Dr Donette Chin-Loy Chang, Jamaica-born chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University, was honoured as ‘Person of the Year’ at the 2025 Hua Cai Awards on January 16.

This year’s gala, which took place will take place at the prestigious TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, celebrated excellence, diversity, and achievements in Canada by outstanding individuals and organisations. 

Hosted by Xinflix Media and The Justin Poy Agency, ‘hua cai‘ translates to “Glory to the Chinese” in mandarin, a nod to the award’s roots in the Chinese-Canadian community.

The award programme’s mission is to honour individuals and organisations that have made exceptional contributions to bridging the gap between diverse and multicultural communities, and the broader Canadian society, or who have raised the profile of their respective fields within Canada while demonstrating excellence in their fields.

“We are delighted to be hosting the Hua Cai Awards for the fourth year in a row, honouring some of Canada’s greatest luminaries, while promoting cross-cultural cooperation. What started out as a modest local programme meant to inspire and uplift the Chinese-Canadian community has now grown to become one of Canada’s top award programs originating from the Chinese community,” said Patrick Hung, Hua Cai Awards co-chair and president of Xinflix Media.

Past honorees include renowned public figures such as the late Mayor Hazel McCallion, Mary Ng, Victor Oh, Senator Yuen Pau Woo, Dr Joseph Wong, Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Mayor David West, Dr Vivienne Poy, and Cameron Bailey.

This year, the Hua Cai Award winners are as follows:

International Economic Trade Excellence Award

1. Tony Chhung Gov

2. Chao Gao

3. Eason Kun Su

Industry Leader Award

1. Adam Cai

2. Di Han

Outstanding Youth Contribution Award

1. Justin Weng

2. Shero Li

3. Dr. Samantha Nutt

Community Harmony and Diversity Award

1. Leah Taylor Roy

2. James Lin

3. Deanna Wong

Leadership in Academics Award

1. Norman Gaudet

2. Dr. Teresa M. Chan

Outstanding Public Service Organization Award

1. Toronto Dragon Festival, Received by President Jian (John) Zhang

2. Destination Markham, Received by Randy Snape

Leadership in Canadian Business Award

1. The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business

2. Gavin Barrett

Person of the Year Award

1. Donette Chin-Loy Chang, LLD (Honoris Causa)

“2025 marks the first year that we are officially partnering with Xinflix Media to host the iconic Hua Cai Awards. We are dedicated to making this the most elegant and successful recognition program in Canada, awarding those that can inspire the next generation of leaders who understand the importance of cultural diversity and bridging the divide that exists among different cultures and communities,” added Justin Poy, Hua Cai Awards co-chair and the creative director at The Justin Poy Agency.

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