No. H028/02For release - March 19, 2002
OTTAWA — Transport Minister David Collenette today announced that Tom Liepins, Director of Airworthiness for Air Canada, is the recipient of the 2002 Transport Canada Aviation Safety Award. The award was presented to Mr. Liepins for his commitment to aviation safety in Canada at the 14th annual Canadian Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS).
The Transport Canada Aviation Safety Award was established in 1988 to increase awareness of aviation safety in Canada, and to recognize persons, groups, companies, organizations, agencies or departments that have contributed, in an exceptional way, to this goal.
"Mr. Liepin's dedication to aviation safety has been demonstrated over many years. He played a key role in the merger of Air Canada and Canadian Airlines by ensuring that safety standards were met while maintaining efficient operations during the transition to a combined airline," said Mr. Collenette. "I thank Mr. Liepins for his tremendous efforts, and congratulate him on his accomplishments."
Mr. Liepins started in the airline industry as an aircraft maintenance engineer for Canadian Pacific Airlines before joining Transport Canada where his primary responsibility was inspecting the Canadian Airlines fleet for airworthiness. Following Air Canada's purchase of Canadian Airlines in 2000, he was named Director, Airworthiness, for the newly combined airline. Mr. Liepins' achievements include maintaining safe operations through the company's transition, as well as developing a strategic reporting structure and ensuring data integrity.
CASS is a three-day international event hosted annually by Transport Canada for all sectors of the aviation community. It features safety workshops and presentations by leading Canadian and international safety experts. This year's seminar runs from March 18-20 in Calgary.
– 30 –
Contact:
Peter CoylesCommunications, Ottawa(613) 993-7649
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
