The founder of Edmonton's Fringe Festival has been chosen to receive an Order of Canada, which recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement and dedication to the community.

Brian Paisley, a screenwriter and producer for 30 years, is best known as the founder of the Fringe Festival. Since 1982, the festival has grown from an audience of 7,500 to more than half a million visitors annually.

Paisley is currently developing three feature-length film scripts and is an instructor for drama and screenwriting at the University of Victoria.

The Order of Canada was created in 1967.