Louise & Eric Moore Award

Louise & Eric Moore Award for Outstanding Heritage Volunteerism

Volunteers play a critical role on many fronts across our diverse and impactful heritage sector. I was reminded of that in speaking with Louise Moore last year. Louise’s husband, Eric, had recently passed away and bequeathed a donation to us.

Both Louise and Eric were dedicated volunteers at our past Bytown Days and Heritage Day events—warmly greeting and orienting participants and the public in French and English.

Born in the UK Lake District, Eric served on our Board from 2005-2007 and also volunteered with the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa for 25 years and with Friends of the Ottawa Public Library.

A former Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada employee, on retirement, he served as a volunteer president of the Friends of the Central Experimental Farm for 7 years, and on the CEF advisory council. Louise too volunteered with the Friends of the Farm since their beginning.

At Heritage Day in 2020, the Capital Heritage Connexion presented the inaugural Louise & Eric Moore Award for Outstanding Heritage Volunteerism to Louise Moore.

A highlight of Heritage Day 2026 celebration was the presentation of the Louise & Eric Moore Award for Outstanding Volunteerism to Stuart Lazear and Margaret Hall—two extraordinary champions whose dedication has enriched our heritage community.

2026 Recipient - Stuart Lazear

Stuart Lazear is a retired professional planner and longtime advocate for heritage preservation, with over 40 years of experience at the community, municipal, provincial, and federal levels across Canada. A Lifetime Member of both the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and Heritage Ottawa, Stuart served for over two decades as Coordinator of Heritage Planning Services for the City of Ottawa, leading efforts to protect and manage the city’s built heritage. His career began with early heritage surveys under influential figures like Barbara Humphreys. He went on to work with Alberta Culture and later became the first heritage planner for the City of Regina, where he also met his wife, Lillian. His work continued with the Heritage Canada Foundation’s Main Street Program, where he contributed technical publications and program evaluations. He has authored technical guides, taught at Carleton University and Algonquin College, and served as a judge for several heritage awards. He holds degrees from McGill and University of British Columbia and has volunteered with numerous advocacy groups from Heritage Regina to Heritage Ottawa, where his dedication earned him honorary recognition. He continues to celebrate community heritage with joy, humour, and a famously well-pinned hat.

2026 Recipient - Margaret Hall

Marg has had a very long history of promoting the importance of personal, local and world history both in her personal and professional life. She taught school children starting in the 50’s in Toronto, in the 60’s she spent several years teaching in a fly-in Native community in Old Crow, Yukon and spent much of her teaching career in Ottawa teaching Canadian History to grade 7 & 8 students. It was the search for her own personal history (she was adopted as a toddler during the depression) that first got her interested in tracing personal histories while volunteering with Ottawa Parent Finders. As a result of her research she met her birth mother, and three half siblings (all of the same birth father, all different mothers). Learning about her birth family led to her discovery that her ancestors had a very long history in Canada (as she traced her roots back to the Revolutionary War while volunteering with the Sir Guy Carleton branch. It was with the SGC UEL branch where for over 40 years she has served in every capacity, from treasurer, secretary, newsletter editor, Vice President, President, past president as well as giving seminars on events surrounding the Revolutionary War, and assisting members and the public in obtaining UE certificates. In 2006 she also served as the  Ontario Dominion Branch Regional Vice President, driving down to Toronto for monthly meetings.   Throughout Marg’s life she has encouraged children, youth and adults of the importance of learning about their own histories as well as the history of their homes, cities, countries and cultures. she has worked to make history come alive whether through her wonderful retelling of historical events or through her careful cataloguing of how individuals were actually involved in historical events, Marg has truly made it her life purpose to bring history ‘alive’ for all the people whose lives she has touched.

Past winners

2025 Recipient - David Flemming

David Flemming, has dedicated decades of his life to preserving the city’s cultural landscapes. As a leader with Heritage Ottawa, he has worked tirelessly to champion some of Ottawa’s most iconic heritage sites, influence municipal and provincial legislation, and advocate for the adaptive reuse of heritage spaces. He has been instrumental in ensuring Ottawa becomes the capital Canadians deserve by advocating for some the city’s most iconic spaces including the Central Experimental Farm, a National Historic Site; 24 Sussex Drive, a Classified Federal Heritage Building; the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel, National Historic Site. David has been a vocal advocate for twenty years on the future of Ottawa’s built environment and taking the initiative to create the Heritage Conservation District Working Group. In 2003, David led a core group which activated some 2,000 people and dozens of community, heritage, museum and arts groups to push back against the municipal cuts to the budget for arts and heritage. Advocacy efforts culminated in a speech by David Flemming on Heritage Day of that year that all of us remember which made City leaders take notice, resulting not only in restored funding but also a Museums Sustainability Plan and a Renewed Arts and Heritage Plan. David’s passion and leadership have left an indelible mark on Ottawa’s heritage community.

2025 Recipient - Barb Stewart

Barb Stewart is one of the longest-serving and most dedicated volunteers at the Workers’ History Museum. She has been instrumental in its success since before its founding in 2011, serving as treasurer, chairing the fundraising committee, and spearheading numerous initiatives such as the maple syrup sales. Barb is the driving force behind the museum's financial success. Each year, she works tirelessly to raise the majority of the museum’s revenue through various initiatives; from selling 50/50 tickets at Union and Labour conferences across Ontario, to organizing and coordinating sales of the museum’s annual calendar. She is also the mastermind behind the museums infamous maple syrup sales. In addition to all of that she plays a crucial role in securing funding for the museum by writing and applying for the main operating grant each year. Barb’s relentless commitment to fundraising and grant writing has ensured the museum’s financial stability, while her passion and energy inspire everyone around her.

