Ontario Safety League honours four for road safety

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (May 1, 2002) — The Beer Store and a committee responsible for new air-brake endorsement standards were honoured by the Ontario Safety League for promoting road safety education.

The organization also presented Ontario Ministry of Transportation assistant deputy minister Saad Rafi and Toronto Police Services Constable Art Francis with distinguished service awards.

The awards were handed out at the OSL’s 89th annual general meeting on April 24 in Toronto.

The Beer Store, which has a private fleet distributing beer to retail outlets, received the OSL’s public service commendation for its driver assessment and training programs.

The Airbrake Endorsement Steering Committee was credited for raising the standards of Ontario’s air-brake endorsement course.

Rafi was instrumental in MTO projects like the Ontario Advisory Group on Safe Driving, the Aggressive Driving Web Conference, and the commercial driver improvement committee.

Francis was honoured for his exceptional work in road safety over his 25-year police career. He founded the Toronto Safe and Sober Driving Coalition and the Your Roadways traffic safety education programs, and helped develop the Community R.I.D.E. program.

All four winners have effectively improved the safety of roads in Ontario, said OSL president and general manager Bert Killian. “These winners exemplify what can be accomplished when individuals and organization make a real commitment to road safety,” Killian said.

The Ontario Safety League is a public education and safety awareness organization based in Mississauga, Ont.