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Medals for Good Citizenship
The medal for good citizenship, accompanied by a gold lapel pin, may be awarded to a person who has accomplished an act of good citizenship under dangerous circumstances. Made of bronze and engraved with the recipient’s name, the two faces on the medal symbolize both aspects of the theme based on risking one's life to save the life of another.
In the "fires" category, the Government of Québec awarded a medal for good citizenship to:
Frédéric Gauthier from Montréal
On May 4, 2010, Frédéric Gauthier was going home in Montréal when he came across a group of panic-stricken people shouting “Fire! Fire!”.
Seeing an apartment building in flames, Mr. Gauthier drew closer and was told that a couple, including a disabled man, lived in the smoke-filled apartment. At the same time, he saw a terrified elderly lady on a balcony.
He jumped over the railing of the balcony where the woman was sitting. She showed no reaction, even though half of her hair was already blackened. Mr. Gauthier picked her up, lifted her over the railing and passed her to another rescuer.
He then went into the apartment, where the smoke was so thick he had to crawl towards the voice he could hear. In the bedroom, the disabled man was unable to move. His wife, hanging on to the bed, was categorical: “I don’t want to leave my husband here to die. I won’t leave without him.”
Frédéric Gauthier was determined to save both their lives. He resolutely picked up the man in his arms, took hold of the woman and went out into the corridor. Blinded by smoke, he felt his way along the wall to the outside air, and safety for both victims.
He even went back into the smoke-filled apartment to check that there was nobody else inside.
In the "drowning risks" category, the Government of Québec awarded a medal for good citizenship to:
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Jean-François Bernier and Marc Lebel
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JeanFrançois Bernier and Marc Lebel from Port-Cartier
On July 22, 2010, five children aged 7 to 11, accompanied by their grandmother, were swimming from the Baignade beach in the RivièrePentecôte sector of PortCartier. The parents were also on the beach, a few feet away from the group of swimmers.
The water barely reached to the swimmers’ knees but, suddenly, a strong current swept them away from the beach. Three adults leaped into the water after hearing their children’s cries for help. Nadia Lavoie grabbed hold of her son and brought him back to shore. Marc Lebel covered a distance of around 400 feet before reaching two young girls, who clung to him nervously. Mr. Lebel was able to drag them back to the beach, followed by a boy who was able to swim back unaided. Mr. Lebel quickly dialled 911.
Jean-François Bernier swam towards the most distant child. He had difficulty locating him, because he kept disappearing beneath the water. The waves had reached a height of two to three feet.
When Mr. Bernier reached the place where he had last seen the child, he dived into the cold, murky water, reaching around blindly. Luckily, he grabbed hold of the child, who was no longer breathing. Mr. Bernier tried to revive him, and after several chest compressions, he began to breathe.
Holding the boy firmly under his right arm, Mr. Bernier began the swim back to shore. The grandmother was still in the water and when Mr. Bernier reached her, she was losing strength, so he grabbed her with his other hand. He was exhausted, and decided not to “fight the current” but to let himself drift on his back. When he had regained enough strength he started swimming again and reached the shore. Everyone was safe and sound.
Peter Durand from Mirabel
In the evening of February 19, 2010, the DurandSéreau family were getting ready to go to their cottage on Île Carillon, near SaintAndréd’Argenteuil. They intended to cross the Deux-Montagnes lake, as usual, by following the line of fishing cabins across the ice.
The parents and their dog, Roxy, led the way on the first snowmobile. They were followed by their two children, Loris, 14 and Peter, 11.
Three-quarters of the way across, the first snowmobile broke through the ice and fell into the water beneath. Loris stopped the second snowmobile and rushed over to drag his parents from the water, along with their dog.
The father decided that they would continue on in two stages. First, the elder son would drive his parents to the island; then, he would come back for his brother and the dog. However, they had barely gone another 100 metres when the ice broke again. The younger son, Peter, looked for his father—exhausted, he had sunk into the water.
Keeping his cool, Peter removed the dog’s leash and threw it to his brother, who caught hold as Peter pulled on it with all his might. Next, Peter asked his mother to move closer, since the ice she was on was too thin for them to come to her assistance. After several attempts, she managed to catch the leash and Peter pulled her to safety.
They began a long walk to go for help.
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Jean Laurin, Yves Laurin and Vincent Provençal
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Jean Laurin and Yves Laurin from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and Vincent Provençal from Sutton
In the morning of February 21, 2010, brothers Yves and Jean Laurin, along with their nephew Vincent Provençal, were fishing on the ice on the St. Lawrence river facing the breakwater at SainteCatherine. In the distance, two snowmobiles were crossing the ice. Suddenly, one of them disappeared.
The three men ran over, but when they got within a few metres of the hole, the ice broke again. Yves Laurin was neck-deep in the water, Vincent Provençal was in up to his waist and Jean Laurin up to his knees. Despite this, they were determined not to let the snowmobiler drown. Once they had pulled themselves from the water, they formed a human chain.
After counting to three, the men, along with the victim’s friend, pulled with all their strength, hanging on to each other’s heels. They tried several times to pull the victim from the water, but he sank back every time. The man was weak, frozen, semi-conscious and weighed down by his soaking clothes. The rescuers refused to give up: “This evening, you’ll be eating supper with your family,” Vincent Provençal told him.
And he was right. Thanks to the determination of Yves, Jean and Vincent, the man was able to go home to his family.
Danick Lévesque from Montréal
On February 21, 2010, Danick Lévesque was at home with his spouse Janie HalléBolduc close to the Rivière des Prairies in Montréal when a woman knocked at the door.
