#FIRSTLOOK: FIRST ROUND OF 2025 CANADA’S WALK OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED

Canada’s Walk of Fame, the country’s highest mark of excellence, the first round of Inductees who will join the organization’s illustrious ranks in 2025. They include:

• Liona Boyd (Arts and Entertainment) – Five-Time Juno Award-Winning “First Lady of Guitar”
• Dr. Tirone David (Science, Technology and Innovation) – Pioneering Cardiovascular Surgeon
• Dr. Samantha Nutt (Humanitarianism) – Champion of Children’s Wellness on the Frontlines of Global Crises
• Our Lady Peace (Arts and Entertainment) – Multi-platinum, Diamond-Selling Band
• Mike Weir (Sports and Athletics) – One of Canada’s Greatest Golfers
• Tonya Williams (Arts and Entertainment) – Award-Winning Actress, Producer and Advocate

In addition, Canada’s Walk of Fame is thrilled to announce the return of its annual Awards Show and Gala Celebration Event on Saturday, June 14^th, 2025 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This highly anticipated event, which honours outstanding Canadians for their exceptional achievements and contributions, promises a refreshed experience for attendees. Plans for public events and experiences along with additional 2025 Inductees and Honourees will be revealed in the new year.

“It is a thrill to announce this first group of extraordinary Canadians.” says Jeffrey Latimer, CEO of Canada’s Walk of Fame. “Just as their stars will be permanently cemented along Canada’s Walk of Fame, so to has their impact been cemented into the very fabric of the lives and the communities they’ve touched, both in Canada and around the world.” Latimer continues, “We’re excited to move the Celebration to June, allowing more fans to engage with Canada’s Walk of Fame.”

The six newly announced Inductees will join the ranks of more than 230 esteemed Canadians commemorated on Canada’s Walk of Fame, including previously announced 2024 Inductee Dr. Frank J. Hayden, the visionary whose ground-breaking research ignited the Special Olympics movement. Dr. Hayden is the sole inductee for 2024 and was honoured last night at a special Celebration Event at Toronto’s Liberty Grand.

About the first round of 2025 Canada’s Walk of Fame Inductees:

Liona Boyd (Arts and Entertainment) – Canada’s First Lady of Guitar

A five-time Juno Award Winner for Instrumental Artist of the Year, Liona Boyd, “the First Lady of Guitar” has enthralled millions with her romantic and unique brand of classical, folk and world music. She has performed solo and orchestral concerts around the world, had her own television specials, performed for many heads of state, and recorded thirty albums, many of which have gone Gold and Platinum. Boyd has five Honourary Doctorates, was made an Officer of The Order of Canada and awarded The Order of Ontario and Diamond Jubilee Medal. She has been a special guest on dozens of American television shows including The Tonight Show, Today Show, Boston Pops and Entertainment Tonight. Boyd is a member of the Guitar Player Magazine “Gallery of Greats” and was recently given a Lifetime Achievement award in the USA by the National Guitar Museum. Boyd has composed and arranged hundreds of pieces for the guitar and has written two best-selling autobiographies and a children’s book. Since 2008, Boyd has been touring and recording as a singer and songwriter bringing a new dimension to her artistry and career. 

Click here to learn more about Liona Boyd.

Dr. Tirone David (Science, Technology and Innovation) – Pioneering Cardiovascular Surgeon

Dr. Tirone E. David is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and holds the Melanie Munk Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre

University Health Network (UHN). Dr. David has performed more than 15,000 open heart surgeries, published 480 scientific papers, 43 chapters in medical textbooks, and six surgical textbooks. He has developed numerous operative procedures to treat patients with heart valve disease, complications of myocardial infarction, and thoracic aneurysms and prospectively followed these patients during the past four decades. One of these procedures is known as the “David procedure.” He was a member of the editorial board of several medical journals, is an active member of numerous surgical and medical societies and is an honourary member of 14 international medical societies. He was President of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in 2005 and the recipient of its Scientific Achievement Award in 2016, and Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. He was awarded the Order of Rio Branco from the Brazilian Government in 2018, received the Order of Ontario in 1993 and the Order of Canada in 1996, the highest honour given to civilians in Canada. He was elected University Professor in 2004, the highest honour the University of Toronto bestows to its professors.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Tirone E. David.

