The late Gord Downie has been named the recipient of the 2019 Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award.
The posthumous honour will take place in Toronto on May 9 during the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards gala, part of Canadian Music Week (CMW).
“Gord Downie created a legacy during his final years, dedicated to creating a positive change in Canada,” said CMW president Neill Dixon, in a release. “This legacy demonstrates how just one story can inspire an entire generation.”
Slaight Family Foundation’s Gary Slaight called Downie “an inspiration to all Canadians” and said the musician “represented the embodiment” of the award.
Downie supported a number of organizations during his lifetime, including Lake Ontario Waterkeeper and several charitable causes in his hometown Kingston. In 2016, he co-founded the The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund to support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.