On Friday, May 9th, a special tea reception was held at the BC Government offices at Canada Place in Vancouver, hosted by Premier David Eby. The gathering honoured several BC recipients of the 2025 King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of outstanding contributions to interfaith work.
Many of the honourees are members of the Multi-Faith Summit Council (MFSC), while others were nominated by Sherry Marceil, who represents MFSC at the Canadian Interfaith Conversation (CIC). The CIC led a national effort that resulted in 73 nominations from across Canada for this prestigious award.
BC Recipients from the MFSC:
• Acharya Shrinath Dwivedi
• Sherry Marceil
• Neil McKenzie (unable to attend reception)
• Archbishop Michael Miller (unable to attend reception)
• Harold Rosen
• Dr. Kala Singh
Additional recipients in attendance who were nominated by Sherry Marceil: • Jonquil Hallgate (Surrey Interfaith Council)
• Connie Waterman (Comox Interfaith Group)
Also in attendance at the reception was May Shihadeh, Chair of the Victoria Multifaith Society and CIC representative, who was honoured with a medal. One of her nominees, Dr. John Borrows, was also recognized, but unable to attend.
Premier Eby congratulated the recipients and addressed the gathering, expressing appreciation for their efforts to build bridges across faith communities. Brief citations were read aloud by Sherry Marceil and May Shihadeh, which the Premier described as deeply impressive. Full citations will be published soon by the Canadian Interfaith Conversation.
