French Minister of Culture Franck Riester, on his first official visit to Toronto, presented the insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres to Christopher Butcher, Artistic Director of the Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF), in the presence of the Ambassador of France to Canada, Kareen Rispal and the Consul General of France in Toronto, Tudor Alexis. The award ceremony took place at the Toronto Reference Library on Thursday, October 10, 2019.

This ceremony is an important symbolic act for France and Canada and at the same time pays tribute to the work accomplished by Mr. Christopher Butcher who has worked for more than twenty years to promote the comic book industry. Mr. Butcher has made a significant contribution to the arts and creativity in Toronto, creating the Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF) in 2013, an event that attracts thousands of visitors each year. Christopher Butcher’s achievements are recognized not only by his peers in Canada but also by the French public.

The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres was created in 1957 to reward artists, writers and others who have distinguished themselves for their contributions to the promotion of the arts and literature in France and around the world. This order aims to establish relationships and develop cultural and linguistic exchanges. To be eligible for the award, candidates must have made “significant contributions to the enrichment of French cultural heritage”.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is a comic book festival held annually in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 2003, subsequent events took place in 2005 in Mirvish Village and 2007 at Victoria College store. Since 2009, the event has been held annually in partnership with the Toronto Public Library at their flagship branch, the Toronto Reference Library. The Toronto Comic Arts Festival exists to promote the breadth and diversity of comics, and what is considered comics, as legitimate medium of literary and artistic worth. TCAF promote the creators of these works in their broad and diverse voices, for the betterment of the medium of comics and to reach as wide an audience as possible for them.