Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: December 6, 2017
• Invested on: September 06, 2018

John W. Hilborn, C.M.
Deep River, Ontario

Physicist John Hilborn made pioneering contributions to Canada’s burgeoning nuclear industry. Throughout his lengthy tenure with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, he participated in the commissioning of several nuclear reactors at the corporation’s laboratories in Chalk River, Ontario and in Whiteshell, Manitoba. His most-noted innovation is the SLOWPOKE reactor, an inherently safe, low-power nuclear reactor that has been instrumental in both research and commercial applications in Canada and abroad. He is also greatly admired within his local community for his leadership of initiatives related to sports, education and history.