September 9, 2022
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada presented 40 Decorations for Bravery, one of Canada’s most‑respected and prestigious civilian honours. The ceremony was part of the program’s 50th anniversary commemorations.
Today, we recognize your actions with the Decorations for Bravery, as well as 50 years of honouring bravery in Canada. Since the decorations were created in 1972, they have been awarded to more than 4 200 people, of all ages. Governors general have presided over these ceremonies for five decades.
Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada presented 40 Decorations for Bravery, one of Canada’s most‑respected and prestigious civilian honours. The ceremony was part of the program’s 50th anniversary commemorations.
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-009
“Today, we recognize your actions with the Decorations for Bravery, as well as 50 years of honouring bravery in Canada.”
Her Excellency, Mary Simon, Governor General
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-010
“Since the decorations were created in 1972, they have been awarded to more than 4 200 people, of all ages. Governors general have presided over these ceremonies for five decades.”
Her Excellency, Mary Simon, Governor General
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-015
On June 30, 2015, Hally Dubois and Dale Holloway intervened in an armed assault at Berland Open Camp, a remote oil site located southwest of Fox Creek, Alberta. Just before 1 a.m., the camp workers were awoken by the sound of screaming. As Ms. Dubois ran out of her room, she saw a co-worker stabbing another colleague. Pleading with the perpetrator to stop, she jumped on his back to prevent further injury, but was subsequently attacked. Mr. Holloway pursued the perpetrator outside and attempted to dissuade him through conversation. After being threatened multiple times, Mr. Holloway and three other colleagues left the premises by vehicle. Emergency services arrived on scene and the culprit was quickly apprehended. Sadly, neither Ms. Dubois nor her colleague survived.
The decoration awarded to the late Hally Dubois was presented to her mother, Terry Lynn Stewart.
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-020
On August 31, 2017, constables Marc-André Arpin, Annie Arseneau, Jimmy Hébert, Paul Morin and Dany Paquette, Commander Patrice Bigras and Sergeant Hughes Thibault, all of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, rescued a baby from a burning apartment. While in the area for another operation, they were alerted by bystanders that a residential building was on fire. Constables Arpin and Arseneau entered neighbouring apartments to evacuate the residents before going into the apartment where the baby was located. Along with Commander Bigras and Constable Hébert, they entered the baby’s room to search for her while holding on to a lifeline. Because of the thick smoke and intense heat, they had to leave after a few seconds. At the same time, constables Morin and Paquette, along with Sergeant Thibault, entered the apartment through the balcony door into the kitchen, where the fire was located. They used a dozen extinguishers to dampen the flames, which allowed Constable Arpin to find the baby and get her out of the apartment safely.
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-025
On August 31, 2017, constables Marc-André Arpin, Annie Arseneau, Jimmy Hébert, Paul Morin and Dany Paquette, Commander Patrice Bigras and Sergeant Hughes Thibault, all of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, rescued a baby from a burning apartment. While in the area for another operation, they were alerted by bystanders that a residential building was on fire. Constables Arpin and Arseneau entered neighbouring apartments to evacuate the residents before going into the apartment where the baby was located. Along with Commander Bigras and Constable Hébert, they entered the baby’s room to search for her while holding on to a lifeline. Because of the thick smoke and intense heat, they had to leave after a few seconds. At the same time, constables Morin and Paquette, along with Sergeant Thibault, entered the apartment through the balcony door into the kitchen, where the fire was located. They used a dozen extinguishers to dampen the flames, which allowed Constable Arpin to find the baby and get her out of the apartment safely.
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-030
On August 1, 2017, Margaret Bell saved a man from drowning in the Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary, Alberta. While walking in the area, Ms. Bell saw the victim struggling in the water, calling for help and trying to remain above the surface. Without hesitating, she ran to the shore and jumped into the water while reassuring the victim. She swam some 50 metres in the very cold, deep water to reach the man, who was panicking and grabbed onto her. Ms. Bell moved back while encouraging the man to calm down, then tossed her sweater to him for him to hold on to. She managed to pull the victim to shore, then told him to put his arms around her neck so that she could lift him out of the water safely while they waited for help to arrive.
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-038
On April 14, 2018, RCMP Constable Daryl Case intervened in a car theft involving two armed suspects near Bresaylor, Saskatchewan. The suspects reportedly stabbed a cab driver before fleeing in the stolen van. Locating the vehicle on the highway, Constable Case pursued the perpetrators, one of whom shot at him through the passenger window. The suspects quickly veered off the highway onto a deserted road, where the driver emerged and fired two rounds of his rifle at the officer. Using his car door as a shield, Constable Case ducked and returned fire. He called for backup as the driver fired two more rounds, narrowly missing the constable. As police arrived on the scene, the suspects tried to escape in their vehicle, but got stuck in a ditch. Constable Case ordered the suspects to exit the stolen van and placed them under arrest.
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-051
On February 22, 2016, Andrew Daub, Daryl Eckert, Tim Harrison and Trevor Vanderhyden rescued two people suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a defective boiler in Mitchell, Ontario. First on the scene, Mr. Eckert found one of the victims in a semi-conscious state. Mr. Harrison then arrived and helped Mr. Eckert carry the man out of the building. Responding to a radio call about the situation, Mr. Daub and Mr. Vanderhyden arrived at the gas-filled building and ran up to the second level, where they found the other victim foaming at the mouth. Strapping him to a wheeled office chair, Mr. Daub and Mr. Vanderhyden rolled the second victim to the top of the stairs and, with Mr. Harrison’s help, carried him to safety.
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-062
On May 31, 2019, Jonathan Stein-Palmiere saved two girls from drowning in Lake Windermere in British Columbia. Seeing that the two children were having difficulty reaching the shore and were calling for help, Mr. Stein-Palmiere ran to the water to help them. He swam approximately 12 metres in deep water to help one of them reach the shore safely. He then pushed the other girl toward the shore before losing consciousness and disappearing beneath the water. Two witnesses tried to save him but were unsuccessful. Mr. Stein-Palmiere was taken to the hospital but tragically did not survive.
The decoration awarded to the late Jonathan Stein-Palmiere was presented to his mother, Toni Palmiere.
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-091
“We draw inspiration from you and your actions, which has brought you to this moment. And we draw inspiration from all those who have come before you. You underline the difference that one person can make. You inspire us to look after each other, to come together as a community and as a country to make things better. This is what these decorations mean to us, 50 years after their creation.”
Her Excellency, Mary Simon, Governor General
- Credit: Sgt Mathieu St-Amour, Rideau Hall
- Reference Number: GG09-2022-0203-105