Seven people, an organization to receive Freeman of the City prize

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Honorees being recognized at ceremony June 26 at the Rodd Miramichi River Hotel

Seven people and an organization, the Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Miramichi Boys and Girls Club, will receive Miramichi's Freeman of the City Award June 26 at the Rodd Miramichi River Hotel. The individual recipients include (top row, from left): Sheree Allison, Janet Creighton, Bill Fraser, and Tilly O'Neill-Gordon. Bottom row, from left: Greg Morris, Artie Morris, and Hal Somers. SUBMITTED

Seven people and a non-profit organization will soon be saluted for their service to the community as part of the City of Miramichi’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

Sheree Allison, Janet Creighton, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Miramichi Boys and Girls Club, Bill Fraser, Tilly O’Neill-Gordon, Artie Morris, Greg Morris, and Hal Somers will be presented with the Freeman of the City Award at a ceremony June 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rodd Miramichi River Hotel.

City council approved six of the recipients’ nominations at its June 10 meeting. Creighton was unanimously approved at Tuesday’s meeting after being left off the first list in error.

The award is being presented after a 10-year hiatus to mark the 30th anniversary of the city’s amalgamation Jan. 1, 1995. It’s the highest honour bestowed by the municipality and is given to people who have had extraordinary, long-term impacts on the community through service.

“I’m very excited about this and to see these nominees recognized,” said Coun. Veronique Arsenault. “These people have done an incredible amount of community engagement and work and achieved many wonderful things over many decades.

“It’s very fitting that we’ll see this cohort inducted as Freemen of the City.”

The Freeman of the City Award acknowledges individuals who have devoted at least 15 years of service to the betterment of Miramichi in areas including, but not limited to, education, business, community service, heritage, and media.

Previous honorees have included Sister Beatrice Jimmo, former premier Frank McKenna, Joe O’Neill, senator and award-winning author David Adams Richards, legendary fiddler Matilda Murdoch, renowned musician and longtime Miramichi Folksong Festival organizer Susan Butler, and Dr. Gerard Losier and Judy Losier.

Other recipients have included retired police officer, former diplomat, and former provincial Liberal leader Kevin Vickers, as well as Simon Kingston, the Congregation of Notre Dame, and the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph.

Allison, a former educator, has been the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Miramichi Boys and Girls Club for nearly four decades. She also owns No Nonsense Non-Profit Success and has been a master trainer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Since 2023, Creighton has served as operations director for Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Club, which sponsors breakfast programs in local schools, offers programs for children and teenagers, provides life skills training, and hosts annual summer camps. She worked as the group’s program director for 20 years.

Fraser was a Liberal MLA for 12 years and held multiple cabinet posts in the former Gallant government. Between 2014 and 2018, he served as minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, minister of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture, regional minister for central New Brunswick, minister responsible for the Northern and Miramichi Funds, minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, and minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.

O’Neill-Gordon, a retired teacher, was in federal politics as the Conservative MP for Miramichi-Grand Lake from 2008 to 2015. She’s been credited with persuading former prime minister Stephen Harper to build the Public Service Pay Centre in Miramichi to address the troubled Phoenix payroll system.

Artie Morris has owned Allied Realty for over five decades and has been involved in various businesses throughout his career. He has been with Allied since its inception in 1972 and has supported numerous events and community groups.

Greg Morris, a retired educator, was a distinguished hockey, baseball, and football player. He went on to coach minor baseball, the James M. Hill Tommies sports programs, and the Chatham Miramichi Honda Ironmen senior baseball club. He’s currently the general manager of the Ironmen and is a member of the Ironmen honour roll, the City of Miramichi Sports Wall of Fame, St. Thomas University Sports Wall of Fame, and the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.

Since 1992, Somers has owned Towne Auto Group, which operates the Towne Ford, Towne Mazda, and Towne Chrysler dealerships. He’s been involved with the Greater Miramichi Chamber of Commerce, the local Automobile Dealers’ Association, Miramichi Regional Hospital Foundation, and the Miramichi Airport Commission, among other groups.