West Van residents named to Order of Canada for contributions to health sciences, mining exploration

A pair of West Vancouver residents are among the recent additions to the Order of Canada, it was announced by Rideau Hall Wednesday.

John Challis has been appointed an officer of the Order of Canada and Terry Salman has been named a member of the order, along with 59 other Canadians across the country.

Salman, who has lived in West Vancouver for 30 years, was appointed to the order for his contributions to mining exploration, and for his generous philanthropy and community activism, according to the Governor General’s office.

“I was stunned to be honest,” said Salman, when reached by the News Wednesday. “I’m very humbled and so appreciative because a lot of people must have helped me along the way to get there.”

During his more than 40-year career which has included a tenure with the U.S Marine Corps, Nesbitt Thomson, Salman Partners, and currently Salman Capital Inc., Salman has become known as a leader in financing junior mining companies and their exploration.

More than 30 years ago, Salman helped found the country's first gold conference which ultimately became BMO’s Global Metals and Mining Conference which still runs annually to this day.

In addition to his career, Salman has also spent decades devoting his time serving various organizations to help improve his community.

“For me for a long time it’s been about giving back,” said Salman.

Salman spent 16 years as chairman of the Vancouver Public Library Foundation and eight years as chairman of St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation. He has also been a director of the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Stem Cell Network.

Other major contributions include fundraising for the Britannia Mine Museum and sitting on Canada’s Expert Panel on Securities Regulations and serving as chair of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada, he said.

“I’m proud to live on the North Shore, it’s a good community,” he added.

Challis was appointed to the Order of Canada because of “his seminal contributions to the field of obstetrics and gynecology, and to health research and innovation in Canada and abroad,” according to a press release from the Governor General’s office.

The latest list of appointments to the Order of Canada has many people represented from the science and health fields.

Challis is an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

Among his many titles, he was the inaugural scientific director of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health and was president and CEO of the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

His research focuses on pregnancy, preterm birth and the impacts of stress on the fetus, of which he was published hundreds of papers.

The Order of Canada was established in 1967 and recognizes people’s outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation across all sectors of society.

More than 7,000 have been appointed to the order since its inception.

Newly appointed individuals to the Order of Canada are traditionally invited to an investiture ceremony, which is normally held in person, where they are presented with their insignia from the Governor General.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person investiture ceremonies have been postponed indefinitely.