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7h ago

Vancouver Grants Ryan Reynolds the Freedom of the City

The rare civic honour recognizes wide-ranging philanthropy alongside a global profile that promotes his hometown.

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Ryan Reynolds, centre, stands beside his mom Tammy, left, along with Mayor Ken Sim and Vancouver City Council members at Vancouver City Hall on Thursday.
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Ryan Reynolds signs his name into the Book of Freedom beside Mayor Ken Sim at Vancouver City Hall on Thursday. Reynolds was awarded the Freedom of the City award at a private ceremony in council chambers.

Overview

  • The Vancouver-born actor received the city's highest municipal honour in a private Council Chambers ceremony on Thursday, where Mayor Ken Sim delivered remarks.
  • As part of the distinction, he signed the Book of Freedoms and received a Freedom Medal, a certificate, and a lifetime pass to Park Board pools, rinks, and fitness centres.
  • City materials highlighted support for Covenant House Vancouver, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, and 2021 donations to the Red Cross of B.C., with reporting also noting gifts to Food Banks Canada, a $1 million match for displaced Ukrainians, and funding for Water First.
  • Reynolds called the recognition "humbling and surreal" and said it "means the world," crediting Vancouver with shaping who he is.
  • The Freedom of the City dates to 1936 and is reserved for exceptional cases, with past recipients including David Suzuki and Jim Pattison.