WINNERS OF THE 2010 CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION AWARDS

OTTAWA, Sept. 30 /CNW/ - The Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) is proud to announce the winners of the 2010 Canadian Transportation Awards recognizing leadership, excellence and achievement in the transportation sector.

"The Government of Canada honours these leaders in the transportation field who have proved their extraordinary skills," said the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. "Through their hard work, they help Canada achieve many of its objectives relating to the environment, safety and security, and system efficiency in the transportation sector."

"These awards provide an excellent opportunity to recognize outstanding contributions to the transportation sector," said Mr. Robert Smart, president of TAC. "Our country is fortunate to have such fine professionals working on all aspects of a sustainable transportation system for Canadians."

The Transportation Person of the Year award is given to an individual who has assumed a leadership role that has contributed to the improvement or advancement of the transportation industry. The recipient of this year's award is Mr. Anthony F.D. Russell, of Mississauga, Ontario, in recognition of his 38 years of innovative work in the engineering consulting field.

The Award of Excellence is presented this year to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the development and deployment of advanced traffic management systems and intelligent transportation systems in Canada and the United States: Mr. Philip H. Masters, of Toronto, for his work on traffic engineering.

The Award of Achievement is presented this year to two individuals who have made positive and measureable improvements to transportation through innovation and who have shown initiative on a particular project: Mr. Dale J. Bracewell, of Vancouver, demonstrated determination and personal drive in leading a team that developed and implemented Vancouver's Olympic Transportation Plan; and Mr. Michael Madill, of Burnaby, British Columbia, showed great leadership in his work preparing TransLink for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

The Award of Academic Merit is given to two individuals who have made a long-term contribution to the advancement of academic research and to the development of transportation leaders of the future. This year's recipients are Dr. Said Easa, of Toronto, director of Quality Assurance, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science at Ryerson University, and Dr. Tarek Sayed, of Vancouver, professor and a distinguished university scholar, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia.

The 2010 Canadian Transportation Awards were presented at the closing banquet of the Transportation Association of Canada's annual conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on September 29, 2010.

The Transportation Association of Canada is a national association with a mission to promote the provision of safe, secure, efficient, effective, and environmentally and financially sustainable transportation services in support of Canada's social and economic goals.

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Backgrounder

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CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION AWARDS

The Transportation Person of the Year award is given to an individual who has assumed a leadership role that has contributed to the improvement or advancement of the transportation industry.

Mr. Anthony F.D. Russell, of Mississauga, Ontario, received this award for his 38 years of experience in consulting engineering. During his career, he worked in Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. He retired last summer from his position as the senior vice-president of Hatch Mott MacDonald Ltd., where he was responsible for the company's operations in Ontario and Quebec involving projects in the airport, rail, transit, tunnel, bridge and highway sectors. His work on rail and transit development was impressive. Mr. Russell was program manager for GO Transit's Rail Infrastructure Program, as well as the GO Transit Union Station rail corridor, Toronto Transit Commission project management services and he also managed the Canadian Pacific Railway preferred service provider contract. He also was involved in every aspect of redevelopment at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Similarly in Nepal, Jamaica and South Africa, he helped create aviation gateways.

The Award of Excellence is presented this year to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the development and deployment of advanced traffic management systems and intelligent transportation systems in Canada and the United States.

Mr. Philip H. Masters, of Toronto, joined the Ontario Ministry of Transportation in 1979 and became involved in traffic engineering. He contributed to provincial traffic signal policy, design and operations, including the introduction of amber arrows to signal displays. Currently, as the head of the Advanced Traffic Management Section, he is responsible for all advanced traffic management system design and construction in the province, as well as the ongoing operational viability of the existing systems. He is the author of a number of papers on freeway traffic management design, operation and evaluation. He is also the chair of the U.S. Transportation Research Board's Freeway Operations Committee and has chaired the Transportation Association of Canada's Steering Committee for the Application of Intelligent Transportation Systems for Traffic Management.

The Award of Achievement is presented this year to two individuals who have made positive and measureable improvements to transportation through innovation and have shown initiative on a particular project.

Mr. Dale J. Bracewell, of Vancouver, was honoured because he demonstrated determination and personal drive in leading a team that developed and implemented the Host City Olympic Transportation Plan. By prioritizing walking, promoting cycling and public transit, and accommodating movement of goods and general-purpose vehicles, the plan was a well-balanced approach that reflected the city's values and the priority it has put on sustainable transportation planning. Wherever possible, additional traffic management measures were implemented to maximize the capacity of the road network. He also directly led the development, construction and operation of the Olympic Line: Vancouver's 2010 Streetcar that provided free transit for more than 550,000 riders during the games.

Mr. Michael Madill, of Burnaby, British Columbia, led efforts for over two years to prepare TransLink for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Under his leadership, his team developed unprecedented partnerships with other regional transportation agencies, emergency services and security forces to establish plans and processes, as well as mitigate key issues. They also undertook the immense task of planning the logistics of public transportation during the Olympics. This included anticipating passenger volumes, identifying dropoff spots and coordinating routes with road closures. Moreover, his team drove efforts to reduce car travel by residents in downtown Vancouver.

The Award of Academic Merit is given to two individuals who have made a long-term contribution to the advancement of academic research and to the development of tomorrow's transportation leaders.

Dr. Said Easa, of Toronto, director of Quality Assurance, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science at Ryerson University, has published over 450 technical works. He has conducted research related to various transportation modes and related areas. He is considered an international authority in the field of geometric design, and the related fields of traffic engineering and safety. He has also chaired many international and national conferences and committees, and served as associate editor of two international journals, as well as vice-president of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.

Dr. Tarek Sayed of Vancouver, is currently a professor and a distinguished university scholar at the University of British Columbia. He is internationally known for his transportation engineering research that has been focused on three main areas: improving road safety analysis and evaluation techniques; raising the level of knowledge associated with the safety implications of traffic operations and highway design; and developing and evaluating intelligent transportation systems in order to increase the efficiency and safety of traffic operations. He has received a number of prestigious awards and is the co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering and the director of the Bureau of Intelligent Transportation Systems and Freight Security at the University of British Columbia. He has authored or co-authored approximately 220 publications and serves on several transportation committees.

For further information:

Gilbert Morier Assistant Director Events, Communications and Special Initiatives Transportation Association of Canada 613-736-1350, ext 234

Media Relations Transport Canada, Ottawa 613-993-0055