Taekwondo instructor, junior hockey star among 33 honoured at Pickering Civic Awards
Published May 17, 2023 at 12:06 pm
A young woman still in her twenties who is the head instructor at the Durham Taekwondo academy and a future NHL star now playing for a berth in the Memorial Cup were awarded Special Citations at the City of Pickering’s Civic Awards Monday night.
The annual ceremony was held in the Council Chambers, with 33 individuals and groups honoured, including Senior of the Year.
The Special Citations were given to Sofia Hovnanian, the Master Instructor at family-run Durham Taekwondo, and Brennan Othmann, a New York Rangers draft prospect who is currently playing for the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario League final.
Hovnanian, who began Taekwondo at the age of three, is the recipient of multiple awards from World Taekwondo and is a multiple medallist from competitions around the world, though coaching young people is her special skill.
“It is an honour to be the recipient of the 2023 Special Citation Award from the City of Pickering and Mayor Kevin Ashe,” Hovnanian said on Instagram, giving special thanks to her students who “motivate me to constantly be the best version of myself.”
“I started taekwondo 25 years ago and I never would’ve dreamed where it would take me in life. I am blessed to be able to share that passion with others, and I’m excited for the adventure to continue.”
Othmann, 20, is a two-time World Junior Hockey gold medalist for Canada.
The Senior of the Year Award was given to long-time Frenchman’s Bay resident and environmentalist Carol McGuffie, while Lifetime Achievement Awards were given to family physician Dr. Walter Ah Now and Dr. Ozair Chaudhry, who is an advisor with Durham Environmental & Climate Advisory Committee.
Dr. Ozair Chaudhry
Other Pickering Civic Awards, which recognize the outstanding achievements of residents, community organizations and local businesses and are nominated by peers and local residents, include:
Individual Volunteer Award
Jake Starratt-Farr
Frank Ferguson
Naseer Sukhera
Service Group Award
Community Living Ajax-Pickering
Community Group Award
Fairport Beach Neighbourhood Association
Glengrove Public School
Amateur Sports Award
David Romaniuk
Ed Whitehead
Youth Volunteer Award
Sophie Jiang
Sophia Mohmand
Jason Raghunandan
Aiden Veloso
Youth Leadership Award
Aleena Azmat
Sustainability Award
Mattamy Homes
Arts Award
Nicole Bachan
Jon Colwell
Ella Gonzales
Cultural Diversity Award
June Castanha
Newton Vanriel
Heritage Award
Julie Oakes
Kylie Soundy
Urban Design Award
Kubota Canada Ltd
Local Business Award
PetValu Pickering
Super Rx Pharmacy
Accessibility Award
Seana Haley
Environment Award
Craig Bamford
Land Over Landings (award declined)
World Junior gold medalist, Peterborough Pete and New York Ranger prospect Brennan Othmann