Dr. Samantha Nutt (Humanitarianism) – Champion of Children’s Wellness on the Frontlines of Global Crises

Dr. Samantha Nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, bestselling author and the Founder and President of War Child Canada and War Child USA. For over two decades, she has worked with children and their families at the frontline of many of the world’s major crises – from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone to Darfur, Sudan. A leading authority on public health, war, international aid and foreign policy, Dr. Nutt is a highly acclaimed public speaker in North America. Her critically acclaimed debut book, Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid, a No. 1 national bestseller, was called “brave and necessary book” and a “brilliant polemic”. Dr. Nutt is a staff physician at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour, Dr. Nutt’s international work has benefited millions of war-affected children globally. 

Click here to learn more about Dr. Samantha Nutt.

Our Lady Peace (Arts and Entertainment) – Multi-Platinum, Diamond-Selling Band

Our Lady Peace is one of the most successful Canadian bands of the post-grunge era, achieving widespread acclaim with multi-platinum-selling albums and global hits like Superman’s Dead, Clumsy, and Somewhere Out There. Celebrating 30 years since their debut album Naveed and 25 years of Happiness…Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch in 2024, the band has sold over 5 million albums worldwide and accumulated more than 360 million streams to date. They are one of only 13 Music Canada Diamond-certified artists, boasting 3x-Triple and 5x-Double Platinum certifications from Music Canada. Our Lady Peace has achieved 19 Top 10 radio hits in Canada, including five number one singles. The band has won four JUNO Awards and ten MuchMusic Video Awards, making them one of the most awarded groups in MMVA history. They have toured globally with acts like The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, Smashing Pumpkins, The Stereophonics, Foo Fighters, and Alanis Morissette. They also launched their iconic music festival, Summersault, and have played at legendary festivals including Woodstock ’99 and Live 8. Following the release of OLP30 Vol. One EP, OLP30 Vol. Two is out now and includes their latest single I Wanna Be Your Drug. Our Lady Peace is Raine Maida (lead vocalist), Duncan Coutts (bass), Steve Mazur (guitar), and Jason Pierce (drums). 

Click here to learn more about Our Lady Peace.

Mike Weir (Sports and Athletics) – One of Canada’s Greatest Golfers

Born in Sarnia, Ontario, Mike Weir is a Canadian professional golfer best known for his historic victory at the 2003 Masters Tournament, where he became the first Canadian and the first left-handed golfer to win the prestigious event. Turning professional in 1992, Weir has since secured eight PGA Tour victories, solidifying his reputation as one of Canada’s greatest golfers. He has also played key roles in multiple Presidents Cup International Teams, both as a player and assistant captain, and most recently as the captain of the International Team for the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal. In addition to his PGA Tour success, Weir continues to compete on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, where he earned his first win at the 2021 Insperity Invitational. Recognized for his contributions to the sport, Weir was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2007 and inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2009. Click here to learn more about Mike Weir.

Tonya Williams (Arts and Entertainment) – Award-Winning Actress, Producer and Advocate

Emmy-nominated Tonya Williams, recognized as one of the 100 most influential Black Canadians for the third consecutive year in 2024, is also the recipient of the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards Changemaker Award, the 2023 Visionary Award from the Legacy Awards, and Playback’s Changemaker of the Year in 2021. She is an award-winning actress and producer who has worked in the industry for the last 49 years and is widely known for her 19 years starring on The Young and the Restless as Dr. Olivia Winters. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Reelworld Screen Institute, Reelworld Film Festival+Summit and Reelworld Foundation. Williams founded Reelworld in 2000 to address the lack of opportunities, access, and inclusion in Canada for Black, Indigenous, Asian and People of Colour in the screen industries. Williams currently sits on a number of boards, including the Canadian Artists Network, and is a co-founder and served as a board member of the Black Screen Office. She also sits on the Telefilm Diversity & Inclusion Group, Telefilm Authentic Storytelling sub-committee, the Canadian Media Fund Racialized Advisory Group, the Ontario Creates Advisory Committee, Canadian Creative Industries Coalitions Group and the Canadian Racial Screen Leaders Collective. Her numerous awards include two NAACP Image Awards, an ACTRA Award of Excellence, a WIFT-T Crystal Award, a Harry Jerome Award and two nomination for the Daytime Emmy Awards. Williams has been an outspoken advocate for racial diversity all of her life. Click here to learn more about Tonya Williams.

For more information on Canada’s Walk of Fame, visit www.canadaswalkoffame.com.