She was clearly in a panic, and explained that a person had fallen into the river and was drifting downstream. Ms. HalléBolduc immediately called 911, while Mr. Lévesque pulled on a pair of boots and seized a hockey stick. The victim was drifting in the river, with only her head emerging from the water.
Mr. Lévesque walked out onto the ice, but quickly dropped to all-fours to avoid falling through. The victim shouted for help, and did all she could to stay afloat. Danick Lévesque, afraid that she would be carried off by the current, had to move quickly.
He reached out towards the woman with his hockey stick, and she was able to catch hold. He pulled her over and, kneeling on the ice in front of her, pulled first on one arm, then the other, and finally on her belt to drag her from the freezing water.
His spouse came to help and together they carried the victim to where other rescuers were waiting.
Yves Poirier from Campbell River, British Columbia
On December 24, 2010, in the afternoon, a man and his spouse were out snowmobiling along the Rivière Bell in Senneterre when the ice broke under them. The man, a poor swimmer, tried desperately to catch hold of some support, but the ice kept on breaking up. For several minutes, he fought to maintain a grip on a patch of slightly stronger ice. His spouse, unable to help, urged him to hold on while she called 911.
On the bank, Yves Poirier noticed that someone had fallen through a hole in the ice. He immediately rushed down to the river and, seizing one end of the tow-rope that the victim’s spouse was using, told her to stay put while he went out onto the ice.
The ice cracked with each step he took, but instead of turning back, Yves Poirier dropped to all-fours. He threw the rope to the man in the water and, since he was still on thin ice himself, he started to move back. After a few pulls, he managed to drag the victim out of the water up to his waist. In the meantime, Yves Poirier’s father came to help and, with two of them pulling on the rope, they were able to drag the man from the water and return him to his family in time for Christmas.
Christmas is a time for family celebrations—which become especially meaningful after such an unusual experience!
Marc-Olivier Rioux from Saint-Jean-de-Dieu
On February 10, 2010, MarcOlivier Rioux, aged 12, was out with his friends on a frozen lake close to the elementary school in the Cabano sector. The children were following a snowshoe trail on ice that appeared thick enough to support their weight.
MarcOlivier pointed out a hole in the ice, a few metres away, to his friends. Unfortunately, one of them ventured a little too close, and as the ice broke he was plunged into the icy water. The lake bottom was muddy and offered no foothold. He shouted for help and as he struggled his feet sank into the mud, preventing him from swimming.
The children, frightened of falling into the water themselves, rushed to the shore. Only MarcOlivier Rioux remained with the victim.
MarcOlivier crouched down and told his friend to stop moving so that he could catch hold of him but Frédéric, panic-stricken, continued to struggle. After telling him to calm down, MarcOlivier tried to reach him again.
Showing courage and coolness under pressure, MarcOlivier stretched out his arms and, catching hold of his friend, pulled with all his might to drag him from the water.
The two boys caught up with the rest of the group and, together, they went back to school—out of danger but suddenly more aware of the fragility of human existence.
In the "other circumstances" category, the Government of Québec awarded a medal for good citizenship to:
Simon Bernier from Chambly
Mr. Bernier is travelling outside Québec, and is represented by his uncle, Pierre Bernier.
On July 16, 2010, in the Saguenay–LacSaintJean region, a floatplane carrying five fishermen flew into thick fog. Because of the reduced visibility, the pilot had to lose altitude and find a lake to land. Suddenly, the plane struck a mountain, disintegrated and ended up in thick forest. The cockpit burst into flames. Simon Bernier, aged 15, was the only person still conscious.
The teenager realized that he could do nothing for the pilot and the front-seat passenger. However, screwing up his courage, he affronted the fire and dragged his father and great-uncle one by one from the wreckage. His father asked him to look for his little brother who had been thrown out of the plane during the crash. Simon found him covered in mud and debris from the plane. He tried to resuscitate him, but in vain. His brother Louis, aged 11, died in his arms.
Simon went back to his father who, only half conscious, asked where his younger son was. In reply, Simon placed a photo of the family in his hands. His father died shortly afterwards.
Simon looked after his great-uncle Pierre, the only other survivor. He built a rough bed out of spruce branches, and sat down to wait. Occasionally he heard the sounds of a plane engine in the distance, and each time he climbed onto one of the plane’s wings, striking it with all his strength so that he could be seen or heard. Rejecting the idea of setting off to get help, he decided to stay with his great-uncle until rescue arrived. It was only in the evening, several hours after the accident, that Simon saw the first plane attempting to land.
The inner strength and courage of some individuals sometimes leaves us speechless.
Patrick Grondin from Lévis
In the afternoon of May 2, 2010, Patrick Grondin was in his backyard in Lévis when he heard shouts from a neighbouring building. He saw a woman coming down the steps, shouting for help. Behind her, he could see her spouse, armed with a machete.
Mr. Grondin ran towards them. The man was using the machete to hit the woman who, crouching on the floor, was trying to protect herself. Blood was spattered on the walls.
A few feet away from the aggressor, Patrick Grondin shouted to the victim to flee, at the same time attracting the man’s attention. The woman, in a state of shock, understood that she had a chance to escape and ran, but the man caught hold of her and inflicted new wounds.
Patrick Grondin seized the man by the throat, strangling him momentarily. He tried to gain control, and called out to neighbours to call the emergency services and take care of the couple’s baby, who had been left alone in the apartment during the violent struggle.
The police arrived after a two-minute wait. The woman survived her injuries, and her baby is in the best of health. Without the intervention of the Good Samaritan Patrick Grondin, who knows how this story might have ended?
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