Philip S. Lee

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Philip S. Lee
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Chemist, Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba (2009-2015).

Born in Hong Kong on 5 May 1944, he came to Canada to further his education at the University of Manitoba. He then began a career as a research chemist with the City of Winnipeg, working in the area of water research, supply, and quality. He retired as Branch Head Chemist in charge of the city’s Industrial Waste Control Program.

He has been active in the Chinese-Canadian community, playing a key role in organizing its pavilion in the first Folklorama, and being a driving force behind the construction of the Dynasty Building, Chinese Gate and Garden, and Mandarin Building in downtown Winnipeg. He served as Vice President of the Folk Arts Council of Winnipeg, a member of the Multiculturalism Council of Canada, and was a board member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Alumni Association of the University of Manitoba. He also served on the Human Rights Council of Manitoba, the Refugee Assistance Committee, and chaired the Policy Review Committee for Human Rights. He was a Progressive Conservative candidate for Winnipeg Centre in the 1977 provincial general election.

In recognition of his community service, he has received a City of Winnipeg Community Service Award (?), Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). He was inducted into the Order of Manitoba (2009) and Order of Canada (1999), and he received honorary doctorates from the University of Manitoba (2011) and Brandon University (2015). He is commemorated by Philip Lee Drive in Winnipeg.

See also:

A Conversation with Winnipeg’s Chinese Canadian Duet by Alison R. Marshall
Manitoba History, Number 62, Winter 2009

Sources:

This page was prepared by Alison Marshall and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 February 2024