Ontario's first black Cabinet minister and a former leader of the provincial Liberal Party during the 1990s were among the latest group of Ontarians to receive the province's highest official honour Thursday.

Alvin Curling, 74, former housing and skills development minister and a Speaker of the legislature was among 25 residents invested with the 2014 Order of Ontario by Lieutenant-Governor David Onley.

Curling, a Jamaican-Canadian who spent 20 years in the legislature, was a minister in former premier David Peterson's Cabinet in the late 1980s and became Speaker in 2003.

Peterson's subsequent replacement as Liberal leader, Lyn McLeod, 71, was also invested with the Order of Ontario.

McLeod, from Thunder Bay, was elected in 1987 and became minister of colleges and universities. After the Liberals were upset by the NDP in the 1990 election ─ and Peterson lost his seat ─ she became party leader but later lost the 1995 election to Mike Harris and the Progressive Conservatives.

Other recipients announced Thursday included film director David Cronenberg, hockey great Paul Henderson, pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. James Rutka and TV Ontario broadcaster Steve Paikin.

"Our province is richer for the contributions of these distinguished individuals," Onley said in a ceremony at the Grand Staircase at the front of the legislature. "Through drive and determination, they have pushed boundaries and serve as truly outstanding examples for all Ontarians."

The appointees to Ontario's highest honour were chosen for their contributions to the arts, law, science, medicine, history, politics and philanthropy.

Instituted in 1986 by then-lieutenant-governor Lincoln Alexander, the civilian order honours current or former Ontario residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, demonstrating "the best of Ontario's caring and diverse society and [whose] lives have benefited society in Ontario and elsewhere."

Canadian citizenship is not a requirement and elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office.

Last year's winners included actor Michael Burgess and Toronto resident Mark Cohon, commissioner of the Canadian Football League and chair of the Ontario Science Centre's board of trustees. Two others who won the award included Anne Golden, former president of the Conference Board of Canada and head of the United Way of Greater Toronto, and Joan Green, the Toronto Board of Education's first female CEO and founding CEO of the Education Quality and Accountability Office.

Curling, McLeod, Paikin among Order of Ontario recipients

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