Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: October 5, 2006
• Invested on: October 26, 2007

Arriving in the North as a missionary in the 1950s, Michael Gardener travelled by dogsled and lived on the land with Inuit people, learning their language, customs and history. Thus began a lifelong commitment to the people of Northern communities. He started the first class for Inuit children in one of the areas he served. In another, he organized an Anglican theological college, which became the foundation for the growth of First Nations ministry in the North. In Iqaluit, he has mobilized community action on a number of challenging social issues. He also served with the city's Adult Justice Committee and the Northwest Territories elders society. Currently retired, he continues to provide comfort and pastoral care to seniors, bereaved families and families in crisis.