, a 91ɫ graduate, a faculty member with the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, and a research Fellow with the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, is a recipient of the– the City of Vaughan’s highest civic honour.
On Dec. 21, Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua honoured Terry for his contributions to media and communication, recognizing his film work in environmental research.
“This year’s honourees are guided by values rooted in goodwill and noble intentions to bring about positive change to people’s lives. These exceptional city-builders have given selflessly to causes far greater than themselves,” says Bevilacqua. “They are agents of positive change who share the same mission – to make this world a better place.”
Since2016, more than 50 individuals have been invested in the Order of Vaughan for exemplifying extraordinary citizenship and bettering the community.
“The decision to give someone like me the Order of Vaughanmakesa statementthatenvironmental issues,especially serious ones like climate change, isa high priority for the City of Vaughan and its residents,” says Terry. “I thinkrecognizing an environmentalistdemonstrateswhere thecitywants to goin adopting progressive environmental policies like theUnited NationsSustainable Development Goals.”
Terry is a Canadian scholar, explorer and filmmaker who has made a significant influence on how data and researchareperceived andvisuallyshared. In 2009, Terry produced and directed the documentary feature film The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning and was invited to screen it at COP15, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
He was the first to introduce film as a data delivery system and has since developed a new media platform for the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change, known as the Youth Climate Report, a “” documentary database with more than 600 film reports made by the global community of youth. His project was introduced at the Paris Climate Summit in 2015 and was officially adopted by the UN the following year under itsArticle 6mandate for education and outreach.
In his 25-year career as a journalist and documentaryfilmmaker,Terry has earned the distinction of having made a documentary film on every continent andhasreceived many honorary achievements for hiswork such asthe Gemini Humanitarian Awardfromthe Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television andthe Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medalfor international humanitarian service.
Terrynotesthe UN continues toexplore new ways ofinthepolicyprocess.Most recently, Terry served asthe only Canadian editor of the,which gathers thousands of young changemakers from more than 140 countries who directly forward the official youth position in the UNclimatenegotiations.
His latest documentary––premiered at the UN climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021.His new book,Mapping the Environmental Humanities: The Emerging Role of GIS in Ecocriticismis being released in March2022 and will soon be followed by anothernew book in July 2022 titled,Speaking Youth to Power: Influencing Climate Policy at the United Nations.
The City’s virtual Order of Vaughan investiture ceremony appointedfor 2021. Recipients also include, alumnaElvira Caria, who graduated with a double honours degree in English Literature and Mass Communications. Caria has called Vaughan home since 1987 and demonstrates a genuine and authentic desire to help her neighbours. For more than a decade, Caria has been a dedicated board member of Vaughan in Motion to Cure Cancer. Her civic leadership has helped raise funds for cancer care at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital. During her time as Director of Media and Sponsorship, Vaughan in Motion to Cure Cancer raised nearly $100,000 in support of cancer patients.
Karine Rashkovskyalso received the city’s highest honour and is a senior research associate with 91ɫ’s Faculty of Education and facilitates field research in schools across Vaughan. Rashkovsky has served the Vaughan community for more than two decades as an award-winning educator, business leader, policy academic and volunteer. Her extensive civic engagement includes mentoring teen and adult entrepreneurs, leading community educational conferences, providing academic consulting, offering monthly community social justice book clubs, being on the board of directors for Canada’s oldest environmental organization, contributing to Vaughan’s public libraries, and training Canada’s top public speakers.
To learn more about this year’s recipients and to watch the 2021 virtual ceremony, visit.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Jan. 6, 2022 to include information about two additional recipients with affiliations to 91ɫ.