OTTAWA—Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, today announced the awarding of 18 Medals of Bravery. The recipients will be invited to receive their decorations at a ceremony to be held at a later date.
The Decorations for Bravery were created in 1972. The Cross of Valour (C.V.) recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril; the Star of Courage (S.C.) recognizes acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril; and the Medal of Bravery (M.B.) recognizes acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.
A list of recipients (Annex A) and their citations (Annex B), as well as a fact sheet on the Bravery Decorations (Annex C), are attached.
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ANNEX A - RECIPIENTS OF THE MEDAL OF BRAVERY
Lieutenant Denis Beaulieu , M.B. |
Bushell Park, Sask. |
Gary Victor Brown , M.B. |
Bella Coola, B.C. |
Benjamin Loren Correos , M.B. (posthumous) |
Whitehorse, Yn. |
Louis-Paul Courbron , M.B. |
Québec, Que. |
Constable Frédéric Couture , M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
Frédérick Dionne , M.B. |
Saint-Nicolas, Que. |
James Donovan , M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
Kimpton Gagnon-Després , M.B. |
Whitehorse, Yn. |
Michel Harvey , M.B. |
Saint-Constant, Que. |
Raphaël Harvey Bérard , M.B. |
Saint-Constant, Que. |
RCMP Constable Michelle Allison Knopp , M.B. |
Airdrie, Alta |
Constable Martin Langlois , M.B. |
Montréal, Que. |
Scott Lee Joseph Moody , M.B. (deceased) |
Bella Coola, B.C. |
Yves Pilotte , M.B. (posthumous) |
Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Que. |
Tanya Silveira , M.B. |
Vancouver, B.C. |
Cody Brian Sloot , M.B. |
Castlegar, B.C. |
Tommy Thériault , M.B. |
Québec, Que. |
Tanya Lee Waldriff , M.B. |
Arnstein, Ont. |
Lieutenant Denis Beaulieu , M.B., Bushell Park, Saskatchewan
Medal of Bravery
On May 12, 2007, Lieutenant Denis Beaulieu, then 2 nd lieutenant, rescued a man from a possible drowning, in Cold Lake, Alberta. The victim had gone fishing when his boat suddenly broke apart, sending him into the freezing waters some 300 metres from shore. Alerted to the victim's predicament, Lieutenant Beaulieu ran into the lake and swam out to the victim. Reaching the panic-stricken victim's side, Lieutenant Beaulieu grabbed him by his life jacket and encouraged him to swim towards the shore. Suffering from hypothermia, it took them nearly 35 minutes to make it to safety, where others assisted them out of the water.
Gary Victor Brown , M.B., Bella Coola, British Columbia
Scott Lee Joseph Moody , M.B. (deceased), Bella Coola, British Columbia
Medal of Bravery
On July 13, 2007, river guides Gary Brown and Scott Moody saved a family of six after a boating mishap on the Bella Coola River, in British Columbia. The guides and the family had been travelling in two drift boats when one of the crafts was pulled under a log by the strong current, and its five occupants were thrown into the water. When they resurfaced, Mr. Brown managed to get two of the victims to a nearby small island where the rest of the group had gathered. Mr. Moody then crossed the swift current to the river bank and set up a makeshift pulley system tied to their remaining boat. For the next two hours, Messrs. Brown and Moody shuttled the victims over the raging river, to bring them to safety.
Benjamin Loren Correos , M.B. (posthumous), Whitehorse, Yukon
Louis-Paul Courbron , M.B., Québec, Quebec
Kimpton Gagnon-Després , M.B., Whitehorse, Yukon
Medal of Bravery
On August 16, 2007, Messrs. Benji Correos, Louis-Paul Corbron and Kimpton Gagnon-Després rescued Mr. Correos' son, who had slipped into the high, rushing waters of the Yukon River, in Whitehorse, Yukon. After seeing his son fall in, Mr. Correos jumped in to grab him, but soon, both were pulled under by the current. Witnessing the scene, Messrs. Courbron and Gagnon-Després jumped in to rescue the boy whose body had surfaced at the bottom of the rapids. They held the boy's head above water and swam through the turbulent waters to bring him to shore, where he was revived. Sadly, Mr. Correos did not survive the ordeal.
Constable Frédéric Couture , M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Constable Martin Langlois , M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On December 29, 2006, constables Frédéric Couture and Martin Langlois of the Montréal Police Service rescued a man from a burning apartment, in Montréal, Quebec. Alerted by the victim's neighbour, the police officers arrived at the apartment and noticed thick, black smoke through the windows. They managed to open the apartment door, and after several attempts, were able to crawl inside, notwithstanding the intense heat and smoke. In complete darkness, the constables reached the panicked victim and dragged him to safety.
