A former local MP, competitive swimmer, CFL star and comedian are all being inducted into the Petawawa Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame later this month.
Organizers have announced that the induction ceremony for the hall’s 2026 class is happening on Friday, June 12th at the Petawawa Civic Centre banquet hall.
The hall recognizes and celebrates the athletic and artistic achievements of people from Petawawa.
This year’s inductees include Hector Clouthier Jr., a long-distance runner and horse racer from the region who served as the the Executive Director of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association from 2007 to 2010.
Clouthier also served as the MP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke from June 1997 to November 2000. Clouthier lost his bid for re-election but went on to run for the position again in 2011 and 2015.
Alyson Ackman, another inductee, had a storied career in the world of competitive swimming. Ackman competed as part of Penn State University’s swim team from 2012 to 2016, earning recognition as part of the NCAA’s All-American teams multiple times.
Ackman also set several Penn State records and represented Team Canada in several international competitions before returning to the Petawawa Predators swim club as a coach in 2016.
The late Glenn Douglas, who played in the CFL for six seasons as a member of the Montreal Alouettes in the 1940s and 1950s, is also being inducted this year.
Douglas was born and raised in Quebec and spent much of his working career outside of the Ottawa Valley after his time in the CFL came to an end, but came to Petawawa in 1995 after retiring and became a fixture of the community as an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. Douglas passed away in 2017.
Tom Green, the only entertainer being inducted this year, has worked as an actor and comedian since the 1990s. Green has starred in a number of movies, including Road Trip and Charlie’s Angels in 2000.
Tickets for the induction ceremony cost $5 each and are available at the Petawawa Civic Centre’s recreation office.
(Steve Berard)
