Award Criteria
The Canadian River Stewardship Award is presented every three years to an individual, group or organization who has made a significant contribution to the stewardship of a Canadian Heritage River or to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System.
Recipients are recognized as individuals, groups or organizations who have made a significant contribution to the stewardship of a Canadian Heritage River or to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System through work that supports river nomination, designation and stewardship, collaborative river care, public outreach and engagement, and/or restoration during the previous three years.
Up to three recipients can be selected by the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board.
Selection Process
Eligibility
The award is intended to recognize an individual, group or organization’s contributions towards a Canadian Heritage River and/or the Canadian Heritage Rivers System over the past three years.
Open to individuals who are current or former long-term residents of Canada. Similarly, any group or organization that is based in Canada or largely works in Canada is eligible for nomination. The only exceptions are elected or appointed public officials who are not eligible to be nominated while in office.
The award may be granted posthumously if the person is nominated for work completed within the award’s current nomination period or was nominated at any point prior to their death.
Individuals, groups and/or organizations can be nominated more than once, either for ongoing work on the same project or a new project or river-related accomplishment. A new nomination is needed in each award period for which the individual, group or organization is to be considered. Nominations are not carried over to subsequent award years.
Frequency
The Canadian River Stewardship award is presented every three years.
Nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis but must be received by January 31 of the presentation year to be considered.
Nomination and Selection Process
Nominations may be submitted by anyone using the approved nomination form. This form is available on the Canadian Heritage Rivers System website or can be received in hard copy by contacting the Canadian Heritage Rivers System secretariat.
Nominations can be submitted in English, French, or any Indigenous language spoken in Canada. If necessary, nominations will be translated to support their review by the nominating committee.
Nomination review
Administration of the nomination and selection process will be facilitated by the CHRS secretariat.
Nominations received during the nomination period are reviewed by the CHRS Technical Planning Committee (TPC) awards sub-working group. The TPC sub-working group will function as the nomination committee and will rank submissions using a standardized scoring system to produce a shortlist of at least three, but no more than five, nominations.
Nomination selection
The short list of nominations is advanced to the CHRS board or board executive who will function as the selection committee, with one to three recommended winner(s). One member of the TPC awards sub-working group will present an overview of the nomination process followed and recommend a winner or winners for the board to vote on at either a full or executive board meeting (dependant on meeting schedules).
Award Design and Presentation
Whenever possible, the award is presented in the year in which it was received by the CHRB chair or designate (such as jurisdictional board member).
The award can be presented in-person at an existing event such as the CHRS AGM, or virtually.
Administrative aspects of the award(s) such as nomination forms are hosted on the CHRS website, with the CHRS secretariat acting as the main point of contact for the nomination and selection process.
Individual awards
Each recipient receives a certificate and framed photograph acknowledging their achievements.
With the winner’s permission, an article about their accomplishments and social media post will be shared via the CHRS’ newsletter and social media platforms following the award presentation.
Legacy recognition
A public record of all award recipients is kept on the Canadian Heritage Rivers System website.
Award Rescindment or Relinquishment
In exceptional circumstances an award may be rescinded by the Canadian Heritage Rivers Board in accordance with specified guidelines.
A person who is the recipient of the award may relinquish the award at any time and is not required to give reasons or rationale for such action.
Nomination and Selection Standards of Conduct
Statement of commitment
Individuals participating in the review of nominations and selection committee:
- Recognize that participation in making selections for this award is a privilege.
- Strive for integrity in all deliberations.
- Agree to communicate openly and honestly while safeguarding information received in confidence or shared in relation to deliberations concerning the award.
- Commit to remaining political neutral and carrying out responsibilities in a manner that is fair and free from bias and self-interest.
- Agree to thoroughly read the information provided on individual nominees and respond in a manner consistent with the applicable selection and review guidance for the award.
Conflict of interest statement
Members of the nomination or selection committees will openly declare any possible conflict of interest and disclose personal or work relationships with any nominees to the selection committee chair prior to scoring nominees or participating in the selection committee.
At the discretion of the board or selection committee chair, the members involved will:
- Continue to fully participate in the nomination or selection process in a manner consistent with the aforementioned statement of commitment;
- Not participate in the scoring of the nominee(s) where a possible conflict of interest has been identified; or
- Not participate in the selection committee, in which case the selection committee chair will confer with other selection committee members to find a suitable substitute.
Rescission and Relinquishment
Grounds for rescission
The chair of the CHRB may, by resolution and majority vote of the board, rescind an award conferred on a person if they find that the award was granted:
- In error; or
- In reliance on information that was later found to be false, misleading, or incomplete; or
- Under other circumstances such that had the selection committee been aware of those circumstances at the time of conferral it would not have granted the award; or
- In consideration of circumstances arising with the recipient after the award has been granted that are deemed to be inconsistent with the spirit of the award and/or decorum or ethics expected of an award recipient.
Process for rescission
If it is expected that the grounds of rescission may apply to an award recipient, the CHRB chair shall assemble a review committee to consider rescinding the award. Membership in the review committee will follow the same approach outlined in forming an award nomination review committee.
Prior to undertaking a rescindment, the chair of the review committee must advise the award recipient of the review process and allow the recipient to speak to the matters leading to the review.
It is expected that the review committee will seek and fairly consider evidence of the grounds for possible rescission and include a summary of their deliberations in a review report. Whenever possible, the review report should be completed within 180 days of the first meeting of the review committee and will be submitted at that time to the chair of the CHRB.
The CHRS board or board executive will convene within 90 days of receiving the review committee report to hold a rescindment vote which requires a simple majority to pass.
If the decision is made not to rescind the award, the CHRB chair will notify the award recipient, and no further action is needed.
If the decision is made to rescind the award, the CHRB chair will notify the award recipient (and any co-recipients if applicable), and the name of the recipient will be removed from any records of award recipients and replaced with a notation indicating “award rescinded on [date]”.
Public or media announcements related to the review or rescindment will be at the discretion of the CHRB chair.
Grounds for relinquishment
A person who is the recipient of the award may relinquish the award and is not required to give reasons or rationale for such action.
Process for relinquishment
A person who wished to relinquish the award may do so in writing to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System secretariat. Upon receiving such written notification, secretariat staff will work with the award recipient to arrange for the return of the individual award and will provide notification of the relinquishment to the CHRB.
Following notification of the CHRB, the name of the recipient will be removed from any records of award recipients and replaced with a notation indicating “award relinquished by the recipient on [date].”