The 2026 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards Presented by Scotiabank Recipients
On May 7, 2026, we came together to celebrate the 2026 Women of Distinction Awards, honouring 13 incredible women and one business whose contributions are making a lasting impact in our communities. Recipients received their awards at a gala presented by Scotiabank.
"There is something powerful about gathering to honour women whose work so often happens behind the scenes. The recipients we are celebrating this year are leaders in the truest sense of the word. They are mentors and mothers, builders and bridgemakers, women who show up for their communities long before anyone thinks to thank them,” says Event Chair Juggy Sihota.
“What inspires me most is not only what they have accomplished, but how they have carried themselves along the way: with grace, with grit and with a deep belief that lifting others up is the whole point. That is the kind of leadership worth celebrating, and the kind worth passing on.”
The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards celebrate individuals and organizations whose outstanding contributions foster the well-being, strength and future of the Lower Mainland. As a signature fundraising event, the awards evening highlights nominees’ achievements, while also bringing together community leaders and fellow advocates with a shared vision of advancing gender equity. This year's event supported the YWCA Housing Action Fund, an initiative that aims to raise $5 million to accelerate the development of new, affordable housing for women and their children.
Since launching in 1984, the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards has honoured more than 2,400 exceptional nominees who are inspiring lasting change in unique, tangible ways.
The recipients of the 2026 Women of Distinction Awards are:
Arts, Culture & Design
Barbara Lee
Founder and President of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival
Barbara Lee is the Founder and President of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, which launched in 1995 and is the first of its kind in Canada. Over the last 30 years, the festival has cultivated talent, fostered creativity, provided mentorship and created opportunities for racialized artists across Canada. Barbara is a recognized advocate for racialized communities, serving on the Anti-Asian Racism steering committee for the Canada Race Relations Foundation. She founded the Racial Equity Screen Office, Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon, Asians in Movies, Music and Media, and created East by Northwest Global Creative Summit to share Canadian racialized stories with the world. Barbara is the recipient of numerous awards, including the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 and Reelword’s Trailblazer Award in 2022.
Business & the Professions
Shannon Salter, K.C.
Deputy Minister to the Premier, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the BC Public Service
Shannon Salter, K.C., is Deputy Minister to the Premier, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the BC Public Service. She leads BC’s 39,000-person public service focusing on empathy, connection and modernizing how government works for people. Previously, she served as one of the youngest Deputy Attorney General in the province’s history, where she implemented the Indigenous Justice Strategy. Shannon also served as the founding Chair of the Civil Resolution Tribunal, Canada’s first online tribunal, where she helped initiate technology that makes justice more accessible. Today, she’s advancing creation of Connected Services BC, a new model that simplifies how people interact with government. Appointed as King’s Counsel and named to Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 and Business in Vancouver’s BC500, Shannon is recognized for leading with integrity and vision.
Community Champion
Vanessa Wideski
Founder of Low Entropy
Vanessa Wideski is the Founder of Low Entropy, a non-profit that has created accessible spaces and programs for more than 5,000 individuals to explore internal growth and become active contributors in community. Vanessa has mobilized more than 3,000 volunteers and built a diversified funding model that has grown from zero at inception to an average of $1 million annually over the past three years. She is also a co-founder of several community-led initiatives, including the Tri Cities Friendship Center Society, the Xwéwenaqw Xwexwilmexw Cultural Reclamation Society and the Coquitlam North Road Business Improvement Association Society. She also volunteers as Board Chair of Community Action Initiative. In 2022, she delivered a TEDx talk highlighting how intention and lived experience inform her approach to community development.
Connecting the Community
Sukhman Kaur Dhillon
Co-Founder and Lead Instructor at Hands for Life Foundation
Sukhman Dhillon is Co-Founder and Lead Instructor at Hands for Life Foundation, which aims to increase community access to CPR, first aid and heart health education. She founded the organization in response to rising heart-related emergencies in her community and developed an accessible CPR and heart-health education model, creating multilingual, culturally responsive lessons for Punjabi- and Hindi-speaking newcomers. In 2017, she co-founded Youth Helping BC, offering mentorship to youth volunteers and coordinating large-scale fundraisers, care-package distribution, neighbourhood cleanups and youth-led service projects. She is Co-President of University of British Columbia's Medical Understanding & Outreach Pediatrics and former Co-President of the UBC Women’s Health Project, where she has led student teams in delivering children’s health and women’s health programming across campus. Sukhman received the highly competitive Cmolik Foundation Scholarship.
