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In recognition of her continuing work in the field of bullying prevention and the promotion of healthy relationships, Wendy Craig (Psychology) has been invested to the Order of Ontario.

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario announced Wednesday that Dr. Craig, the co-scientific director of the Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet), would be one of 25 new members of the most prestigious official honour in Ontario.

“I’m truly humbled by this honour,” says Dr. Craig. “Through the partnerships in PREVNet, we’ve been able to make a significant contribution and impact. I may be the co-scientific director, but this is really an Order of Ontario for PREVNet.”

Since forming PREVNet in 2006, Dr. Craig has been a co-leader of this national initiative that provides individuals and organizations with the evidence-based knowledge, strategies, and tools to prevent violence. She has been recognized, both in Canada and internationally, as a leading expert on preventing bullying and promoting healthy relationships amongst youth. PREVNet’s bullying prevention toolkit has been disseminated to every school in the province in an effort to provide educators with the support to address bullying in their school and promote healthy relationships. Moving forward, Dr. Craig says the plan is to ensure that PREVNet’s toolkit is available to an even wider audience.

“The next phase is focused on leveraging some of PREVNet’s most impactful tools, adapting them to the needs of the various provinces and territories in Canada, by collaborating with government and industry to increase their impact,” says Dr. Craig.

The formal appointment ceremony will be held on Jan. 20 at the Ontario Legislative Assembly in Toronto. The full ceremony can be viewed online. Following the ceremony, appointees will attend a gala dinner, where Dr. Craig will be responding to the toast in honour of the appointees.

Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian Order honours current or former Ontario residents demonstrating  “the best of Ontario's caring and diverse society and [whose] lives have benefited society in Ontario and elsewhere.”