Alumni Award of Distinction

Michael Harcourt BA'65, LLB'68, LLD'07
 

Best known for serving as British Columbia’s 30th Premier, Mike Harcourt has been a central figure in guiding the province through a period of rapid growth and change with quality of human life as a guiding priority. He is deeply committed to urban sustainability, is an advocate on behalf of the disabled community, and has been associated with countless other causes including homelessness, wilderness protection and Aboriginal rights.

His contributions have helped shape the high level of livability now widely associated with the region and in particular with Vancouver. Expo’86 was a highlight of his three terms as Vancouver mayor and a major catalyst for the city’s growth. He became BC Premier in 1991, only the second NDP leader to do so, remaining in power until 1996.

Harcourt’s involvement in the issue of sustainable urban development has intensified as the populations of cities around the world continue to explode. After his term as Premier, he became chair of the Urban Sustainability Program for the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, remaining for eight years, and chaired the PM’s External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities in 2003 - 2006. Harcourt believes in the capacity of communities to take responsibility for their own healthy development and his most recent book, City Making in Paradise (2007), is a challenge to the next generation of politicians and citizens to make the Vancouver region not only livable, but sustainable in the long-term.

Harcourt has co-chaired the UN-HABITAT World Urban Forum III advisory committee in 2004. He is honorary chair of the International Centre for Sustainable Cities and has served in leadership positions on many related committees and boards.

In 2002, a serious accident left Harcourt with a fractured neck. Doctors thought him unlikely to walk again without assistance but he was able, through hard work and determination, to make a remarkable recovery. The experience directed him to a new cause. He became involved in the Rick Hansen Foundation and advocates on behalf of the disabled community for a more accessible city in terms of housing, transport, employment, and services. He also helped establish the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (I-CORD) VGH’s facility, dedicated to finding treatments and improving the quality of life for disabled people living in BC. He co-authored a book on his experience called Plan B: One Man’s Journey from Tragedy to Triumph (2005).

He served as Federally Appointed Commissioner on the BC Treaty Commission from 2003 - 2007, facilitating treaty negotiation between government and BC First Nations.

Harcourt holds several honorary degrees and has received many accolades including the Canadian and Urban Institutes 2006 Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award for extraordinary contribution to the public realm in more than one field; the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service in 2005 for “individuals who have served with distinction in public office and have shown a special commitment to seeking informed opinions and thoughtful views”; and the 2003 J.B. Harkin Medal for conservation of nature.

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