Education, Training & Development
Tamara E. Pongracz
Former Department Head of Trades Access at BCIT
Tamara Pongracz is the former Department Head of Trades Access at BCIT and a Red Seal-qualified tradeswoman of Indigenous heritage. With over three decades of experience, she has designed and led programs that remove barriers and expand pathways into skilled trades including trades exploration, women in trades, dual credit and international student literacy. Tamara organizes the annual Jill of All Trades and the Sneak Peak for Indigenous Youth, events that introduce underrepresented groups to trades careers. A recognized leader, she has served on BCIT’s Board of Governors and numerous provincial and national committees, including as an inaugural board member for the Aboriginal Careers in Trades Society. Her work has been recognized with BCIT’s Employee Excellence Award and the BC Construction Association’s Outstanding Woman in Construction Award.
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Sumreen Kaur Rattan
Co-Founder and COO of Moment Energy
Sumreen Rattan is the Co-Founder and COO of Moment Energy, a cleantech company transforming retired electric vehicle batteries into sustainable energy solutions. Moment Energy’s Luna battery energy storage system is the first in the world to be built with repurposed lithium-ion batteries and successfully tested through all key UL safety standards, resulting in the first-ever grid-ready, independently tested system. Sumreen and her team also led the launch of North America’s first UL 1974-certified repurposing facility, forging partnerships with global automotive leaders. Her company has delivered multiple impactful projects, including a landmark contract with Vancouver International Airport. Sumreen also mentors future innovators, volunteers on advisory boards and champions women in STEM. Her work has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, Globe and Mail Changemakers, and the Global Cleantech 100.
Environmental Sustainability
Christine Rigby
Manager, Climate Action and Air Quality at Vancouver Fraser Port Authority
Christine Rigby is Manager, Climate Action and Air Quality at Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, where she leads a team driving port-wide emissions reductions. She introduced the Port’s first environmental standards for container trucks, co-led the Strathcona Area Air Quality Study and launched North America’s first EcoAction vessel incentive program, which offers reduced harbour fees to vessels that use cleaner fuels or meet higher environmental standards. Christine also led the Climate Smart program, helped develop the Port’s Non-Road Diesel Emissions Program, and spearheaded a comprehensive, Port-wide action plan to reduce emissions. Christine’s sustainability work has been recognized internationally, including by leading the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to win the Lighthouse Award from the American Association of Port Authorities for Environmental Improvement and Comprehensive Environmental Management.
Health & Wellness
Dr. Shelina Babul
Director and Sports Injury Specialist at the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit
Dr. Shelina Babul is Director and Sports Injury Specialist with the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit at BC Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia. Focused on identifying gaps in injury prevention, concussion research and strategies to promote uptake of effective interventions, Shelina developed the internationally trusted Concussion Awareness Training Tool. She also co-led the creation of Active and Safe Central, an online resource promoting physical activity to improve the health and well-being of British Columbians. Her work has been recognized through multiple awards including the 2025 Canadian Association for Medical Education Certificate of Merit, the 2025 Alumni UBC Global Citizenship Award and the 2023 UBC Faculty of Medicine Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Research.
Non-Profit
Lilian Chau
CEO of Entre Nous Femmes Housing Society
Lilian Chau is CEO of Entre Nous Femmes Housing Society, one of Canada’s first women-led community housing organizations, with a focus on single mothers, seniors, people with disabilities and other equity-deserving groups. Under her leadership, the Society has grown from a single project to more than 500 affordable homes under construction and 1,000 in development. Lilian drives innovative financing strategies, including developing an affordable housing community bond to attract investment and ensure long-term sustainability. She champions gender and social equity, forging partnerships with Indigenous and community organizations to advance equitable access to affordable housing. In 2023, Lilian was appointed by BC's Attorney General as a Governor to the Law Foundation of BC to support legal and racial justice, gender equity and reconciliation.
Reconciliation
Dr. Amy Parent, Sigidmnak Noxs Ts’aawit
Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Governance and Education
Dr. Amy Parent, Sigidimnaḵ' Noxs Ts’aawit of the Nisga’a Nation is the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Governance and Education and UNESCO Co-Chair in Indigenous Knowledge Research Governance and Rematriation. She leads the BC First Nations Women’s, Two-Spirit, Self-Determination, Rematriation and Research Governance Annual Summit and Network. Dr. Parent led a Nisga’a rematriation delegation that set a precedent for the first return of a totem pole from the UK, informing national and international policy on Indigenous cultural treasures and UNDRIP implementation. As Co-Chair of the Tri-Agency Indigenous Leadership Circle in Research, she advances evidence-based reforms to strengthen Indigenous research funding, policy and governance. In 2024, her work on the rematriation of the Ni’isjoohl Memorial Pole was recognized as Academic of the Year by the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC.
