Engineering professor and alumnus formally join Order of Canada

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Keith Hipel, a longtime professor at Waterloo Engineering, was formally invested today into the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours.

Hipel was made an officer of the Order, a rank that recognizes national service or achievement, by Governor General Julie Payette during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

Keith Hipel and Julie Payette

Keith Hipel, a longtime Waterloo Engineering systems design engineering professor, is congratulated by Governor General Julie Payette at a ceremony in Ottawa today to invest him as an officer into the Order of Canada.                                                                   Photo: Sgt. Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2018

A systems design engineering professor who earned three degrees at Waterloo as a student, Hipel was cited for developing “innovative decision models that have been used to design environmental strategies and address pollution conflicts worldwide.”

His citation described Hipel as a “pre-eminent leader” in his field and said his “interdisciplinary systems approach has been applied to such wide-ranging challenges as the management of water levels in the Great Lakes and sustainable energy development.”

It also noted he has held numerous leadership posts with academic and professional institutions, including president of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada.

Hipel holds the title of University Professor, the highest academic honour at the University of Waterloo, and has won both the Distinguished Teacher Award and the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision.

Jim Estill, who is a 1980 systems design engineering alumnus, became a member of the Order of Canada at the same ceremony.

Estill, president and CEO of home appliance manufacturer Danby Products Ltd,, was recognized for since 2015.

During the course of his career, Estill has invested in 150 startup companies and received international

Jim Estill
 attention for sponsoring the resettling of 58 Syrian refugee families -- over 200 people -- in Guelph.

In recognition of his philanthropic efforts, Estill also received the Order of Ontario as well as an Everyday Heroes Award from the Global Hope Coalition. 

Order includes almost 7,000 people

He was one of eight new officers of the Order invested during the ceremony. Thirty-one people also became members, a designation for contributions at the local or regional level, or in a special field of activity.

Created in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation, the Order includes almost 7,000 people from all walks of life.