Holl Ellingwood – Rena Bowen Volunteer of the Year 2026

Alumni of Distinction Awards > 2026 > Holl Ellingwood

Deputy Director, Strategic and Horizontal Policy
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Correctional Worker, 1991

Holl Ellingwood did not set out to become one of Ottawa’s leading community activists. But in 2016, a tragedy drove him to bring his neighbours together for a good cause.

Orléans Pride began as a fundraiser in support for the victims and families of the Pulse nightclub shooting. Ellingwood, who felt a need to do something in response to the tragedy, walked throughout his community, speaking with residents and business owners who donated to and supported the event. Ellingwood did not initially intend for this to become a recurring event, but the love and support from the community could not be contained in a single day.

“[The shooting] horrified me, it shocked everybody around the world,” said Ellingwood. “I think for those of us in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community it just really shook us…and I just thought that we had to do something.”

That “something” ended up becoming a powerful example of grassroots community organizing, with demand for future events continuing even after the original fundraising effort was concluded.

“Everybody came out for it, it was just amazing … here in Orleans, wow, the sense of community was and is phenomenal,” said Ellingwood. “After that [first event], what happened was the Facebook page kept having people join it. And a bunch of them had different stories and stuff, saying ‘wow, I’ve lived in Orleans all my life, I’m so glad we finally have a group here.’”

In June 2026, Orléans Pride marked its 10-year anniversary, a milestone that speaks to both the community of Orléans and Ellingwood’s persistent activism.

Ellingwood (left) is joined by Rev. Nancy Best (centre) and MPP Stephen Blais (right) during the 10-year anniversary celebration of Orléans Pride in June 2026. Source: Orléans Pride (Facebook).

Ellingwood now works as the deputy director of strategic and horizontal policy at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Additionally, he serves on the City of Ottawa’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, as an inclusion advisor at the Ottawa Hospital and recently served as the national co-chair of Pride@IRCC. A lifelong student, he began his postsecondary studies with Algonquin College’s old Correctional Worker program in 1989 and has since achieved four degrees at Carleton University, including a PhD in forensic psychology and a law degree.

For Ellingwood, these titles, degrees and various accolades — including the Order of Ottawa, King Charles III Coronation Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award — are secondary to the people behind the work. His philosophy as a volunteer and activist is simple: make life better for people, be it through a changed policy, removing a barrier to accessibility or simply helping someone feel that they belong.

“I believe there’s something I can do to help somebody have a slightly better day, whether it’s on a grander scale of changing policies to make something more accessible, or removing barriers for people dealing with racism, [or helping] make things more culturally respectful for people who are Indigenous [or fostering] a greater sense of belonging for people who are 2SLGBTQI+. And I just do really simple small things that hopefully are cumulative over time.”

This stance has guided Ellingwood through activism and advocacy work at both the grassroots and institutional level. When asked if he had a preference for either form of volunteering, he said that both are needed to effect real change.

“It’s really hard to say because there’s merit to all of it, right? I’m the type of person if I have to choose on a menu and I’m stuck between two, I’ll choose both and bring the leftovers home,” said Ellingwood. “What’s nice about something like the grassroots is you get to meet and develop relationships with people in your own neighborhood and community….

“[And then] working for the city as a volunteer is very different, it’s many voices in the room, which is a pro. There can be discord with that, but that’s the point — if you don’t have a little bit of tension, a little bit of conflict, then I say we’re not pushing the envelope. You need people looking at things in different ways to see [if something] is correct.”

Ellingwood’s belief that “kindness is an action” is particularly important to him as the world faces periods of social division and uncertainty. He believes that people should focus their limited energy on creating connections and community rather than fixating on the bad. He says that his work is generational and will not be resolved in his lifetime, which he claims is both “humbling and inspiring.”

“The work I do on the equity board for the Ottawa Hospital, for example, [has] many different voices in the space discussing the different programs, policies [and] practices within the hospital and its subsidiaries to help make it better, but I won’t necessarily experience that myself, right? But hearing that it may be making a difference, that means a lot.”

After a decade of Orléans Pride, a career dedicated to public service and years of social advocacy, Ellingwood continues his approach to volunteering in much the same way he did in 2016: see a need, figure out a way to help out and trust that a lot of small actions can add up.

“We never know the full impact of our life and what we do on the world around us. You never know the full ripple effects of anything we do,” said Ellingwood. “To me, the importance of [my work] is because of the hopes of what the ripples will be.”