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Artificial intelligence expert Raquel Urtasun, business leader and philanthropist Blake Goldring and anesthesiologist Beverley Orser are among several members of the University of Toronto community who have recently been recognized with the Order of Ontario.

Edith Dumont, lieutenant-governor of Ontario, announced on Jan. 1.  

They include Urtasun, a professor in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, co-founder of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence and founder and CEO of self-driving vehicle company Waabi, who was . “I am so proud to be appointed to the Order of Ontario,” Urtasun said in a . “It is an honour to be recognized alongside such outstanding Ontarians who have made exceptional contributions toward a better province, country, and world.”

Goldring, the executive chair of AGF Management Limited and a Victoria College alum, was honoured for his longstanding support of causes in education, health, arts and the military. Over several decades, the Goldring family has supported numerous initiatives at U of T including the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport and Goldring Student Centre at Victoria College.

Orser was among 26 luminaries – and five Temerty Faculty of Medicine scholars – to be appointed to the in November 2023. An affiliate scientist in the Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program at the Sunnybrook Research Institute and professor in the departments of physiology and anesthesiology and pain medicine at Temerty, , improving access to care in rural communities and mitigating post-operative delirium and cognitive decline.

Established in 1986, the Order of Ontario is the highest civilian honour bestowed by the province.