Frédérick Dionne , M.B., Saint-Nicolas, Quebec
James Donovan , M.B., Montréal, Quebec
Yves Pilotte , M.B. (posthumous), Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Quebec
Tommy Thériault , M.B., Québec, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On August 1, 2007, Messrs. Yves Pilotte, Frédérick Dionne, James Donovan and Tommy Thériault rescued Mr. Pilotte's son, who was caught in a riptide off Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Mr. Pilotte swam out to his son, and together, they battled in vain against the waves that kept pulling them further out to sea. Mr. Donovan reached the struggling victims, grabbed Mr. Pilotte, who was now unconscious, and started towing both victims towards the beach. Swimming out to them, Mr. Thériault took hold of Mr. Pilotte, while Mr. Dionne assisted the boy. Despite the strong current, the rescuers and victims finally reached the shore, where others had arrived to help. Sadly, efforts to revive Mr. Pilotte were unsuccessful.
Michel Harvey , M.B., Saint-Constant, Quebec
Raphaël Harvey Bérard , M.B., Saint-Constant, Quebec
Medal of Bravery
On January 1, 2007, Michel Harvey and his son Raphaël Harvey Bérard rescued a friend from a possible drowning, in Luperon, Dominican Republic. During a snorkelling excursion, the victim became caught in an undercurrent and was soon separated from the group. Noticing that his friend was a good distance away, Raphaël made his way to his side, and grabbed him by the arm. Michel Harvey swam out to assist them onto a small coral reef where they could rest, but a large wave knocked the trio back out towards the sea. Father and son held onto the exhausted victim, fought through the strong current and finally made it safely to shore.
RCMP Constable Michelle Allison Knopp , M.B., Airdrie, Alberta
Medal of Bravery
On July 7, 2006, RCMP Constable Michelle Knopp risked her life in an attempt to rescue two wounded colleagues, near Mildred, Saskatchewan. The three constables were in pursuit of an armed man when the lead police vehicle finally rammed into the suspect's truck. As Constable Knopp caught up with them in her own vehicle, the suspect shot at her, barely missing her, and fled when she returned fire. Constable Knopp then left the safety of her vehicle to check on her colleagues, who had both been shot by the man. Unsure if the gunman was still nearby, and unable to pull one of the victims to safety, she called for assistance. The fugitive was apprehended after an extensive manhunt. Sadly, the two injured constables did not survive.
Tanya Silveira , M.B., Vancouver, British Columbia
Medal of Bravery
On November 8, 2007, mall security officer Tanya Silveira prevented an armed robber from assaulting an elderly man, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ms. Silveira chased and caught the thief, who had just robbed a jewellery store, but he punched her and managed to get away. She then saw him struggling with an older man, trying to take away his car keys. Ms. Silveira stepped in between them to protect the elderly victim. The thief responded by reaching into his pocket, indicating he had a weapon. He then grabbed the car keys and fled in the stolen vehicle, but was arrested by the police shortly after.
Cody Brian Sloot , M.B., Castlegar, British Columbia
Medal of Bravery
On June 15, 2007, 10-year-old Cody Sloot displayed bravery when he set out alone to get help for his injured father, near Renata, British Columbia. While on an excursion, their all-terrain vehicle overturned onto Cody's father, who sustained multiple injuries in the accident. Their vehicle no longer serviceable, they started to walk back to Renata to seek help. Five kilometres from their destination, Cody's father, who was in great pain, felt that he was unable to go any further. Although reluctant to leave him, Cody decided to keep going on his own, knowing that there was a chance he could come across bears. He finally reached his destination, found help, and returned to his father's side.
Tanya Lee Waldriff , M.B., Arnstein, Ontario
Medal of Bravery
On August 10, 2007, Ms. Tanya Waldriff put herself at considerable risk while attempting to rescue her husband and her stepson, who were caught in a riptide, in Freeland, Prince Edward Island. Ms. Waldriff swam out in the strong current to reach the two victims. While her 13-year-old stepson made his way back to the shoreline, Ms. Waldriff stayed behind to assist her husband in his efforts to swim to safety. The fatigued man became disoriented and began swimming towards the open water. Fighting for her own safety, Ms. Waldriff made her way towards the shore where others helped her out of the water. Sadly, her husband did not survive.
ANNEX C - FACT SHEET ON BRAVERY DECORATIONS
BACKGROUND
The Bravery Decorations were created in 1972. They recognize people who risk their lives and choose to defy their own instinct of survival to try to save a loved one or a perfect stranger whose life is in immediate danger. Every year, countless incidents occur, fraught with a great deal of danger for the potential victims and rescuers.
The three levels of bravery decorations reflect the degree to which the recipients put themselves at risk:
The Cross of Valour (C.V.) recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril; the Star of Courage (S.C.) , acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril; the Medal of Bravery (M.B.) , acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.
ELIGIBILITY
Anyone is free to propose the name of a person who has risked injury or death in an attempt to rescue another person. The incident need not have taken place in Canada, and the rescuer need not be Canadian, but Canadians or Canadian interests must be involved. The decorations may be awarded posthumously.
Nominations must be made within two years of the incident, or within two years after a public entity, including a court, a quasi-judicial tribunal or a coroner, has concluded its review of the circumstances surrounding the incident or act of bravery.
For more information on the Bravery Decorations and on the recipients of these awards, please visit http://www.gg.ca/honours/decorations/bra/index_e.asp .
