Decorations for Bravery Ceremony

The Decorations for Bravery were created in 1972, to recognize people who risked their lives to try to save or protect the lives of others. 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.

On July 26, 2008, Casey Peirce, S.C. (Calgary, Alberta) rescued a man and woman whose canoe had overturned during a sudden storm, at Spray Lakes, Alberta. While cycling with her family, Ms. Peirce heard cries and noticed the victims in the middle of the lake desperately hanging onto their partially submerged canoe. Ms. Peirce jumped in and swam out to the victims. Although her fingers were already numb from the cold water, she grabbed a rope that was attached to the canoe, wrapped it around her wrist, and started to tow the canoe and the victims towards the shore, nearly a kilometre away. Exhausted but determined, Ms. Peirce dragged them for some 45 minutes to bring them closer to shore where others helped pull the hypothermic victims out of the water.

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, presented three Stars of Courage and 50 Medals of Bravery at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, on Friday, October 22, 2010.

On September 8, 2006, Sergeant Bryant Wood, S.C., M.B. (Port Hope, Ontario) of the Port Hope Police Service, rescued an eight-year-old boy from a burning house, in Port Hope, Ontario. Arriving at the scene, Sergeant Wood saw heavy smoke billowing from the home and spotted an unconscious man lying inside the doorway. Sergeant Wood helped bring the man outside, where others were able to revive him. Suddenly, the family dog ran into the house, with a young boy chasing after it. Without concern for his own safety, Sergeant Wood ran into the smoke-filled house, located the boy and his dog in the living room, and carried them outside to safety.

Sergeant Wood also received a Star of Courage for a separate incident during this ceremony.

On December 28, 2007, 30-year-old Hady Quan, M.B. (Vancouver, British Columbia) lost his life when he attempted to rescue a man who was struggling in the strong ocean currents, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Mr. Quan and his girlfriend were enjoying a leisurely swim when they heard the victim calling out for help a short distance away. As they approached the man, they discovered that there was a powerful undertow and that they would need help bringing the victim to safety. Mr. Quan continued towards the man, while his girlfriend struggled to make her way to shore to get help. Rescuers managed to bring the unconscious victim to shore, where they tried, in vain, to revive him. Sadly, in the meantime, Mr. Quan was carried away by the current and drowned.

The decoration awarded to Mr. Quan was received by his brother, Mr. Hani Quan.

On July 16, 2007, Thomas Manuel, M.B. (Fort Good Hope, Northwest Teritories) was severely injured while protecting his family from an intruder, in Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories. The aggressor entered the home and started firing a rifle at members of the household, who then ran into the master bedroom. Mr. Manuel was shot in the neck and stomach when he tried to stop the invader. He quickly retreated to the bedroom, blocked the door with a large chest, and made a rope out of bedsheets and shirts to escape through a window. Once his wife and three grandchildren were safely on the ground, Mr. Manuel climbed down and ran to the side of the house to distract the attacker. The aggressor ran up to Mr. Manuel, shot him in the face, fled, and was later apprehended by the RCMP.

On September 23, 2007, Sergeant Roger Lane, M.B. (Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador), then master corporal, apprehended two men who had robbed a grocery store, in Edmonton, Alberta. Sergeant Lane was entering the store when he noticed a man wearing a disguise running towards him and realized that a robbery had just taken place. He caught the suspect, wrestled him to the ground, removed the gun from the suspect’s waistband and threw it out of reach. While other shoppers assisted in restraining the robber, Sergeant Lane grabbed a second suspect who was running away. As the man struggled to free himself, he sprayed tear gas in Sergeant Lane’s face. Although temporarily blinded, Sergeant Lane managed to subdue him and held onto him until the police arrived minutes later.

On June 17, 2008, constables Michael Gallant, M.B. and Phillip Kolody, M.B. (Windsor, Ontario), of the Windsor Police Service, rescued four people from a burning house, in Windsor, Ontario. On patrol in the area, the constables noticed the fire. Once inside the dwelling, they located and woke the victims. The constables evacuated the family, and returned inside to search for other possible individuals trapped inside. In spite of the flames, the intense heat and the thick black smoke they ensured that no one else was inside, before evacuating nearby homes.

On May 23, 2007, Kimberly Friesen, M.B. (Quesnel, British Columbia) rescued a boy from a possible drowning, in Quesnel, British Columbia. The boy, who had been cycling with his family along the Quesnel Riverfront Trail, had missed a turn and ended up in the water. Mrs. Friesen was rollerblading nearby when she heard the child’s mother call out for help. Although not a strong swimmer, Mrs. Friesen took off her skates and, without hesitation, jumped into the freezing waters of the swollen river. Battling against the strong current, she reached the unconscious victim and pulled him to shore, where others helped to resuscitate him.

On August 1, 2005, Frédéric Dufresne, M.B. (Trois-Rivières, Quebec) risked his life to prevent a young boy from being hit by an oncoming truck, in Sainte-Monique, Quebec. Mr. Dufresne and his Scout troop were at a roadside rest stop when they noticed a three-year-old boy running towards the roadway, with his father trying to catch him from behind. As Mr. Dufresne joined the chase, the boy ran directly into the path of a transport truck filled with logs. Mr. Dufresne sprinted and tackled the boy, rolling with him until they cleared the road, just as the truck whizzed by.

"Behind every one of these beautiful medals is an amazing story. A story of a life saved, a family preserved, a community strengthened. Stories too, of fear overcome, because bravery is not the absence of fear, it is the judgment that something else—and someone else—is more important than fear."