It was a special day for Moose Jaw resident Christine Boyczuk as she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, an honour to celebrate Her Majesty’s commitment to public service.  

Boyczuk was joined by 70 other Saskatchewan residents on Aug. 30 who were nominated and presented with the medal.  

“Oh my gosh, I was so excited!” says Boyczuk. “I truly believe that you never get something because of your accomplishments. I have so many people to be grateful for. I had a lot of gratitude that the work was recognized on behalf of all the people that we served together.” 

Her community-first mentality was instilled in her by her father who, like Boyczuk received the Platinum Jubilee Medal 20 years ago. 

“He was involved within the community. When he moved to Moose Jaw to retire, he worked on the golf course, planting trees. In Spring Valley, he would be out putting down a sheet of ice for the kids. He was very committed to the community and said that you should give back.” 

Boyczuk was a teacher for many years, including the Director of Education for the Sun West School Division in Davidson, where she retired.  

Her community involvement didn’t stop after she retired from education though. She went on to be involved in many organizations with the ultimate goal of helping communities and the people within them.  

“I worked as a recreation coordinator. As a rec coordinator, I learned to love working with other groups in Moose Jaw. After that, I became the literacy coordinator part-time. I was lucky enough to always have a job that I really enjoyed and appreciated the benefits of the work.” 

Her most recent work was being a part of the city’s Community COVID Response Committee for the last two years. She is also a board member for the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, has involvement within Square One Community, and is working on the Community Wellness Collaboration. That is just a few of the laundry lists of organizations she has or is currently a part of within the community.  

After years and years of helping others, she says receiving that award was very humbling.  

“To see the kind of work that some of the people and what they had contributed to the province was far beyond what I could ever hope to contribute. It was such an honour to be in such a group. I could not be in that room without being very humbled.” 

Boyczuk wasn’t the only Moose Jaw resident to receive such an award. Joining her at the ceremony was artist and business owner Yvette Moore.  

Last week's ceremony is the first of many medal presentations that will take place throughout the Jubilee Year. Those in attendance were recognized for their contributions in a number of areas including sport, arts, public service, education, agriculture and health.   

Throughout the Platinum Jubilee year, the province will present a total of 7,000 medals to recipients who have contributed to Canada, Saskatchewan, or a particular region or community.       

The Platinum Jubilee Years comes to an end on February 5, 2023, and the deadline for nominations is Oct. 31.   

The province says the criteria for the medal are very broad, and recipients should be of all ages, and all walks of life, provided that they have made a contribution to society.   

Three minimum criteria for the medal recipients are:   

• They are a resident of Saskatchewan or have a link to Saskatchewan (at the time of the grant of the medal);   

• They have made a contribution to Canada, Saskatchewan, or to a particular region or community; and   

• They were alive on February 6, 2022, the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty’s Accession to the Throne.   

Full details and the nomination form can be found with this link to the Province of