Cathy Crowe to receive Order of Canada
Street Nurse, and Ryerson Distinguished Visiting Practitioner, Cathy Crowe (photo credit: ).
His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, has announced that Cathy Crowe (opens in new window) , a Distinguished Visiting Practitioner in Ryerson's Department of Politics and Public Administration, will become a Member of the Order of Canada. The honour recognises a life work as a street nurse and social justice advocate helping homeless people on a local and national level.
From the story:
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 a sign of progress,鈥� she said. 鈥淪omewhere, people at that level are honouring and respecting me, but really, for me, it鈥檚 all about the issues.鈥�
Crowe has written extensively about homelessness in Canada, been involved in multiple documentary films and teaches classes at Ryerson University. She is the co-founder of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, an organization that promulgated homelessness to be a national disaster in 1998.
鈥淚t鈥檚 monumental and historic, hopeful,鈥� said Crowe.
The 64-year-old was born in Cobourg, Ont., moving to Toronto in 1970 to become a nurse 鈥� a position she鈥檚 held for 45 years, she said.
Crowe added that if she had one wish, it would be for the reimplementation of a national housing program for seniors, students and people with disabilities.
鈥淲e鈥檙e getting close to getting it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Prime Minister is developing a national housing strategy.鈥