Hugh Christie, Law’81, is a pioneer in employment law in Canada. Blaine Favel, Law’90, is a former Grand Chief dedicated to improving the lives of Indigenous peoples across Canada. Allan McGavin, Law’12, is a corporate lawyer leading his Vancouver Branch in mentorship initiatives. They are all recipients of 2020 Queen’s University Alumni Association awards.
Hugh Christie, Law’81, is a pioneer in employment law in Canada. Blaine Favel, Law’90, is a former Grand Chief dedicated to improving the lives of Indigenous peoples across Canada. Allan McGavin, Law’12, is a corporate lawyer leading his Vancouver Branch in mentorship initiatives. They are all recipients of 2020 Queen’s University Alumni Association awards.

Three law grads – an employment law pioneer, a dedicated Indigenous leader and a mentorship builder – are among this year’s Queen’s University Alumni Association (QUAA) award recipients.

Along with seven other people and one organization, they will be honoured at the QUAA Awards Gala on April 4 for outstanding service to Queen’s and their communities.

“These alumni and recipients make me proud to call myself a graduate,” says QUAA President Jeremy Mosher (Artsci’08). “They are leaders and volunteers who have made a big difference in their fields of work, and in their communities and the world.”

Lawyer Hugh Christie, Law’81 (Artsci’78), is receiving the Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honour the QUAA gives to graduates.

Christie, who has been recognized by several organizations as one of the top lawyers in Canada, is a pioneer in the field of employment law. One of his important contributions was helping establish the Centre for Law in the Contemporary Workplace at Queen’s, which has made Queen’s the leading school for employment law in Canada. He continues to serve as a co-chair, a position he has held since the Centre launched in 2010. 

Over the past four decades, he has served his alma mater in many leadership roles, including as Alma Mater Society President, as Rector, and as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Blaine Favel, Law’90, is receiving QUAA Alumni Humanitarian Award for his tireless efforts to help the Indigenous communities across Canada. Whether launching an Aboriginal-focused business partnership or serving as the Grand Chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations or as Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan, he is always focused on supporting Indigenous communities and people. When he was Grand Chief, he helped launched the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, which has distributed more than $750 million to First Nations communities.   

Allan McGavin, Law’12 (Com’08), is receiving the Marsha Lampman Award for his outstanding dedication and service to a QUAA branch. He has volunteered on the executive committee of the Vancouver Alumni Branch since 2013, serving four years as the Branch President. Under his leadership, the Vancouver Branch launched a mentorship program in 2017, connecting recent graduates with Queen’s alumni who are established in their field. He has also pushed an initiative to help new graduates transition into life in Vancouver with ease. Despite a busy career in corporate law, he is committed to volunteering and continues to be involved in community initiatives.

Visit the Queen’s Law website and watch the Queen’s Law social media channels in the coming weeks to learn more about these recipients.