VICTORIA - Cancer researcher Dr. Victor Ling of Vancouver received the Order of British Columbia from Lt.-Gov. Garde Gardom on June 22.

Dr. Ling was one of 15 British Columbians who gathered at Government House with family and friends for the annual awards. The ceremony began when the OBC recipients were piped into the ballroom along with the lieutenant governor and Premier Ujjal Dosanjh.

When his turn came, Ling was called up to the stage and stood while a citation was read describing what he has done to benefit the people of British Columbia. The crowd of about 300 people clapped while the Lt.-Gov. Gardom presented the OBC medal by attaching a striped ribbon around Ling's neck. He then received his OBC citation from the premier.

The citation read:

"World renowned for his discovery of the existence and mechanisms of drug-resistant chemotherapy, Dr. Victor Ling has given hope to patients suffering from leukemia, breast and ovarian cancers and cystic fibrosis. His research has led to the discoveries of why many patients do not respond to traditional chemotherapy treatment. He has worked relentlessly in deciphering the language of cells. One in three Canadians are affected by cancer and Dr. Ling's work gives hope that this disease will be beaten in the coming decades. He has co-ordinated cancer research for British Columbia for the past four years, and has attracted and inspired scientists and clinicians with his relentless pursuit of new discoveries and better treatments and cures for cancer. His inspiration is a catalyst for more than 250 research scientists and their staff. His leadership is part of the reason why the B.C. Cancer Agency boasts the best cancer treatments and research for British Columbians. As a leader in scientific research, Victor Ling has won every major cancer research prize in the world. As a tireless campaigner for improved cancer treatment and research, he has given society a new insight and vision for confronting the treatment of cancer."

The Order of British Columbia was established by statute in 1989 to recognize those persons who have served with the greatest distinction and excelled in any field of endeavour benefiting the people of the province or elsewhere. The order represents the highest form of recognition the province can extend to its citizens.

Appointments to the order are made by the provincial cabinet on the recommendation of an advisory council chaired by the Chief Justice of British Columbia.

Any resident of British Columbia, or former long-term resident, who has demonstrated outstanding achievement, excellence or distinction in any field of endeavour benefiting the people of the province or elsewhere. Fields of endeavour may consist, for example, of community leadership, business, labour, industry, volunteer service, the professions and other occupations, research, culture, the arts, sports and others.

For more information about the Order of B.C., please go to www.protocol.gov.bc.ca on the Internet.

Mark Collins
Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat
Province of British Columbia
phone (250) 387-0744
fax 387-1920