Grete Hale has been awarded the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest honour for lifetime achievement and service.

As one of Ottawa’s leading and most active citizens, Grete has had a long-standing relationship with The Salvation Army, and has been providing valuable input to the Ottawa Advisory Board and the former Ottawa Grace Hospital Board since 1983.

She has a long list of charities and committees that she has been actively involved with, and an equally long list of awards. The Salvation Army is honoured to be counted as one of those organizations. In March, Grete received a Certificate of Life Membership to the Ottawa Advisory Board, and will continue to play an active role, especially on the Nominations Committee. She believes in the importance of teaching philanthropy and community involvement, especially to young people. A true community-minded inspiration to others, Grete recently told a reporter, “It’s a joy, it’s nothing I feel I have to do. It comes from inside.”

This year, she stepped down as Chair of the family business, Morrison Lamothe, which her father started as a bakery. A trained chef herself, Grete was responsible for catering Canada’s 100th birthday party on Parliament Hill in 1967 for 40,000, and for the 20 foot cake which Queen Elizabeth cut!

Grete plans to continue her volunteer and charitable work. “I hope till my dying day that I can continue to care for my community,“ she said. “I feel God’s blessing on me and I’m one very grateful Ottawan.