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TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 02/22/13 -- The spotlight shone brightly on the public sector at the IPAC/Deloitte Public Sector Leadership Awards Gala. Facing sustained resource challenges and increasingly complex demands, the winning projects demonstrated excellence in leadership and commitment to delivering high-quality services that improve the lives of Canadians. The Award winners were celebrated Thursday night at the Park Hyatt in Toronto.

"We're proud to honour the leadership and transformational achievements of these organizations," said Charles Perron, Partner and Canadian public sector leader, Deloitte. "Their exploratory thinking and curiosity demonstrates that public sector leaders are prepared and willing to lead, driving fundamental change that has led to impressive service improvements. Without question, these organizations demonstrate that true excellence is alive and well in the Canadian public sector."

"There was real passion, commitment and an overall can-do attitude with this year's winners," remarked George Ross, Ontario Deputy Minister and IPAC President. "These projects demonstrate originality and a real drive to find efficiencies during a very challenging economic environment. These public sector leaders are making a difference."

The IPAC/Deloitte Public Sector Leadership Awards program recognizes organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership by taking bold steps to improve Canada, through advancements in public policy and management. The award winners reflect the importance of innovation, strategic thinking, trust and team building, shared vision, and effective collaboration and partnerships.

The 2012 IPAC/Deloitte Public Sector Leadership Award winners included:

Buffalo Sage Wellness House/ Correctional Service of Canada

The Buffalo Sage Wellness House is a 16 bed facility for Aboriginal women. It's the first of its kind in Canada, offering women serving federal sentences, or on conditional release to the community, a place to call home. The House strives to assist women offenders to safely return to society, prepared to be productive members of their communities. Much of the success of the House is attributed to the continuum of care offered in partnership with Native Counselling Services of Alberta, Correctional Service of Canada and many other partners in the community.

Slave Lake Recovery - Assistant Deputy Minister Task Force/ Alberta Municipal Affairs

In response to the wildfires that swept through the Town of Slave Lake, the Alberta government created an Assistant Deputy Ministers Task Force to oversee recovery in the region. The Task Force worked with the local community to find solutions and was open to exploring new ways to get things done quickly. For example, the Task Force pushed to have interim housing provided directly by the province, so that costs could be cut and facilities installed more quickly. The Task Force's success is likely to change the way Alberta will respond to future large-scale disasters.

The Secretariat in Support of Commission on the Reform of Ontario Public Service/ Ontario Ministry of Finance