About

Ms. McKennitt’s business acumen is also applied to the charitable foundations she established. The Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety, founded in 1998, has raised more than $4 million in support of water safety education, as well as search, rescue and recovery operations. In 2000, Ms. McKennitt purchased a recently-closed public school in Stratford and transformed it into The Falstaff Family Centre. Responding to concerns identified by the local community, the Centre focuses on the needs of families and children in Perth County, Ontario, which is where she resides. Through the Centre she initiated The Stolen Child Project, devoted to the challenges facing youth and families in the 21^st century.

In 2020 McKennitt founded Wise Communities, an informal grassroots organization serving as a vehicle for information, discussion and advocacy on a variety of topics vital to the welfare of the community where she lives. Wise Communities is focused on best practices related to a robust and transparent democracy, the environment, climate change, the role of technology, and other critical matters impacting the lives of families and citizens in Stratford and Perth County, Ontario. Above all, this organization honors the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

From 2006 to 2013 McKennitt held the position of Honorary Colonel of the 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and upon completion of the appointment was awarded her first RCAF Commander’s Commendation in recognition of outstanding professionalism and dedication. In September 2014, McKennitt was appointed as the Honorary Colonel of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In December 2019 she was presented with the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD), representing 12 years of service, and later was awarded a second RCAF Commander’s Commendation. McKennitt’s term as honorary colonel finished in June 2024.