For Immediate Release:
Abreu’s achievements will be recognized during Canada’s Walk of Fame’s 2023 Inductee & Honouree Broadcast, Airing Saturday, December 16, on CTV.
Media Note: Download high-resolution images of Catherine Abreu and watch her reaction to the news of receiving the 2023 National Hero Honour.
Toronto, ON (November 16, 2023) – Canada’s Walk of Fame is pleased to announce internationally renowned, award-winning environmental champion Catherine Abreu as the 2023 recipient of the National Hero Honour. Named by Apolitical as one of the world’s 100 most influential people in climate change policy (2022), for more than 15 years, Abreu has been a leader in campaigning on environmental issues, including 10 years in the heart of the global climate movement. Catherine’s work will be recognized during Canada’s Walk of Fame’s 2023 Inductee & Honouree Broadcast, airing on Saturday, December 16 at 7 PM ET on CTV.
“The National Hero Honour was launched in 2021 to acknowledge a special Canadian whose impact, in that particular year, is remarkable. Their selflessness, dedication and outstanding contributions have made a significant difference in the lives of others. Catherine Abreu is a Hero at the forefront of the important client change conversation, working tirelessly to make our communities, our country and our world a better place,” said Jeffrey Latimer, CEO of Canada’s Walk of Fame. “The essential work that Catherine does to preserve and protect our climate will have a lasting impact on future generations. Her remarkable achievements inspire and are a poignant reminder of what can be accomplished with grit, perseverance, and a selfless dedication to preserve and protect the world around us.”
In 2021, Catherine founded Destination Zero, a non-profit that partners with other non-profits to build a community for a fossil-free future.
Catherine is one of 14 Advisors appointed to Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body, the legally mandated, arms-length expert body advising the government on pathways to meet its climate commitments. She also serves as an advisor to the Canadian Climate Institute and sits on the Boards and steering committees of several organizations, including Climate Action Network Canada, the Global Gas and Oil Network, and the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.
Catherine served as the Executive Director of Canada’s Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat (CAN-Rac) from 2016 to 2021. Before joining CAN-Rac, she spent five years spearheading the energy and climate programs at the Ecology Action Centre, one of Atlantic Canada’s largest and longest-running environmental organizations.
In 2020, Catherine was awarded the Jack Layton Progress Prize for her international leadership on climate policy and action and her transformative work as Executive Director of CAN-Rac. She was inducted into Canada’s Clean50 in 2018.
Catherine is a dedicated collaborator and community organizer. In the last decade, she has founded and supported the work of a dozen distinct coalitions in the realms of environmental and arts advocacy. An accomplished public speaker, she is honoured to have shared the stage with some of the world’s leading environmental thinkers. She has appeared internationally and in Canada on CBC, BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, and other current affairs television and radio programs and has been quoted in stories on climate and energy issues in the Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Agence France Presse, Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, and many other Canadian and international news outlets.