2024 Recipient - Brian Jeffrey

Brian Jeffrey has been a volunteer with the Diefenbunker since 1996 and has dedicated countless hours guiding visitors though the building with quality and informative tours. Brian was there for the early days of the organization, when it was transitioning from a military base to a museum. His work was essential in writing ‘The Guide’s Guide’ the script that is still currently used today to train and support the Museum Guide staff.

His passion stems from the direct ties he has with the Cold War history, and his own past as a worker on the DEW Line in Canada’s north when the threat of nuclear war loomed. With this experience, Brian is able to weave his own history and examples into educating 100s of people every year about how close we came to war with the Soviet Union, but also draws from the success we had with creating peace.

For 2023 Brian dedicated 495 hours (logging the most hours in the volunteer roster) providing guided tours to the public, private groups, as well as providing demonstrations of the radio equipment to the public, and cleaning many dust bunnies.

He is passionate not only about the history of the site and Canada during the Cold War, but he also prides himself as an entertainer, mentor to our student guides, and is always providing insight that strengthens our internal standards. Brian has a deep respect for the organization, and staff, with always being the first to volunteer to help with training on the tours, and always making a point to learn every staff member name and listen to their ideas and knowledge share.

2023 Recipient - Nicole Fortier

For over 40 years, Nicole Fortier has been involved as a volunteer in the creation and support of various organizations, initiatives and publications in order to promote the development of the Francophone community through various aspects of heritage. To achieve this goal, Ms. Fortier has used her qualities as a visionary, unifier and leader, while knowing how to obtain and maintain the support of the political class, the business world, the leaders of the educational world as well as that of the regional Francophone and Francophile community and more particularly the members of the organizations she co-founded. Ms. Fortier, as well as the members of the SFOPHO (Société franco-ontarienne du patrimoine et de l'histoire d'Orléans), deserve to be recognized for their important contribution to the heritage of the Francophonie, both in the City of Ottawa and in the Orléans area in particular. As an example, here are some of the major heritage achievements that have contributed to the regional economic development and have been carried out by the SFOPHO, which Ms. Fortier co-founded in 2011 and of which she has been the very active president since then: At the origin of the SFOPHO was the creation of the Organizing Committee for the Closing Night of the 150th Anniversary of Orléans in 2010, which was attended by more than 450 people The establishment of the Coordinating Committee for Cultural, Educational and Community Activities of the 400th Anniversary of Champlain's Passage in Canada's Capital Region Improving the place of Francophone names in Orléans: more than 25 public roads, parks, streets, public buildings and municipal facilities now bear the names of Orléans residents who are recognized for their active involvement in the community The celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation with the launch of the bilingual book The History of Orléans (Ontario) in Brief and its French toponymy Thank you Nicole for your immense contribution to the Ottawa area heritage community!

2022 Recipient - Helen Porteous

Helen is a longtime volunteer board member at the Osgoode Township Museum, who also sits on several committees at the museum including the fundraising committee. Over the past couple years, Helen has taken on the gargantuan task of leading our Heritage Garden Committee in maintaining the museum’s 10,000 square foot heritage garden, as well as surrounding orchard & grounds. Helen sources local partnerships and sponsorships for in-kind donations to supplement the small gardening budget. She organizes and oversees the volunteers who work in the garden, adapting with the changes during Covid and leading the group through two spectacular gardening seasons that have become a haven for the surrounding community during these difficult times. 

 

If you pop by the museum anytime during the spring, summer, or early fall you’re almost guaranteed to run into Helen, who will excitedly share tidbits of history, gardening information, or general enthusiasm with you, such as: “Come here and check out this Swallow Tail Caterpillar on our dill plants!” or “Have you seen these amazing Okra flowers?!” “Look how big our pumpkins are getting!” or “Come take some mint home with you!” Helen also takes the time to stop what she’s working on and chat with any visitor or member of the public who stops in at the garden. 

 

Above and beyond the countless hours she spends cultivating the Museum’s Heritage Garden, Helen has also had a few major achievements while she’s volunteered with the museum! One such achievement includes solving a long time mystery of how the previously installed irrigation system works. A total game changer for gardening at the museum! Helen has also taken on the tedious task of harvesting seeds for our seed fundraiser, researching best harvesting practices, germination rates and information for packaging. She also times and harvests large amounts of produce in the fall for our Harvest Festival Take-Home Baskets. Thank you, Helen, for your immense contributions to our local community!

 

2021 Recipient - Roger Thomas

Roger has been a Member of the Huntley Township Historical Society (HTHS) since 1988, serving as a Director for 33 years and President for 4 years. He has been the Editor of the Huntley Township Historical Society Newsletter for the past 24 years and has supervised the production of most of the Society's publications from author’s copy to final printing and binding. Among his impressive list accomplishments over a period of several years, Roger was one of the first HTHS representatives at the inaugural meetings of CHOO/COPO. Roger was nominated by Suzanne Thompson, Peg Blair and Ten Fellow HTHS Directors who write that his contribution to the Huntley Township Historical Society is immeasurable and that he has been indispensable to the group in transitioning to virtual meetings.