Currently serving her second term as the Mayor of Sparwood, Lois Halko has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.
The Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, sent the medal to Halko for her ongoing commitment to the community.
“This arrived out of the blue. I don’t know who submitted my name to the Governor General, but it is truly an honour to have this recognition,” said Halko. “It’s also an honour to be able to serve the community and having the opportunity to continue to do that now in my second term. I would like to thank all of those who helped me as I learned about local government, my past council and this current council.”
The District of Sparwood held a small ceremony during a council meeting on February 18 to present Halko with the medal.
Councillor Sharon Fraser read aloud an excerpt from the letter that arrived with the medal. “I thank you for your dedicated service to your peers, to your community, and to Canada. The contributions you have made to our nation are commendable and deserve our praise and admiration.”
The Government of Canada created the Diamond Jubilee medal to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years of service to the nation. During the year of celebrations, 60,000 deserving Canadians will be recognized.