Davis accepted the award with humility, attributing his success as Premier to the values impressed upon him by his parents. "I grew up in a household where they all felt we had some responsibility to the community and to give back to the province in which we grew up."

Ontario Visionaries is a new initiative, designed to annually honour those who have contributed to business, public policy, labour and the social fabric of Ontario through leadership, collaboration and integrity. 

"We are pleased to have such a noble Canadian as our first recipient of the Ontario Visionaries award," says Len Crispino, President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. "More than just his education agenda, Premier Davis had a profound impact on transportation, infrastructure and trade. Perhaps most of all, his unwavering statesmanship and commitment to Ontario and Canada enabled him to build federal-provincial bridges that continue to stand today." 

The award was presented in front of a crowd of business, labour, education, government and non-governmental leaders at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls with tributes made by Senator Hugh Segal, The Honourable Jim Bradley, former PC Party of Ontario leader and radio personality John Tory, President of Niagara College Dan Patterson, Joe Barnicke and Deputy Leader of the PC Party of Ontario Christine Elliot.

Speakers paid tribute to the honesty and integrity Davis exhibited during his 26 year tenure in provincial politics and his contributions both to Ontario and to Canada.

A $2000.00 donation was made to the Brampton & Area Community Foundation in Davis' name.

Further information can be found at www.occ.on.ca.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) is a federation of 160 local chambers of commerce and boards of trade in the Province of Ontario, representing 60,000 businesses of all sizes, in all economic sectors and from every area of the province. In its mandate to advocate strong policies on issues affecting its members, the OCC is currently focused on economic renewal and business competitiveness. Its over-arching goal is to make Ontario the most competitive jurisdiction in North America.