E.P. Taylor Windfields Farm Champion Award

The E.P. Taylor Windfields Farm Champion Award is awarded every four years. Nominations are not currently being accepted.

The E.P. Taylor Windfields Farm Champion Award celebrates someone who exemplifies innovation and has overcome adversity.

Eligibility criteria

Recipient lives or works in Oshawa or collaborates with an Oshawa-based organization.
City of Oshawa employees are not eligible for the award, but may nominate individuals.
An individual cannot be nominated posthumously.
The recipient must exemplify innovation. This could include:
- Developing and implementing new ideas into tangible initiatives, programs or projects in the community;
- Leading transformational change that has impacted the community;
- Innovation may focus on technological products, organizational change, or social impact;
- The recipient must have demonstrated an ability to overcome adversity in their journey.

Nominations must

Identify the merit of the individual being nominated.
Provide evidence of the impact of the individual’s innovation on the community.
Provide evidence of the individual’s ability to overcome adversity.
Provide evidence of recognition by the local community.
Describe the individual’s career path and/ or organizational background.

Nomination process

Nominations must include a summary that adequately describes the individuals’ innovation, or contribution to the community through innovation. The summary must also describe how the individual overcame adversity and struggle to succeed with the innovation.

Nomination Form

The nomination period for the 2023 E. P. Taylor Windfields Farm Champion Award is closed.

2023 Recipient

George Ihor Lysyk (George Lysyk)

George was born in Oshawa, Ontario and has lived his whole life in his beloved city.
George was born to Ukrainian immigrant parents who fled WWII to Canada and made Oshawa their permanent home. Here, his parents spread their roots and started their own business building and maintaining housing in the form of apartments and single-family homes called George Lysyk and Sons.
George is continuing to grow the family business of 70+ years with his sons and family members so that the traditions and values continue.
George opened the Food Truck Corral Oshawa during the COVID-19 pandemic so families could still enjoy a meal together and to support local businesses.
The Food Truck Corral Oshawa, which is now entering into its third year of operation seasonally, has grown from three trucks to currently thirteen trucks where numerous varieties of ethnic cuisine can be experienced.
George also supports local charities by hosting special events at the Food Truck Corral Oshawa.

Previous Recipients

2019 - Al Libfeld

Al Libfeld founded Tribute Communities in 1975.
Throughout the decades, Libfeld has contributed more than $2 million to area charities including cancer-related projects of the Lakeridge Health Foundation.
Along with former Durham Regional Chair, the late Roger Anderson, Libfeld founded the Building Industry in Durham Deeds (B.I.D.D.) luncheon, which has supported numerous causes.
He also supported Ontario Tech University on numerous occasions.

2018 - Gary Polonsky

Gary Polonsky was the inaugural recipient of the E.P. Taylor Windfields Farm Champion award.
He served as Durham College president from 1988 to 2006 and president of Ontario Tech University from 2002 until 2006.
Polonsky received the award for overcoming the challenges of creating Ontario Tech University, strengthening Durham College and transforming the economies of Oshawa and the Region of Durham to be more competitive and knowledge-based.