Nov. 28, 2024 – OTTAWA – Operation Lifesaver Canada (OL Canada) is pleased to announce the newest recipients of the Roger Cyr Awards (2023). These prestigious annual honours are given to one individual and one community and recognize exemplary and extraordinary contributions to enhancing rail safety in Canada.
The individual award winner is Constable Trevor Smith of the CPKC Police Service.
- Cst. Smith been working to keep Canadians safe for years as a railway police officer in Whistler B.C., Toronto, and Montreal. He joined the CPKC Police Service in 2021.
- Cst. Smith is known for his innovative and inclusive approach to community service and safety, and for his passion for helping educate Canadians about rail safety.
- Cst. Smith has had a hand in many key initiatives over the past several years, including:
- Launching and sustaining “Community Coffee with a Cop”
- Participating in the Beyond the Badge mentorship program for youth
- Leading and supporting suicide prevention efforts at eight high-risk trespass
- Coordinating emergency preparedness, response, and mitigation by acting as the point of contact between local fire departments and CPKC’s hazmat team
The community award winner is Ste-Hélène-de-Bagot, Québec.
- Nominator André Lebreux, a constable with CN Police Service, saluted the municipality’s spirit of collaboration and partnership with OL Canada, and its continuous and ongoing efforts to increase citizen awareness with initiatives such as:
- The municipality’s day camp invites us annually to make presentations to the young people who attend the camp.
- An aluminum sign with OL’s rail safety tips is permanently displayed at City Hall, reminding citizens and students of the behaviours to adopt with railways.
- The municipality shares timely rail safety tips on their Facebook page.
- The municipality supported the resolution to express their support for Rail Safety Week over the past few years.
- This year, we were invited to participate in the 2nd edition of “Plaisir hivernal” and to set up a booth to raise public awareness.
Both recipients received their award in the presence of railway representatives from across Canada at the Railway Association of Canada’s annual Holiday Reception and Safety Awards, in Ottawa, November 27, 2024.
Quote:
“At Operation Lifesaver Canada, we are working to get to zero : Zero rail-related incidents, zero deaths and injuries, zero grade crossing collisions and zero trespassings. We can only ‘get to zero’ with strong partners as rail safety is a shared responsibility, and everyone has a role to play. Our Roger Cyr Award winners represent the best of the best in terms of bringing people together constructively to drive results and save lives.”
- Chris Day, Interim National Director, OL Canada
About the Roger Cyr Awards
Named after OL Canada’s founder, the Roger Cyr Awards for Public Rail Safety recognize individuals and communities that are doing extraordinary work to prevent deaths and injuries at rail crossings and as a result of trespassing on railway property.
The individual award is open to all active OL Canada partners and volunteers who are making efforts to promote rail safety and encouraging others to follow suit. A separate award is open to Canadian municipalities and communities that have made an outstanding contribution to rail safety through education, training, or community-based programs aimed at reducing rail crossing and trespassing incidents.
A list of past recipients is available here.
About Operation Lifesaver Canada
OL Canada is a national public rail-safety program sponsored by Transport Canada, the Railway Association of Canada and its members, including CN, CPKC, VIA Rail, Metrolinx, exo, West Coast Express, Ontario Northland, and Genesee & Wyoming, among others.
Recognizing rail safety is a shared responsibility, OL Canada’s national network of Rail Safety Ambassadors and community partners delivers education and outreach through dynamic campaigns, it multi-lingual resources, and its innovative tools such as its virtual-reality Look. Listen. Live. campaign, Operation Lifesaver Canada works to save lives by educating Canadians about the hazards of rail crossings and trespassing on railway property. Canadians can keep up-to-date on the latest rail safety news by visiting operationlifesaver.ca.
Media contact:
Chris Day
CDay@railcan.ca
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