FREDERICTON, NB – The Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Literacy Awards. The awards will be hosted by the Lieutenant Governor, The Honourable Louise Imbeault, O.C., O.N.B., on Thursday, April 23rd in Fredericton at Government House. The reception with refreshments will begin at 6:00 pm, with the ceremony starting at 7:00pm.
These awards recognize outstanding achievements in the fields of literacy and lifelong learning. In 1998, Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell established the awards during her term as New Brunswick’s lieutenant-governor. Since 2007, the Literacy Coalition has continued to present these awards annually.
This year, we have two winners in the Individual Outstanding Contribution to Literacy category,
“We are very pleased to name Dr. Doug Willms and Lynda Homer as winners of the Outstanding Individual Contribution to Literacy award,” says LCNB President, Brent Melanson.
Dr. Doug Willms has made immense contributions to literacy in New Brunswick, making extraordinary efforts to improving literacy outcomes throughout the province. From 1995 to 2018, he served as a professor of Education at the University of New Brunswick, authoring more than 200 research articles and monographs. His work continues to shape literacy research and educational policy both within New Brunswick and beyond.
In 2004, Dr. Willms founded the Learning Bar with the goal of translating his extensive research on children’s development and assessment into widespread, practical use. Though the company provides research and assessment services in multiple countries, its headquarters remain in New Brunswick, which is a testament to his continued commitment to and focus on New Brunswick.
In 2014, the Learning Bar and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development partnered to implement the Early Years Evaluation (EYE) in schools across the province. The EYE has directly supported early literacy development for New Brunswick children for over a decade. This data tracks literacy trends over time at both the provincial and district levels, helping identify children who may require additional support.
Lynda Homer, former Executive Director of the Literacy Coalition, has worked tirelessly throughout her career for literacy in New Brunswick. She was involved in the New Brunswick Curriculum Framework for Early Learning and Childcare – English, a framework that weaves family literacies throughout each goal, and has been a champion of the framework since its publication in 2008. Lynda’s involvement in Parenting for a Literate Community project yielded a book, Baby and Mommy go Walking. The series of books, Books for Children and Families, published by the UNB Early Childhood Centre, supports parents in their crucial role and their children’s first teachers.
During her time at LCNB, she oversaw several award winning projects and initiatives. A few of these included the Essential Skills projects, which saw underemployed and undereducated receive sector-specific training and employment opportunities, and Family Time Online, which strengthened digital literacies for families, adults, and early childhood educators.
Lynda’s leadership with Born to Read saw the publication of multiple NB books for babies and an inspiring video demonstrating how to read with infants. Today, Lynda continues to give back to the community as President of Born to Read, a volunteer run organization giving their signature red bags of books to families of newborns.
The Early Intervention Program at Elsipogtog School is the recipient of the Outstanding Effort in Indigenous Literacy award. This incredible program, led by Education Director of Elsipogtog First Nation Ivan Augustine in collaboration with the school staff, aims to help children with neurological conditions succeed, supporting children long before they formally enter the school system. It is rooted in early identification, family partnership, and Indigenous ways of knowing. The Elsipogtog School Specialist Team uses Indigenous-led principles to assess students, diagnose conditions and provide specialized teaching. In partnership with the Culture and Language Lead Teacher, the team is developing culturally relevant resources with the goal of supporting literacy development in both English and Mi’kmaq.
In the category of published author, the recipient is Nathasha Pilotte. A self-taught artist, Nathasha’s work includes Luna the Cat Doesn’t Like That/Luna n’aime pas and Zim s’imagine. Nathasha and her puppets have become a favourite at book fairs and school presentations, where she shares her vibrant and colourful stories. She has also taught the felting technique with primary school students, letting children explore fiber and colour. Her stories, which are in English and French, encourage observation, description, vocabulary building, and meaningful interactions between children and adults.
The Early Childhood Literacy award goes to the Together Time program at Mount Allison University. Originally launched in 2021, this incredible program delivers close to 200 “story sacks” each year to more than 400 children at six schools. These sacks are filled with books, puzzles, and games on a wide variety of topics that encourage playful, literacy-focused learning. Reaching families far and wide in rural New Brunswick, Together Time fosters a love of learning and connections. Since its inception, the program has expanded to include day trips to Mount Allison. Co-directed by Dr. Susie Andrews, Dr. Kiera Galaway, and Dr. Jill Rourke, the program also consists of dozens of Mount Allison student volunteers.
Finally, we have two winners in the Community Literacy Program category.
First is the Miramichi Literacy Council. Established in 1973, the Council strives to improve adult literacy rates in New Brunswick with a wide variety of programs, including one on one tutoring. Since 2015, the MLC has had a continuous partnership with the New Brunswick Women’s Correctional Centre (NBWCC) offering a growing list of literacy programs, including a biweekly book club, the Cooking to Learn program, and Mommy Reads to Me, a program intended to help maintain the bond between incarcerated mothers and their children. The MLC also published a collection of poetry titled We the Women, Vol. 1 written by the women who participated in a six-week writing course at NBWCC. Most recently, the MLC instituted the Legal Info for Tablets initiative, with 4 tablets donated for NBWCC client use, providing bilingual documents related to law, individual rights, and adult custody policies. This fantastic initiative gives women the ability to educate themselves on legal proceedings and better inform them of their legal rights.
Second in this category is the Dorchester Memorial Public Library. The Dorchester Memorial Public Library has been supporting literacy for many years, becoming part of the New Brunswick Public Library Service in 1959, and continues to offer many programs to encourage literacy in its patrons of all ages. As “the little library that could”, it continues to provide quality programming such as Board Book Story Time for babies and toddlers, a Ninja Reading Corner for school age children, and writing workshops for all ages. The library also works with the DSC Kids Daycare, with 3 – 4 year olds coming in every week for a story and an associated art activity. Over the summer, the library holds its Summer Reading Club, encouraging reading for children of all ages. This fall, the library is planning both art and creative writing clubs for the Daycare’s after school club and is open to all children in the community. Its outstanding programs not only enhances literacy for young children, but also cultivates community support and engagement.
Congratulations to these incredible winners!
-30-
The Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick provides leadership to advance literacy, lifelong learning, and essential skills for all citizens through partnerships and collaboration with government, educational institutions, business, labour, community organizations and individuals.
For more information contact Susan Yarom, LCNB Executive Director:
Phone: 506-457-1227
Email: lcnb@nbliteracy.ca
