Dhillon’s company’s website he has contributed generously to various causes. Some of his major contributions include raising $60,000 for underprivileged children in San Pedro and donating free apartment suites to victims of the Fort McMurray and Slave Lake, Alberta fires.
Along with Dhillon, ICBC board chair Joy MacPhail has also received Order of Canada.
“On behalf of everyone at ICBC, we wish to congratulate Joy MacPhail on receiving our nation’s highest civilian honour – the Order of Canada.
We could not feel more proud to see Joy recognized with this award. Every one of us who has had the pleasure of meeting Joy, and the privilege of receiving her knowledge and guidance, knows how deserving she is of joining such esteemed company.
Joy has helped guide ICBC through its biggest transformation in history with the implementation of Enhanced Care – a change which has delivered significant improvements to the care provided to anyone injured in a crash while making auto insurance in B.C. more affordable,” said ICBC in a release.
