Acclaimed Winnipeg singer-songwriter Steve Bell will receive the 2018 CMU PAX Award.

President Dr. Cheryl Pauls presented the award to Bell April 5th at Gather. Give. Celebrate. Spring at CMU*, an annual fundraiser in support of the university.

The award was created to honour people and organizations who are dedicated to service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.

Since 1989, Bell has released 20 albums and performed more than 1,500 concerts to over half a million people in 15 countries.

"CMU is honoured to present Steve Bell with the 2018 PAX Award," Pauls says. "Steve is a dearly cherished singer-songwriter for all the right reasons. He is a fine musician, poet, and storyteller. His music springs from the stories and yearnings of others, especially those seeking healing and hope."

In recent years, Bell has used his platform to advocate for the building of Freedom Road, a 27-kilometre road that would end a century of isolation for the people of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation.

He has also been a strong voice urging the Canadian government to adopt Bill C-262, an act that would ensure that Canadian laws are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

"Steve's commitment to access to water for Shoal Lake 40 in recent years has brought together many Indigenous, church, political and other groups of people, including CMU students," Pauls says. "This effort for the sake of Indigenous communities was a major impetus for our selection of Steve Bell as recipient of the PAX Award