Tom Jackson, Charles Weaselhead awarded by the Canadian Red Cross

Tom Jackson, an actor, musician and activist, was honoured by the Canadian Red Cross on Oct. 23, 2023. He and Treaty 7 Grand Chief Charles Weaselhead were given the organization's top award.

Two notable Calgarians were honoured by the Canadian Red Cross on Monday night.

Charles Weaselhead, grand chief of Treaty Seven, and actor, musician and activist Tom Jackson were both given the organization's highest honour.

The Order of the Red Cross is awarded in recognition of outstanding humanitarian service at home and abroad.

Weaselhead was honoured for his role in formalizing a memorandum of understanding with the Red Cross to create healthy and resilient communities.

Jackson was an ambassador for the Red Cross during the 2013 floods and also helped with the organizations relief efforts during the Fort McMurray wildfire, the Humboldt bus crash and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The whole world where we live right now is filled with crisis and that's our backdrop – water, wind and fire. Our backdrop is conflict," Jackson told CTV News on Monday evening.

"But in front of that is compassion."

Over the past 39 years, 400 people have been appointed to the Order of the Red Cross.