On behalf of His Honour, Lieutenant Governor John James Grant and the Collaborative Partnership Network (CPN), I am very excited to introduce to you the Lieutenant Governor’s Persons with Disabilities Employer Partnership Award.

Today, more and more business owners and entrepreneurs are committed to hiring, retaining and furthering the careers of persons with disabilities. Employing someone who has been marginalized by a disability and affirming the worth of that person’s contribution to the enterprise can literally save a life. The Lieutenant Governor’s Persons with Disabilities Employer Partnership Award was created to acknowledge and honour employers who go to great lengths to ensure that persons with disabilities realize their full potential in the workforce.

Each of the nine agencies under the CPN umbrella – in Amherst, Bridgewater, Digby, Halifax, Kentville, Port Hawkesbury, Sydney and Yarmouth – choose an outstanding employer from their area as the winner of the regional award, and nominate that business owner or entrepreneur for the province-wide award. A selection committee chooses the winner of the provincial award.

The Lieutenant Governor presents the Persons with Disabilities Employer Partnership Award to the provincial winner at the annual Symposium on Inclusive Employment and Education.

 If you know of an employer or entrepreneur who embodies the belief that meaningful, rewarding employment for persons with disabilities benefits not only their business but society as a whole, we’d like to hear from you.

We look forward to your involvement with this wonderful award! Let us continue to encourage employers across the province to make a powerful difference in the lives of persons with disabilities.