The Award
Honouring leaders in mental health
While investing in research that will change the trajectory of mental health, we also honour those who have shown outstanding leadership in eroding the stigma of mental illness.
The Miner’s Lamp Award is named for partners from the mining industry who founded our campaign in 2015. Historically, the miner’s lamp would save lives by warning miners of dangerous gases. With over 70 per cent of adults with mental illness tracing symptoms to the ages of 16 to 24, researchers are learning to shine the light on key warning signs in youth. The award is presented annually to a Canadian who has made an extraordinary contribution in the fight against mental illness. Recipients include powerful advocates, visionaries and sources of hope for all those who have been affected by mental illness.
2023 Miner’s Lamp Award Honourees:
Arthur & Jacquie Labatt
In 2018, Arthur & Jacquie Labatt and the Labatt family took a bold step to transform depression research. Their profound commitment led to the creation of the Labatt Family Network for Research on the Biology of Depression at the University of Toronto. This visionary initiative is advancing our understanding of the biology of depression and nurturing the next generation of researchers. Their efforts will bring hope and better outcomes to those suffering from depression.
The Labatt family, known for their extraordinary philanthropy, have made a significant impact on brain health and mental health in Canada. Their generous support has benefited various institutions, including the Hospital for Sick Children, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Western University and St. Michael’s Hospital.
The Labatt family are equally generous with their time, energy and expertise as volunteers. Notably, Jacquie served as a highly respected senior advisor to the Department of Psychiatry within U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine for a decade. She co-founded and then chaired the department’s campaign cabinet, as well as contributed as a volunteer to the flagship fundraising event, Reasons for Hope. Their dedication and involvement continue to inspire positive change.
2020: Michael McCain
Michael McCain is President and Chief Executive Officer of Maple Leaf Foods, one of Canada’s flagship food companies. Michael is a director of McCain Capital, Maple Leaf Foods, MaRS Discovery District and the Royal Bank of Canada. He is a member of the Ivey Business School Advisory Board, the Business Council of Canada and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation, where he is a passionate advocate for transparency and action on mental health issues. He serves as Honorary Chairman of the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security.
The McCain family has contributed more than $22 million to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, including $10 million to establish the McCain Complex Care and Recovery Centre in 2017. In 2012, a $10-million investment by the Hon. Margaret McCain established the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health.
2019: Margaret Trudeau
Margaret Joan Trudeau has played many roles in the eyes of the Canadian public: author, actress, photographer, talk show hostess, wife to one prime minster and mother to another. In 2006 she took on another role when she decided to share her own struggle with bipolar disorder. At the time, Canadians were only just beginning to talk openly about mental health. Since then, she has advocated for reducing the social-stigma of mental illness with speaking engagements across North America.
Her leadership has helped transform the conversation about mental illness in Canada and paved the way for others to share their own stories, and she remains one of the the country’s most prominent advocates for openness and mutual support in the realm of mental health.
2018: George Cope
George Cope, President and CEO of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada, is well known in the business world for his leadership transforming Canadian’s largest communications company into the nation’s broadband leader. Over the past 30 years, he has earned a reputation as a strategic leader and builder of high-performance teams.
In a country where 1 in 5 people will personally experience mental illness in their lifetime, Bell Let’s Talk has helped to shift public attitudes around mental health, fostering a spirt of increased understanding and acceptance, while also supporting new mental health research, improving workplace health best practices and funding projects to increase care across the country.
2017: Jamie and Patsy Anderson
Mental Health has long been a focus of Jamie and Patsy Anderson’s philanthropic commitments. In 2013, building on previous gifts, they generously established a Chair in Child and Youth mental health between CAMH, SickKids and the University of Toronto. The Chair enabled the development and leadership of an integrated program in this area of mental health.
Jamie and Patsy are equally generous with their time, energy and expertise as volunteers. Patsy joined the Board of Directors at SickKids Foundation in 2001 and served as its Chair from 2006 to 2011, a transformative period for the hospital. Jamie, meanwhile, first joined CAMH’s fundraising campaign in 1998 and have been involved ever since, serving in a number of key governance and fundraising roles, including Co-Chair of the “Breakthrough” campaign.
2016: Paul M. Beeston
Paul M. Beeston is known for many achievements. He was the very first employee of the Toronto Blue Jays, the whiz kid accountant who helped bring two World Series Championships to Canada. He is a member of the Order of Canada and the beloved Canadian who went on to become president of Major League Baseball
What he is less know for but where his footprint has been no less influential is his work to support people living with mental illness. During his time as chair of the board of trustees at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Paul’s impact was felt at all levels. From supporting an ambitious $1 billion expansion, to handing out cookies on Christmas Day with his wife Kaye to staff who worked in the emergency room, Paul has had an enormous impact on the lives of many.
