King Charles

The Board of Directors and the staff are delighted to announce that our Executive Director, Linda Bruins, was invited by the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, to be presented the King Charles III Coronation Medal on May 6th for her dedicated service to my peers, to our community, to Ontario, and to Canada. The contributions made are highly commendable and deserve praise.

King Charles III has dedicated his life to the service of people throughout the Commonwealth. Championing youth, environmental stewardship, Crown-Indigenous relations, and recognizing the services given by those in uniform. Linda is proud to wear her medal with pride of her accomplishments and to commemorate this significant milestone.

Accomplishments

  • Was given the former biker property on Heron Street and converted it to Evergreen House
  • Evergreen House is safe place for community members to meet , learn and share
  • Adopted Minnesota Park and lead community sports and recreation programs for over a decade
  • Identify community issues and work with city departments to create positive change
  • Working with property standards to remove derelict buildings in area
  • Safe needle disposal boxes with the City and Superior Points-first in Ontario
  • 2011 Inaugural Crime Prevention Award for Outstanding Community Project
  • First neighbourhood association in Thunder Bay
  • 2008 Local Heroes Award from the Canada Urban Institute

Executive Director Bio 

Linda Bruins continues to revitalize our community while keeping her focus on the most-important aspect: the people. The always-smiling Executive Director of Evergreen A United Neighbourhood has built a reputation for working with people of all ages and from all walks of life, moving everyone toward a common vision – strong people living in a healthy and safe community. “I felt overall, we’ve always had a good community, but with safety issues,” Bruins said. “I’ve been aware for a long time, growing up in the Simpson-Ogden neighbourhood, that we need to support one another.”

“Everybody wants to help,” she said.

Growing up in this neighbourhood has shaped the person I am today and I honoured to work in this community for over a decade .

Evergreen a United Neighbourhood, a neighbourhood association serving the Simpson-Ogden neighbourhood, has become a huge success, but it’s not the only initiative Linda has embraced as she works to make Thunder Bay a safer, more-vibrant place to live. She’s also a former  board member at the PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise. She has received numerous prestigious accolades for her tireless support of Thunder Bay and its people, including a 2012 Good Citizen Award from the City of Thunder Bay, and a 2012 June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism from the Ontario government. Perhaps most importantly, Linda has proven to be a valued and trusted friend and ally to those she works with. One such colleague notes Linda is “always there when we need her, is a great listener, and is kind and supportive to everyone she works with.”

Other awards

    • 2008 Local Heroes Award Urban Leadership
    • 2010 Paro Volunteer of the year at the Women of Distinction Awards
    • 2010 Woman of Distinction at the Women of Distinction
    • 2011 Illka T. Ovaska Award for Social Responsibility through the Bay Credit Union
    • 2011 5 year Volunteer Service Awards for Paro Centre for Women’s Enterprise by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
    • 2012 Outstanding Community Project at the inaugural City of Thunder Bay Crime Prevention Awards
    • 2012 June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Volunteerism (to Linda Bruins)
    • 2012 Good Citizen Award – City of Thunder Bay to Linda Bruins
    • 2014 Community Hero Award to Linda Bruins Mayors Community Safety Awards
    • 2014 Paros top 20 in 20 years award
    • 2025 Awarded King Charles III Coronation Medal