In accepting the Senior of the Year Award, Bill Smirle was humble as always. “As everyone was speaking, I kept looking over my shoulder to see if I knew that person, and you know, I think I do,” said Smirle.” From left: North Dundas Councillor John Lennox, Mayor Tony Fraser, Bill Smirle, Senior of the Year, Nancy Wilson, Deputy Mayor Theresa Bergeron, Councillor Matthew Uhrig, Councillor Gary Annable. Tinkess Photo

WINCHESTER – If you were to ask anyone who lives in and around North Dundas who they would think of if the conversation turned to who does more on a volunteer basis, one name would more often than any other, and that name would be Bill Smirle. It was not a surprise then, when Smirle was named the Ontario Senior of the year for the Township of North Dundas.

The Ontario Senior of the Year Award is a provincial program that enables municipalities to recognize one outstanding resident annually for contributions made after the age of 65. Presented through Ontario’s honours and awards program, the award celebrates seniors who have enriched the social, cultural or civic life of their communities through volunteer service, leadership and community involvement. Each municipality may select only one recipient each year, making it one of the highest local honours available to Ontario seniors.

There are several selection criteria considered in making the award. To be eligible, nominees must:

  • Be 65 years of age or older.
  • Have made significant contributions to their community after reaching age 65.
  • Have enriched the social, cultural, or civic life of the municipality.
  • Demonstrate a record of volunteer service, leadership, community involvement, or other activities that have had a positive impact on local residents.

Contributions may come from many fields, including:

  • Volunteerism
  • Arts and culture
  • Heritage preservation
  • Education
  • Humanitarian work
  • Environmental initiatives
  • Recreation and fitness
  • Community leadership and civic engagement.

The award serves as an acknowledgement that seniors continue to play a vital role in building strong communities long after retirement age. It highlights the value of lifelong volunteerism and civic participation while recognizing individuals whose dedication often occurs behind the scenes and without expectation of recognition.

For communities such as North Dundas, the award not only honours the recipient but also celebrates the broader spirit of volunteerism that helps sustain local organizations, events, charities, service clubs, and municipal initiatives.

If we were to try and list all the fund-raising programs that Smirle had been actively involved in we would surely miss some. Saying that if the fundraising took place in and around North Dundas, then Smirle most certainly would have been involved is safer, and very close to the truth. If it improved the quality of life in North Dundas, he would have been involved.

The presentation of the award came at the beginning of the regularly scheduled meeting of the Council of the Township of North Dundas. In attendance were many of Smirle’s friends, family, and colleagues in his many efforts to make the Township a better place to live. Letters which were requested to support Smirle’s nomination were read aloud, and MPP Nolan Quinn, and MPP Eric Duncan who were not able to be in attendance due to the responsibilities of their roles, provided video greetings and congratulations. Each of the members of Council, in turn also offered their congratulations before Mayor Tony Fraser made the presentation of the award to Smirle.

“I’m presenting to Mr. Smirle, the 2026 Senior of the Year Award,” said Mayor Fraser. “It is presented to Mr. Bill Smirle by the Municipality of the Township of North Dundas in recognition of your outstanding contributions after age 65 that strengthen and  protect our communities, and that is signed by The Honourable Raymond Chow,  Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, the Honourable Edithe Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Tony Fraser, the head of Council for the Township of North Dundas. Mr. Smirle, congratulations.”

Smirle, as always, was humble in accepting the award. “As everyone was speaking, I kept looking over my shoulder to see if I knew that person, and you know, I think I do,” said Smirle.

“I wanted to say a whole lot of thank you’s. You know, you can give all the credit to a certain individual or other individuals, but I want to give a lot of credit to people who have helped me get to where I am. My parents, many years ago, my family now, they give me the time to go and do these things, and they question me at times, and give me advice and give me suggestions that sometimes you even have to follow.

“And I also want to thank the Council, this community and the people in the community,” continued Smirle. “This community is one of the most knowledgeable, thoughtful, positive, supportive, giving help and giving dollars, that I have ever seen. And, you know, we collected… I’ve worked on a lot of collecting committees, or asking people for money, and I just seem to do it sometimes, and it always seems to work. But there have been people from around Ontario that have come here to ask us, how do you raise this money? And I said, you make sure you have a supportive community, because the community and the people that live in it are what make the difference. And if I have helped others, I’ve had a lot of help from others as I’ve gone along, too. So, I really appreciate being nominated and receiving this award. It’s an honour, and I look forward to having some energy to do, a few more things as time goes on. So, thank you very much.”

With the ceremony out of the way, Council moved on to their next matter, which was a South Nation Conservation Authority update provided by…Bill Smirle.

Before leaving, Smirle was asked what advice he might have for a young person wondering how they could help their community become a better place.

“Get to know the people in your area, appreciate what they’re doing and how they do it, and know that there are so many thoughtful, caring, kind, supportive people here,” said Smirle. “It’s really easy to do things when you have a community like that.”

Smirle, and people like him are living proof that age should not be a determining factor when considering a person’s value, or how much they can contribute. At 86, Smirle proves that every day. May he continue to do so for many more.