Reconciliation – Ally
Anne Zhong
Manager of Indigenous Relations and Community Engagement at TELUS
Anne Zhong is Manager of Indigenous Relations and Community Engagement at TELUS, where she leads Indigenous relations, lands solutions and municipal relations. She established relationships across BC and Alberta, serving 239 Indigenous communities, including connecting 308 Indigenous lands with TELUS' PureFibre network. Anne continues to advance reconciliation by creating learning resources, supporting Indigenous team members and extends her impact beyond connectivity through TELUS Wise, Connecting for Good and Health for Good programs. She also championed a verified Indigenous vendor database, significantly boosting Indigenous business opportunities. Anne led multiple emergency responses, providing connectivity and 21,000 pounds of supplies during COVID-19, and 8,600 pounds of essentials during wildfires and floods to more than 50 Indigenous communities. She also facilitated the delivery of thousands of Kits for Kids to Indigenous youth.
Research, the Sciences & Technology
Kathryn Hayashi
President and CEO of TRIUMF Innovations
Kathryn Hayashi was the President and CEO of TRIUMF Innovations, which connects Canada's national particle accelerator laboratory with the business world. As Co-Lead of the Canadian Medical Isotope Ecosystem, Kathryn helped TRIUMF deliver new production capacity to BC for rare cancer-fighting isotopes like actinium-225. She served as an Executive Committee Member of the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council and is Co-founder of BioConnect, with 3,000 members today. Kathryn serves on the boards of the Michael Smith Health Foundation, C3i Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy and Discovery Parks/Nimbus Synergies Fund. In 2022, Kathryn and TRIUMF received the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council Not-For-Profit Advocacy Award. Under her leadership, TRIUMF also won the Excellence in Industry Award at the 2024 BC Tech Awards for its record of turning experimental technologies into real-world solutions.
Young Woman of Distinction
Chloe Goodison
Founder and Executive Director of NaloxHome
Chloe Goodison is the Founder and Executive Director of NaloxHome, a youth-led organization providing overdose education and naloxone training across BC. She leads 95 volunteers and four part-time staff, helping the organization reach more than 40,000 youth through community programs. Chloe serves on several governance bodies, including the Port Moody Police Board, Coast Mental Health Society Board and the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation Vancouver Community Board. She also volunteers as a research assistant in Metro Vancouver hospitals. She is completing an Honours BSc in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, where she mentors fellow students. Her leadership has been recognized with the BC Medal of Good Citizenship, BCBusiness 30 Under 30, Mazda Canada Rising Legends, Surrey 25 Under 25, and SFU’s Dr. Jack Uppal Award.
Outstanding Workplace
BC Infrastructure Benefits Inc.
BC Infrastructure Benefits Inc. (BCIB) is the employer of skilled tradespeople on select public infrastructure projects. BCIB works with contractors and unions to supply workers to these projects, using an equitable hiring system that offers priority job access to qualified locals, Indigenous workers, women and other underrepresented groups. Women hold 62% of the senior leadership roles at BCIB and executive development programs provide pathways for advancement. BCIB delivers a culture change training program to all its employees, including Indigenous history—delivered with local First Nations Knowledge Sharers—and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion training. Corporate staff benefit from employee resource groups, flexible scheduling, volunteer support, cultural leave, inclusive workplace policies and more. BCIB is a multi-year recipient of BC’s Top Employer and Canada’s Best Diversity Employer.
The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards honour individuals and organizations whose outstanding activities and achievements contribute to the well-being and future of our community. This signature fundraising event is about bringing our diverse community together to empower one another.
This year's event was a resounding success in raising funds for the YWCA's Housing Action Fund to accelerate the development of new affordable housing for women and their children.
Award recipients were formally announced at the Women of Distinction Awards Gala at the Westin Bayshore, Vancouver on May 7, 2026. Nominations for next year are now open.
The 2026 Awards are presented by Scotiabank. Our sponsors this year are Scotiabank, Seaspan, BCAA, iA Financial Group, Chard, Beedie, SAP Labs Canada, MDA Space, Clio, B2Gold Corp, Say Love Projects, Nature’s Path, Imagine That Events, 730 CKNW, Global TV and Miss 604.
