Governor General To Honour Excellence In Innovation During Canadian Innovation Week.

Ottawa; May 2026: Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, will recognise the outstanding contributions of Canada’s top innovators during the Governor General’s Innovation Awards ceremony at Rideau Hall, tomorrow on May 13, 2026. The ceremony will take place during Canadian Innovation Week, which runs from May 11 to May 15, 2026.

The Governor General’s Innovation Awards which was launched in 2016 celebrates excellence in innovation across all sectors of Canadian society and aim to inspire Canadians, particularly youth, to be entrepreneurial innovators. The awards are presented to individuals, teams and organisations whose innovations are truly exceptional, transformative and positively impact the quality of life in Canada. Each year, up to 06 award winners are identified through a two-stage, merit-based selection process.

The awards, which are administered by the Rideau Hall Foundation, are not intended to recognise lifetime achievement or innovations that have not yet demonstrated impact. Rather, by recognising active, current innovators across the breadth of our economy and society, the awards help foster an active culture that celebrates innovation. The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a non-political national charity that brings together ideas, people and resources to celebrate what is best about Canada. The RHF works closely with many partners, including the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, to meaningfully improve lives and foster the conditions for more Canadians to succeed and thrive. The RHF manages all aspects of the Governor General’s Innovation Awards.

AWARDS OF 2026 –

• Dunn House — Canada’s first hospital-led supportive housing initiative: Dr. Andrew Boozary; nominated by The Gairdner Foundation, this award is to be presented for the development of Dunn House, Canada’s first hospital led social medicine housing initiative, Dr. Andrew Boozary united the United Health Network (UHN), the City of Toronto, United Way Greater Toronto, Fred Victor, and all levels of government to transform a parking lot into 50 supportive housing units for people experiencing homelessness. Dunn House demonstrates that innovation extends beyond technology, reimagining systems to meet society’s most vulnerable needs.

• War-affected Youth as Co-researchers: Dr. Myriam Denov; Nominated by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, this award is to be presented for Researching the lives of war affected children demands sensitive, innovative methods. A pioneer in youth participation, Dr. Myriam Denov engages young people as co-researchers in data collection, analysis, and knowledge sharing. Her work has transformed participatory practices, advanced equity and inclusion, and supported youth in rebuilding their lives after conflict.

• Modular vertical farming solutions: Growcer – Mr. Corey Ellis and Ms. Alida Burke; Nominated by Invest Ottawa & MaRS Discovery District, this award is to be presented for Growcer’s modular vertical farms redefine food access by using 95% less water, no pesticides, and no farmland to grow fresh food year round in harsh conditions. Since 2016, more than 120 farms in Canada and 1,000 globally have produced over 75 million servings, feeding up to 110 people daily. Growcer advances food sovereignty, strengthens climate resilience, and enhances global leadership in sustainable agritech.

• Discovery and therapeutic translation of glucagon-like peptides: Dr. Daniel Drucker; Nominated by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, this award is to be presented to Dr. Daniel Drucker who has discovered the actions of GLP1 and GLP2, advancing GLP1 science into transformative diabetes and obesity therapies. He identified GLP2’s biological activity and discovered the degradation resistant analogue Teduglutide, the first approved chronic treatment for intestinal failure. GLP1 therapies reduce kidney disease, heart attacks, stroke, liver and cardiovascular complications, profoundly improving outcomes for people with chronic metabolic disorders.

• Creating the field of metabolomics: Dr. David Wishart; Nominated by Universities Canada, this award is going to be presented to Dr. David Wishart, who has pioneered and defined metabolomics, the high through put study of small molecules central to understanding health, disease, and the environment. As founder of the Human Metabolome Project and creator of databases including HMDB, FooDB, and DrugBank, he helped build a $3billion field. His open tools, assays, and companies transformed biomarker discovery, precision medicine, and health research around the world.

Team Maverick.