Longtime harness racing industry participant Jim Whelan was recently honoured as one of the select group of Canadians to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

The commemorative medal was created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.

Whelan was presented with the Jubilee medal by Lisa Raitt, MP for Halton. Raitt's presentation is available below, with the text of Whelan's induction as follows.

"Jim has served as a director for the Ontario Harness Horsemen's Association, an association of approximately 5,000 members, for 26 years and also served as the association's President for nine years. Jim grew up in a horse racing family himself, and has been involved in the industry in various capacities his entire life.

"Racing has been his full-time occupation for about 40 years and he earns his livelihood by breeding, owning, training and driving horses. He is a fixture in the rural part of our community and a strong advocate for horse racing and the betterment of the horse industry."

(If the video starts at the beginning, Whelan's induction starts at the 27:00 minute mark.)

During the year of celebrations, 60 000 deserving Canadians will be recognized.