Order Of Canada Inductees: Levy, Gladwell, Wickenheiser And More

THE CANADIAN PRESS — OTTAWA - Actor-comedian Eugene Levy, hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser and scientist and CBC Radio host Bob McDonald are among 50 notables who will be inducted to or promoted within the Order of Canada.

Former federal cabinet minister Pat Carney and authors Malcolm Gladwell and Nino Ricci are also among those to receive honours at an as-yet undetermined date.

A comedian, producer, director, writer and musician, the Hamilton-born Levy, 64, was a cast member of the sketch comedy series SCTV and has appeared in numerous Hollywood movies, including all eight "American Pie" films.

Wickenheiser, a 32-year-old Saskatchewan native, has been called the world's greatest female hockey player — she's won three Olympic gold medals along with a silver and the Olympic tournament MVP twice.

McDonald, 60, of Wingham, Ont., has hosted the CBC Radio program "Quirks and Quarks" for almost 20 years.

Both McDonald and Wickenheiser are receiving promotions to Officer of the Order of Canada, while Levy is a new inductee.

Other new inductees include B.C.'s Carney, a former Tory senator who held the energy and later trade posts in Brian Mulroney's governments; the British-born Gladwell, raised in Elmira, Ont., a staffer at the New Yorker magazine who has written several thought-provoking books, including "The Tipping Point;" and the Ontario-based, award-winning novelist Ricci, who wrote "Lives of the Saints."

The Order of Canada is the centrepiece of the Canadian Honours System, and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

Chosen by an independent panel based on nominations from the public, the order has three levels of membership — companion, officer and member.