Special Order of Canada investiture held for centenarian Lillie Johnson

TORONTO:

Jamaica-born Lillie Johnson, the grand dame of sickle cell advocacy in Ontario, was invested into the Order of Canada by Edith Dumont, lieutenant-governor of Ontario, at a special ceremony held at the long-term care residence where she lives.

Sitting in a wheelchair at Extendicare Rouge Valley in Scarborough as a small group of family, friends, staff, residents and media gathered, the 101-year-old Johnson, or ‘Miss Lillie’ as she is affectionately known — whose 102nd birthday is on March 16 — was regally dressed for the occasion.

Johnson was among 78 new appointments to the Order announced by Governor General Mary Simon in late December 2023. Through their exemplary commitment, they inspire and challenge us to join them in making Canada a better country, said the announcement.

Elaine Thompson, a friend who shares Johnson’s power of attorney with Beverly Johnson, said she has known her for many years, from being her Mary Kay customer to attending her health briefings for CUSO, the international development agency for Canada, and being a board member of the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario (SCAO), which Lillie Johnson founded in 1981.

Thompson said she nominated Johnson for the Order of Ontario which she received in 2010.

Noting that many of Johnson’s relatives were watching the livestream from the United States, Thompson said they wanted to “share in this special moment with the lady of such great accomplishment.”

“What do we say in Jamaica when someone is small in stature, but mighty in spirit like Lillie? — she ‘likkle, but she talawah’.”

After Johnson’s spiritual leader, Reverend Amirold Lazard of the Church of the Nativity, Malvern, blessed the ceremony, Dr. Jim Lai, aide-de camp of the lieutenant-governor noted that investitures into the Order of Canada usually take place at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. However, at the request of the governor-general this investiture was happening in Scarborough.

Reading the citation to accompany the presentation of the insignia, he noted, “Nurse and educator, Lillie Johnson, is a dedicated public health advocate. Founder of the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario, she led the organisation for four decades encouraging greater understanding of the disease at the public and academic levels, and successfully lobbying for its inclusion in newborn screening in Ontario. She has also been involved in the development of specialised organisations to further address the health needs of the black community.

“By command of the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, governor-general and commander-in-chief of Canada, Lillie Johnson of Scarborough is hereby invested as a Member of the Order of Canada.”

SPECIAL APPRECIATION

Dr. Michael Guerriere, president and chief executive officer of Extendicare, expressed the company’s pride at having Johnson as one of their residents and congratulated her on the appointment. He noted the honour at her being invested into the Order during Black History Month, and that her passion and pursuit of improving health care has changed countless lives.

“Even since you came to live here at Rouge Valley, you have continued to build on your legacy of making a difference in the lives of so many. You have shared your wisdom and experience with residents, visiting school children (I hear you were a fan favourite), and our care team, who continue to be inspired by you,” he said.

Johnson was born on March 16, 1922, in St. Ann, Jamaica, to parents who were both teachers. She was one of 10 children and after graduating from Wolmer’s High School, she attended Shortwood Teachers’ College, taught at various schools in the 1940s before leaving for Edinburg, Scotland to become a nurse in the 1950s, and then went to England where she studied midwifery and worked in Oxfordshire.

Johnson returned to Jamaica and worked at the University College of the West Indies before leaving to work as a nurse at Beth Israel Hospital in New Jersey. In 1960, she migrated to Canada to work at St. Joseph’s Hospital, then the Hospital for Sick Children. She was the first black director of public health in Canada.

Among those in attendance at the investiture were Dr. Christopher Morgan, founder of the Black Health Alliance, and Ulysse Guerrier, president of the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario.

“At some point in time she had a burning desire to help those people in a particular community that many people didn’t recognise were invisible, unaware, and were not getting the type of treatment that they deserve, and that was the sickle cell community,” he said, noting that Johnson, with Beverly Johnson and others decided to establish the SCAO.

“Lillie has been a pioneer, tireless in her efforts,” he said, noting that Johnson’s love of people kept her going and she encouraged people to believe in themselves.

Guerrier said he met Johnson in 1998 when he moved back to Toronto from Montreal where he was involved in a sickle cell organisation.

After a few months, he attended a brunch with his brother at her invitation where he met other persons with sickle cell. Since 2000, Guerrier became more involved and is now the president.

Johnson’s nephew-in-law, Legiston Ferron, and niece Verna Robinson were in attendance. Ferron thanked everyone who attended the investiture and had a special appreciation for the nurses and personal support workers at Extendicare for “making this institution a second home for our aunt over the last seven years or so”.

“I’ve often said that every family should have a Lillie Johnson for her tenacity, her strong opinions and she’s usually right, and her softer sense of true caring, good humour and her ability to mentor young people and to have fun at the appropriate time,” he said.