At its meeting on Monday, June 23, North Glengarry council announced the rebranding and modernization of the Business and Community Awards Gala, now called North Glengarry’s Evening of Excellence (NGEE). Nominations opened on June 25 and will run until July 28, 2025.
Municipal staff explained that the modernized event will still include awards to celebrate local individuals, groups, and businesses. A portion of the evening will also showcase the growth and development of North Glengarry over the past year.
The changes come at no additional cost to the township.
The updated NGEE nomination process is now available on the Township of North Glengarry’s website, designed to streamline the process and increase the number of nominations received. Hardcopy forms will still be available as part of this process.
This year’s NGEE will feature two new awards:
- The North Glengarry Leader Under-40 Award—which celebrates outstanding achievements of young leaders in the community who have demonstrated leadership, innovation, and dedication to the township
- The Champion of Culture and Heritage Award—dedicated to an individual or group focused on preserving and celebrating the richness of local history and culture.
Deputy Mayor Carma Williams was concerned about the event’s length, stating, “It’s great to see a modern version of the event. My only concern is that by adding additional award categories, we’re going to make the evening even longer.”
Mayor Jamie MacDonald explained that to alleviate this, “Council members should limit their speeches at the event when speaking about award winners, and acceptance speeches by recipients should be shorter, too. We would then be able to accommodate the extra categories and winners.”
Additionally, the modernization initiative included a new logo for the event.
The proposed logo included a bundle of grain positioned near the top of the crest. Councillor Jacques Massie requested that the logo be made bilingual for the Francophone community and also replace the bundle of grain with a thistle.
The event is scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the Michel Depratto Hall in the Glengarry Sports Palace in Alexandria.
To nominate a North Glengarry individual, organization, or business, please visit: https://eforms.northglengarry.ca/Economic-Development/Evening-of-Excellence/2025-Evening-of-Excellence-Nomination-Form.
Council unanimously supported the rebranding and related updates without further discussion.
