Professor Emeritus Dan Ish

Two U of S alumni named to Order of Canada

In an announcement made by the Governor General of Canada on December 30, 2013, two University of Saskatchewan alumni were appointed to the Order of Canada.

By Derrick Kunz
Professor Emeritus Daniel (Dan) Ish (BA'70, LLB'70) was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for his commitment to social justice, notably as the former chief adjudicator of the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat.

Ish spent more than 30 years with the College of Law at the U of S, starting as a faculty member in 1975. He served as dean from 1982-88, and was acting dean twice (in the 1990s and 2000s). He is a Member of the Law Societies of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and he was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1991.

Ish taught tax law and alternative dispute resolution, and his research focused on harassment and privacy in the workplace. In 2001 he joined the U of S Centre for the Study of Co-operatives where he worked on international co-operative development, co-operative law and labour relations issues relevant to co-ops. He also served as director of the centre.

Most recently, Ish was appointed the chief adjudicator of the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat. He stepped down from that role in 2013, and is still involved with the program as an adjudicator.

Morley Hanson (BEd'74) was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his work to empower Inuit youth, notably as the coordinator of Nunavut Sivuniksavut.

Early in his career, Hanson taught in Northern Saskatchewan and also worked with young offenders in wilderness camps as part of the Katimavik program.

In 1988, Hanson joined the Nunavut Sivuniksavut training program in Ottawa, Ont. as an instructor. Nunavut Sivuniksavut is a non-profit college training program for Inuit youth who are preparing to enter the workforce in Nunavut or pursue additional post-secondary education. The program's emphasis is on the history and politics in Nunavut.

On a recent sabbatical, he worked on an education development program at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Rwanda.

See the complete list of appointees and more information on the Order of Canada.