[1] Her father Geoffrey Andrew worked at the University of British Columbia as Professor of English and eventually as Dean.
[1][3] She was the niece of philosopher George Grant and the first cousin of Liberal Party of Canada leader Michael Ignatieff.
[7] Fran Klodawsky commended her as an "internationally recognized expert on municipal politics, governance, feminism, and urban issues.
[10] She was also awarded a 2012 Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case, with her nomination supported by such organizations as Crime Prevention Ottawa and the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, who praised her for "strengthen[ing] ties between Anglophone and Francophone women at a time when relationships in many groups were strained in the aftermath of Meech Lake.
"[7] Her nephew, journalist Eric Andrew-Gee, later recalled her as an "ally of newcomers and Indigenous peoples" who "wrote extensively about how cities could support immigrants and worked hard with community groups to the same end".
[7] In 2015, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015 "for her academic research on cultural diversity, and on urban and feminist studies, and for her civic involvement with non-profit and community-based organizations.