Pope Benedict has appointed Bishop Noël Simard as the new Bishop of Valleyfield, Que, suceeeding Bishop Luc Cyr, who was named Archbishop of Sherbrooke, Que., on July 26, 2011. Simard was a professor of Moral Theology and Bioethics at Saint Paul University in Ottawa before becoming Auxiliary Bishop of Sault Sainte-Marie, Ont., in 2008. He is the current President of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (an organization founded by the CCCB) and State Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.

Former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin was named as a Companion of the Order of Canada  in a list of 66 Order of Canada appointees announced December 28 by  Gov. Gen. David Johnston. Martin was the only one appointed as a companion. The list included 28 officers and 37 members of the Order, including legendary NHL hockey coach Scotty Bowman and former top soldier Rick Hillier.

Archdeacon Michael Pollesel, the  former general secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada, has been elected Bishop of Uruguay by the diocesan synod. The election still needs approval from the province of the Southern Cone, whose bishops meet in May 2012, but no opposition to his election is foreseen. Pollesel would succeed Bishop Miguel Tamayo who is to retire in June.  Pollesel speaks Spanish and has visited Uruguay on several occasions. "I’m excited about the possibilities that this new challenge brings to me at this stage in my life and I ask for your prayers," Bishop-elect Pollesel told the Anglican Journal.