Longtime professor receives Order of Canada honours

Returning to in-person experiences in February: for more information. Rick Haldenby recognized for his significant architectural contributions  Deciding at a young age to become an architect, Rick Haldenby was just seven years old when he designed and built a house in the backyard of his Toronto childhood home. Haldenby used scrap pieces of wood and other recycled materials collected from his neighbours' trash to complete the structure he now describes as "looking strangely like a miniature of a Frank Gehry building." The next year, he undertook his second attempt at building a backyard house but ended up with a much different result.   "That one looked like a shack," the Waterloo School of Architecture professor recalls with a laugh. Years after putting his rudimentary architectural skills to work, Haldenby was named to the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of architectural education in Canada and for his efforts to preserve industrial and mid-century buildings. He joins his maternal grandfather, Ross Macdonald, in being named to one of the country's highest honours. Macdonald, who served as a Member of Parliament for Brant, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, received the Order of Canada in 1974. Haldenby's career choice was inspired by his father and paternal grandfather who were prominent Toronto architects.