At a ceremony at IG Field on Sept. 14, Premier Kelvin Goertzen invested the Grey Cup-winning 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers into the Order of the Buffalo Hunt.
“The Winnipeg Blue Bombers players and staff represented their club, the city and the province with pride, and today I am proud to honour the team members and staff by investing them into the prestigious Order of the Buffalo Hunt,” said Goertzen. “The Bombers broke what was the longest-active CFL Grey Cup drought and that achievement deserves to be recognized and celebrated. On behalf of all members of the Manitoba legislature and all Manitobans, it is my great pleasure to pay tribute to Manitoba’s hometown team, which serves as a strong reminder of the value of sport as a vehicle to bring us together and enrich our communities.”
On Nov. 24, 2019, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) 107th Grey Cup in Calgary, Alta., by a score of 33 to 12 against the Hamilton Tiger Cats. This was the club’s first Grey Cup victory since 1990.
Winnipegger Andrew Harris won both the 2019 Grey Cup most valuable player (MVP) Award and the Canadian MVP award. The 2019 team was led by head coach Mike O’Shea, general manager Kyle Walters, and president and CEO Wade Miller, with Dayna Spiring serving as board chair.
Manitoba’s Order of the Buffalo Hunt was established in 1957. The honour is bestowed by the province on individuals and groups who demonstrate outstanding skills in the areas of leadership, service and community commitment. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were awarded the Order of the Buffalo Hunt in 1957, 1984 and 1988 for Grey Cup (or Western Interprovincial Football Union) victories. Most recently, the province invested the Canadian Olympic women’s curling team (Team Jennifer Jones) in 2014 and Team Manitoba medal winners from the 2017 Canada Summer Games.
This summer, Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer on behalf of Manitoba’s public health team, and Linette Siragusa, Manitoba’s chief nursing officer on behalf of front-line health-care providers, were bestowed with the award in recognition of their efforts to save lives and protect Manitobans during the COVID-19 pandemic. As well, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and the citizens of North Dakota were recognized for their goodwill, ingenuity and support to vaccinate Manitoba essential workers – the first such program between a Canadian and American jurisdiction.
