SUDBURY, Ontario, June 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
The final ceremonies honouring the spring 2026 graduating class take place today for Boréal campuses in Hearst, Kapuskasing, Nipissing, Ottawa, Sudbury, Timmins, Toronto, and Windsor, as well as Boréal Online. With parents, families and friends in attendance, Collège Boréal President Daniel Giroux, along with the College’s senior leadership, will have handed out no fewer than 1,058 diplomas this spring, setting a new record in the College’s history.
Governor General’s Academic Medal
Souhila Ouari, a graduate of the Early Childhood Education program offered through Boréal Online, received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. This distinction is awarded to a full-time student with the highest average in a program that is at least two years in length and leads to a diploma.
Honorary Diploma
This year, Collège Boréal is awarding an honorary diploma in business and community services to Paul C. Genest, Senior Vice-President of Power Corporation of Canada and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery of Canada, in recognition of an outstanding career serving the common good, contributing to cultural life, and advancing Ontario’s Francophone community. Over the course of his remarkable career, Genest has demonstrated influential leadership in the public, community, and corporate sectors. As Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Francophone Affairs and Deputy Minister responsible for the 2015 Toronto Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, he contributed to lasting policies and partnerships that promoted access to French-language services and raised the profile of communities in Ontario. In addition to his leading role in the cultural and philanthropic sectors, Genest also made a significant contribution to the College by negotiating its very first Strategic Mandate Agreement with the Government of Ontario.
Collège Boréal President’s Award and Board Chair Award
Awarded respectively to private-sector and community organizations, Collège Boréal’s President’s Award and Board Chair Award recognize outstanding contributions to the development of the College and its community.
This year, the President’s Award is being presented to DJB Mining Products and Services Ltd., in particular for its active role in training the next generation and for sharing its expertise in support of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP). By making its facilities available and helping enhance the College’s educational infrastructure through equipment donations, DJB Mining Products and Services Ltd. has become a valued partner. Daniel Brunet, the company’s owner, also serves on the advisory committee for Boréal’s welding programs, helping to foster an innovative and inclusive learning and work environment that reflects the needs of the region.
The Board Chair Award is being presented to FrancoQueer, a Francophone association based in Toronto, whose sustained commitment to 2SLGBTQIA+ people contributes significantly to Collège Boréal’s equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. Through its ongoing support, FrancoQueer offers consultations, facilitates webinars, and provides workshops that raise awareness and give both Boréal’s students and staff tools to better understand the realities of sexual and gender diversity. These activities foster respectful and open dialogue, while highlighting the collective responsibility to act with openness and active listening.
Boréal Foundation
Thanks to the generosity of the individuals and agencies that supported the Boréal Foundation in 2025-2026, more than 6,000 bursaries were awarded to Collège Boréal students, for a total value of more than $2.3 million.
Quotes
“Collège Boréal is deeply proud to celebrate the remarkable achievements of its graduates, whose success reflects unwavering perseverance. Their efforts actively contribute to the vitality of the French language at the heart of every community, while demonstrating the undeniable impact of their new skills and diversity on Ontario’s economic and cultural development. With their Boréal diplomas in hand, this new generation of graduates can look forward to rewarding and promising opportunities.”
Daniel Giroux — President of Collège Boréal
“Collège Boréal recognizes the commitment and talent of a highly qualified new generation, ready to meet the needs of Ontario communities. Through their determination and career choices in key fields such as business administration — a field in which the College is celebrating the first graduating cohort of its bachelor’s degree program this year — Boréal graduates are helping build tomorrow’s society. We wish them all the success they deserve, and career paths that live up to their ambitions.”
Paulette Bonin — Vice-President Academic, Collège Boréal
Quick facts
- Since it was founded in 1995, Collège Boréal has awarded 26,157 diplomas across its service area, from Northern to Southern Ontario.
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Information
Benoît Clément
Manager, Communications and Media Relations
705-560-6673, ext. 2722
[email protected]
| About Collège Boréal Created in Sudbury in 1995, Collège Boréal is a French-language post-secondary education and training institution committed to the development and growth of the various Ontario communities it serves. |
Through its 31 campuses across 27 communities, Collège Boréal offers a high level of expertise in post-secondary education, basic training, apprenticeship, immigrant services, employment services, customized training and applied research. | Learn more: To find out more about Collège Boréal’s programs and services, visit our website at www.collegeboreal.ca or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky and X. |
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f34761ff-6d07-4469-88aa-ae9fd0177de7
