Eight local Habitats recognized for their work at Habitat Canada’s national awards
At our 2025 national conference in Halifax, we celebrated the achievements of local Habitat organizations, staff and volunteers that are leading, innovating, and creating new pathways to homeownership for families. Congratulations to all the winners!
The Terry Petkau Legacy Awards honour the legacy of the late Terry Petkau, also known as the heart of Habitat. Terry was a generous and inclusive leader who inspired and mentored others, and whose contributions continue to expand safe and affordable housing in Canada and around the world. These awards are the highest honours given to members of Habitat for Humanity in Canada.
The winner of this year’s Terry Petkau Legacy Award – Outstanding Volunteer is Gary Varsava, with Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce.
A dedicated volunteer, Gary has spent over 20 years advancing Habitat’s mission across Grey and Bruce Counties in Ontario. He served for 12 years on the Habitat Grey Bruce board of directors and now plays a key role in the critical repair program, where he delivers essential home upgrades on Saugeen Ojibway Nation. Gary also leads corporate and volunteer build days and mentors youth interested in skilled trades.
With over 8,000 volunteer hours, 63 local builds, and two Global Village international volunteer builds under his belt — including post-Hurricane Katrina rebuilding in New Orleans — Gary continues to lead, mentor and inspire through his unwavering commitment to Habitat and families.
The winner of this year’s Terry Petkau Legacy Award – Outstanding Staff is Susan Zambonin, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region.
Susan’s journey with Habitat began in 2003 as a volunteer and board member for Habitat Prince Edward Island. Since that time, her vision and leadership have supported 112 families into affordable homeownership. Susan has led three local Habitats: Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward Island, and in Ontario, Habitats Kingston Limestone Region and Peterborough & Kawartha Region.
Most recently, at Habitat Peterborough & Kawartha Region, Susan has championed innovative construction approaches such as multi-unit and modular builds and 3D printing, leading to the first multi-residential project and the largest build in the local organization’s history: a 41-unit condominium.
The Innovation Award recognizes the creative ways a local Habitat organization is designing or constructing homes or serving families.
In 2024, Habitat for Humanity New Brunswick implemented innovative strategies to increase housing production. This included a partnership with Brunswick Credit Union to provide first mortgages, unlocking additional capital for construction and expanding the organization’s building capacity.
Habitat New Brunswick also collaborated with provincial and municipal governments and Carpenter Millwright College to integrate construction training into the college curriculum. What began as a 16-week introductory carpentry program evolved into a 52-week pilot, combining 20 weeks of classroom instruction with 32 weeks of on-site, hands-on training. Through this program, students build four homes from foundation to finish in Fredericton on donated city lots, gaining valuable real-world experience while directly supporting Habitat’s mission.
The Expanded Impact Award recognizes local Habitats that have significantly increased their impact over the past year.
In 2024, Habitat for Humanity Kingston Limestone Region collaborated with the City of Kingston, Ont., and Limestone District School Board’s building construction internship program to address the community’s homelessness and lack of affordable housing. Students built eight Tiny Homes designed as income-geared city rentals, including two wheelchair accessible units, expanding the organization’s impact on Kington’s housing needs.
Launched in 2021, Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin’s youth skilled trades program has evolved into a hands-on construction training initiative that equips high school students with trade skills while supporting housing solutions in First Nation communities. Students build sustainable Tiny Homes that serve as emergency shelters, combining real-world experience with meaningful community service.
After successfully running a three-year pilot, Habitat Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin’s program has grown from 350 students to over 750 in just one year — with housing production expanding to nine Tiny Homes across multiple high schools.
The Family Partnership Award recognizes local Habitats that have improved engagement and outcomes with Habitat homeowners -- our most important partners and ambassadors.
Habitat for Humanity Northwest Territories continually refines its processes to foster strong, supportive relationships with the families it serves. This includes training focused on effectively supporting applicant families and homeowners, as well as modernizing homeowner education with an emphasis on budgeting, home maintenance, and homeowner responsibilities.
The organization also introduced new policies to enhance family safeguarding and ensure mortgage transparency. In response to widespread flood and wildfire evacuations of 2023, Habitat Northwest Territories secured funding to provide short-term financial relief to affected homeowners and distributed recovery and resilience kits containing essential emergency preparedness supplies.
Habitat for Humanity New Brunswick’s successful homeownership program is grounded in clear, thoughtful communication and a deep commitment to equipping families with the essential skills they need to thrive. In 2024, Habitat New Brunswick created a dedicated team spanning four cities to focus on homeowner recruitment and selection, while supporting its 90+ Habitat homeowners.
Habitat New Brunswick also refined and standardized its policies and processes to ensure clear, consistent, and thorough communication with families. Homeowner education modules were enhanced, placing greater emphasis on financial literacy, and supplemented with essential content on home maintenance and strategies for thriving within their communities.
The Community Outreach Award recognizes local Habitats that have engaged community partners to build strong community relationships.
In 2024, Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia embarked on its first-ever disaster-response build. Partnering with the Canadian Red Cross, United Way Halifax and other local charitable organizations, Habitat Nova Scotia rebuilt the home of a couple who lost everything in the devastating Upper Tantallon wildfire of 2023.
This effort included a fundraising drive at its Habitat ReStore that raised $15,000 in 24 hours, as well as generating in-kind and community contributions that included more than 330 volunteers — showing that even in the wake of tragedy, a community can help rebuild lives.
By hiring community development coordinators in the province’s three largest cities, Habitat for Humanity New Brunswick strengthened volunteer recruitment and expanded partnerships with other non-profit organizations. It also engaged proactively with government and housing sector stakeholders.
In 2024, these efforts led to significant outcomes: the donation of over 12,000 volunteer hours; an improved per-unit funding agreement with the province of New Brunswick; funding for a 32-week, on-the-job trades training program in partnership with Carpenter Millwright College to build four homes and train the next generation of skilled workers; new land donations and several grant awards; and an increase in ReStore sales.
The One Habitat Award is the integration of all we do – communications, operations, and governance – with the goal of serving more families in our country and around the world. The winners of the One Habitat award embody the spirit of one world, one Habitat.
Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Essex has a deep commitment to Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to call home. A leader in collaboration, innovation, and community-driven impact, Habitat Windsor-Essex actively shares resources and expertise with other local Habitats — offering guidance in areas such as 3D-printed home construction, repair programming and volunteer engagement.
In alignment with its commitment to Reconciliation, Habitat Windsor-Essex joined a coalition of local Habitats to deliver critical electrical and plumbing repairs in Eabametoong First Nation, a remote fly-in community in northern Ontario facing urgent infrastructure challenges.
The organization’s staff also participated in a Global Village build in Nepal and will lead another in Brazil in 2025 — fostering global collaboration while bringing back international insights and construction techniques to strengthen local efforts.
