Awards, events and milestones
Find out how to get a special message for an older adult or couple in your life and learn about awards for seniors.
Greetings and certificates
Message from his Majesty the King or Governor General
You can mark a special occasion by requesting a congratulatory message from his Majesty the King for:
- birthday greetings to Canadians who are aged 100 years or up
- couples who are celebrating an anniversary of 60 years or more
The Governor General sends birthday greetings to:
- Canadians who are aged 90 years or up
- couples celebrating an anniversary of 50 years or more
Email: anniversaries.anniversaires@gg.ca
Greetings from the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario sends greetings to:
- people celebrating birthdays of 90 years or older
- couples celebrating anniversaries of 50 years or more
Certificate from the Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada sends congratulatory certificates to:
- Canadians celebrating birthdays of 65 years or more
- couples celebrating anniversaries of 25 years or more
You can request a certificate every 5 years.
Certificate from the Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario provides congratulatory certificates to:
- Ontarians celebrating birthdays of 80 years or more
- couples celebrating anniversaries of 40 years or more
Email: CAB.Certificates@ontario.ca
Message from your Member of Provincial Parliament or Member of Parliament
Contact your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) or Member of Parliament (MP) for greetings or certificates for special occasions.
Find your local MPP through Elections Ontario.
Elections Ontario (click on Voter Information Service)
Email: info@elections.on.ca
Find your local MP through Elections Canada.
Elections Canada (click on the Voters box)
Awards for seniors
There are 2 provincial awards to celebrate seniors:
- Ontario Senior Achievement Award recognizes individuals for significant contributions to their communities after the age of 65
- Ontario Senior of the Year Award is a municipal award given to individuals aged 65 and up who have enriched the community’s social, cultural or civic life
The Government of Ontario offers medal and recognition programs to celebrate the people who make our province a better place to live.
Email: OntarioHonoursAndAwards@ontario.ca
Ontario Honours and Awards Secretariat
To recognize Ontarians’ outstanding achievements in the volunteer sector, the government plans and delivers the following awards:
- Ontario Volunteer Service Awards recognizes individuals for 5 to 60+ years of continuous service with one organization
- June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism recognizes individuals and groups who have made outstanding contributions as volunteers in their communities.
Annual events to celebrate seniors
There are many events in Ontario, in Canada and around the world to recognize and celebrate seniors. Mark these special dates in your calendar:
- Seniors Month is celebrated every June in Ontario to recognize the contributions of seniors to communities across the province
- Canadian National Seniors Day is celebrated on October 1 across Canada
- International Day of Older Persons on October 1 recognizes the contributions of seniors around the world