A Collingwood resident had to keep an exciting secret over the Christmas break.
Lisa Farano received a call saying she was among 47 people being appointed to the Order of Ontario this year, but she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone she didn’t live with until after the official announcement.
“I almost fell off my chair,” said Farano.
Since her only housemate is of the canine variety, she had to sit in that chair and on the secret until the official announcement on Jan. 1, 2021.
Farano was nominated for the award by Elephant Thoughts executive director Jeremy Rhodes.
“Lisa has been a passionate advocate, especially for helping non-Indigenous people to develop respect and combat racism toward Indigenous people,” said Rhodes. “She’s been tireless over the last 17 years.”
The provincial announcement states Farano received her award for her role as co-creator of the global children’s education charity Elephant Thoughts, and for building awareness and understanding among non-native populations regarding issues facing Indigenous peoples while offering academic support to Indigenous communities throughout Canada.
“She’s a strong advocate,” said Rhodes.
Farano said she’s glad to receive the award because it will help shine a light on the issues she’s been working to bring to the forefront of people’s minds.
“To me, it’s not about the person, really, it’s about the issues and being able to shine a light on the work and I think that’s why these awards happen and why they’re so important,” said Farano. “I felt very humbled to have the respect and support of the province in recognizing the work of Elephant Thoughts and also for my own focus of helping to bring awareness and understanding of Indigenous issues to Canadians.”
One of the experiences that stands out in Farano’s mind and propels her forward in her work to bring awareness to the issues Indigenous people in Canada are facing is the time she spent living in a Mi’kmaq community in Cape Breton, N.S.
“I really understood the beauty of the people, but also the extraordinary challenges that the rest of Canadians don’t seem to know about,” said Farano. “Everyday racism is all around us and generally accepted and that’s the problem.”
She recalls 20 years ago first being asked to come to an Indigenous community and seeing a stark contrast between the living conditions of those in the community compared to those a few kilometres away outside of the boundaries of the Indigenous community. One one side of the border was safe drinking water, on the other side it was unsafe.
“I could never believe it, I could never understand it,” said Farano. “It doesn’t have to be like this… it’s so unnecessary and it needs to change and it is changing.”
She also takes inspiration and encouragement from her father’s example. He was born in southern Ontario to an Italian family. He lived in a ghetto in Toronto and, as Farano explained, faced “tremendous racism.”
Throughout his adult life, he worked to show the value of Italian culture and trades for Ontario and was knighted by the Italian government for his work in helping bring acceptance and understanding toward Italians.
“He did that not by setting his culture aside, but by building on it,” said Farano. “(Canada) started out by trying to get rid of Indigenous culture… instead we are now shining a light on Indigenous cultures and perspectives, and this is super important.”
She is encouraged by progress and change she sees in Collingwood.
“There’s a greater understanding, and tons more work to be done,” said Farano. “We need to continually shine a light on it until the majority understands the way we treat people is a choice. Racism is something we can overcome with education.”
Education is a pillar for Elephant Thoughts, and recognition of the impact and importance of that education is key for the Collingwood-based charity.
“It validates the work we do as a group,” said Rhodes. “These conversations have got to move the change forward. … The Order of Ontario is saying this is important, and by recognizing those advancing the conversations, they’re moving the conversation forward.”
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Elizabeth Dowdeswell announced 47 new appointments to the Order of Ontario on Jan. 1, 2021. They included recipients for 2019 and 2020.
Farano’s name is among the 2019 recipients.
Since it was established in 1986, 798 people have been appointed to the Order of Ontario. Each recipient receives a trillium-shaped medallion.
The order is presented to people who have shown excellence in their field.
You can see the full list of 2019 and 2020 Order of Ontario appointments on the province’s website.
