OTTAWA, Jan. 17, 2011 –
Operation Lifesaver is now accepting nominations for the Roger Cyr Award, a celebration of outstanding achievements made by Canada’s public-rail safety community in the promotion of public-rail and road safety. Its goal is to bring public recognition to excellence, dedication and initiative in the field of public-rail safety across Canada.
Nominations will be accepted between January 17 and March 31, 2011. The required nomination forms and guidelines for the process are available for download below
. Nominations must be specific to an outstanding achievement completed or reaching a significant milestone within the 2010 calendar year. Best practices collected during the award process are shared broadly with Operation Lifesaver (OL),
Transport Canada and
Railway Association of Canada stakeholders and partners.
"The Roger Cyr Award is an opportunity to call attention to the deaths and injuries incurred at highway/railway crossings and from trespassing on railway property," said Operation Lifesaver national director Dan Di Tota. “We are eager to uncover the extraordinary rail safety heroes whose commitment to public-rail safety is stronger than ever and honour them for their efforts with the 2010 Roger Cyr Award."
Nominees must be certified Operation Lifesaver presenters, associates and/or volunteers. The award is specific to activities during the 2010 calendar year, and is open to all active Operation Lifesaver partners and volunteers who have undertaken efforts to improve railway safety and encourage others to do the same.
Members of the Operation Lifesaver Program Review Committee, comprised of representatives from
Transport Canada, the
Railway Association of Canada and its members, will select the Award winner. The winner will be announced during Rail Safety Week May 2nd through May 8th and will be honoured during the Operation Lifesaver annual conference this fall.
Roger Cyr Award honourees in past years include:
Cobourg, Ontario Police Service volunteer Reg Chad, who raises awareness on rail safety among motorists and students through various activities and events such as Rail Safety Week and Safe Crossing Week crossing demonstrations.
Tom Allan, of Hamilton, ON, an Operation Lifesaver volunteer presenter since 2004 and
CN’s former manager of first aid and safety, whose 40 years of service and 25,000 hours of volunteer work was recognized with a knighthood into the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in 2007.
Lorrie Johnston, a long-time volunteer with Operation Lifesaver at
New Brunswick Southern Railways’ short line, is a certified presenter on railway safety and was the first recipient of the Operation Lifesaver Roger Cyr Award in 2008.
About the Roger Cyr Award
The Roger Cyr Award for Public-Rail Safety is a joint initiative of Operation Lifesaver, the
Railway Association of Canada and
Transport Canada. It is named after the founder of OL in Canada, identifies presenters, supporters and volunteers for their work, encourages others to implement new initiatives and is specific to an outstanding achievement last year.
Media Contact:
Dan Di Tota
Operation Lifesaver
dand@railcan.ca
or
Paul Goyette
Railway Association of Canada
paulg@railcan.ca
Downloadable Files