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The Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) recognized several financial planners for their achievements and contributions to the financial planning profession in Canada during the organization’s annual Financial Planning Week last week.

Most notably, John De Goey was awarded the Donald J. Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award at the FPSC’s Celebration of the Profession Dinner held on Nov. 21 at the Toronto Reference Library.

The award pays tribute to the late Donald J. Johnston, the FPSC’s founding president and CEO, and is considered the highest honour the FPSC gives out.

The award recognizes a financial professional for his or her lifetime advancement of CFP certification and positive impact on the financial planning profession.

De Goey, a portfolio manager with Industrial Alliance Securities Inc. in Toronto, has worked for two decades to raise awareness on the importance of the CFP designation among consumers, government representatives and the financial services community.

He has also written four editions of the book The Professional Financial Advisor and contributes to various media outlets, often as a financial commentator.

“Receiving the Donald J. Johnston Lifetime Achievement Award in Financial Planning is a huge honour and a source of pride for me,” says De Goey, in a statement. “There are many people working to gain professional recognition for financial planning and I’m proud to count myself among them.”

As in previous years, the FPSC will make a $10,000 donation in the award winner’s name to a charitable organization of his or her choice. De Goey has selected The Daily Bread Food Bank and Community Living Essex County as recipients of the donation.

In addition, Dawn Hawley, a financial planner with Edmonton-based Angus Watt Advisory Group, which operates under the umbrella of National Bank Financial Ltd., was also recognized during the dinner event as the only Fellow of FPSC honouree for 2017.

Read: Dawn Hawley named 2017 Fellow of FPSC

The lifelong distinction, created in 2011, recognizes individuals who have helped further the FPSC’s purpose and advance CFP professional standards.

Members of the President’s List — candidates who achieved the highest marks on the CFP examination — were also recognized.