Presentation of Decorations of Bravery

On November 1, 2013, William Ayotte, S.C. (Churchill, Manitoba) rescued a woman who was being attacked by a polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba. Mr. Ayotte grabbed a shovel and began hitting the bear, distracting it long enough to allow the woman to escape. The animal then jumped on Mr. Ayotte and began to maul him. Neighbours finally shot at the bear, chasing it away from the severely injured victim.

On August 11, 2014, Kennedy Crossland, M.B. (Summerside, Prince Edward Island) rescued a girl and a boy who were struggling in deep, rough waters in Darnley, Prince Edward Island. Ms. Crossland swam out to the girl first; she handed the victim over to a friend who was able to guide the girl to safety. Ms. Crossland then struggled against the strong undertow to reach the boy and brought him to shore.

"In you, I see proof of humanity and decency and courage in the world," said His Excellency. "It doesn’t fade, doesn’t tarnish. It remains as pristine today as it did during the first bravery award presentation more than 40 years ago. That is why I still get goose bumps each time I present these awards, every time I hear stories of bravery."

On January 4, 2013, Constable Marie-Andrée Tremblay, M.B. (Chicoutimi and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) entered a burning apartment building to rescue two people, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Constable Tremblay went up to the third floor to wake up a woman and her granddaughter. By this time, the smoke in the stairwell was so thick that she had to guide them to the balcony, where they remained until firefighters helped them down via a ladder.

On July 13, 2013, Constable Patrick Smith, M.B. (Pembroke, Ontario), of the Ontario Provincial Police, rescued a man from the powerful rapids of the Ottawa River, near Pembroke, Ontario. The swimmer had been pulled by the current towards the rapids, but managed to cling to some rocks. With a life ring and rope in hand, Constable Smith tried twice to reach the victim. On the second attempt, the rope broke as they were being towed to shore. Firefighters in a rescue boat were then able to retrieve the man, but Constable Smith had to be airlifted out of the rapids by helicopter 90 minutes later.

On August 17, 2013, brothers Cliff and Marc Lloyd, M.B. (Thornton and Barrie, Ontario) rescued nine people from a burning cottage in Baysville, Ontario. With the roof, deck and sides of the cottage in flames, the brothers ran to the upstairs bedrooms to wake up the nine occupants and lead them to safety. They returned inside and searched through the thick smoke for another possible victim, who was wrongly believed to still be inside.

On January 9, 2013, Joe Karetak, M.B. (Arviat, Nunavut) rescued the pilot of a submerged helicopter near Arviat, Nunavut. Stranded on an ice floe overnight in frigid temperatures, Mr. Karetak and his son were relieved to see the rescue helicopter arrive the next morning. The pilot tried to land the aircraft on the ice, but it sank through. Mr. Karetak inched his way to the edge of the ice, extended a harpoon to the pilot and pulled the man to safety. The three victims were rescued by a second aircraft three hours later.

On March 14, 2013, Paul Hurst, M.B. (Victoria, British Columbia) and Susannah Utendale, M.B. (Edmonton, Alberta and Victoria, British Columbia), rescued a girl from a burning house in View Royal, British Columbia. On his arrival, off-duty fire chief Paul Hurst found Ms. Utendale desperately trying to locate her great-granddaughter inside the dwelling. The ceiling started to collapse on them, forcing Mr. Hurst to pull Ms. Utendale outside. He then re-entered the house, located the girl and brought her out to safety.

On May 4, 2013, then-13-year-old Jaden Hornett-Shaw, M.B. (LaSalle and Windsor, Ontario) rescued a woman who was being stabbed by a man in Windsor, Ontario. Hearing the victim’s cries for help outside his house, Jaden ran to the scene and pulled the attacker off the woman. The assailant got on his bike and rode away while Jaden remained with the victim and tended to her wounds until the police arrived.

On March 19, 2011, RCMP constables James Guthrie, Clifford Leavitt, Adam Palmer and Douglas Philip risked their lives to apprehend a heavily armed, escaped convict near Sexsmith, Alberta. After setting up a road block, the officers maintained their position during the two-hour standoff. The suspect then closed in on the constables with his car and fired on them with his high-powered weapons. The officers returned fire and subsequently apprehended the criminal when his vehicle became stuck in a muddy ditch.

The Governor General of Canada presented 1 Star of Courage and 36 Medals of Bravery at a ceremony at Rideau Hall. Created in 1972, Decorations for Bravery recognize people who risked their lives to try to save or protect the lives of others.