Canadian Urban Transit Association honors winners at annual awards ceremony

The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) celebrated the achievements of its members at the annual CUTA Awards Ceremony held in late October as part of its annual conference. From more than 100 submissions, CUTA’s Awards Committee selected 20 winners who demonstrated the greatest impact within the communities they serve.

The 2022 CUTA Awards Ceremony marked the return to an in-person format, providing an opportunity to celebrate award winners, both organizations and individuals, for their contributions to public transit in Canada.

List of 2022 CUTA Award winners:

CUTA’s 2022 Individual awards (Nine awarded):

Young Leaders Award – Young and talented emerging leaders entering the sector (35 or younger)

•  Heather Aitken (Toronto, ON), interim head, DB Engineering & Consulting – Recognized for dedication to transit sustainability and passionate support for accessibility and diversity of perspective in public transit.

Excellence Award – Major contributions that improved public transit

• Tania Wegwitz (Victoria, BC), transit and regional transportation lead, Watt Consulting Group – Recognized for 27-plus years of transit planning expertise and a commitment to transit system improvements in urban and rural areas.

Edward J. Dowling Distinguished Service Award – Exceptional service for 10 or more years

• Guy Picard (Laval, QC), CEO, Société de Transport de Laval (STL) – Recognized for nearly 40 years of urban transit experience where he supported several innovative projects including electrification initiatives and alternative on-board payment solutions.
• Doug Morgan (Calgary, AB), general manager of operational services, Calgary Transit – Recognized for his over 30 years of service to the City of Calgary, where his planning expertise and people-first leadership style contributed to Calgary Transit’s increasing customer satisfaction ratings.

William G. Ross Lifetime Achievement Award – Exceptional service for at least 25 years. The winner is inducted into the CUTA Hall of Fame.

CUTA’s 2022 Corporate awards (11 awarded):

 Equity Diversity & Inclusion Award – Initiatives, programs and outreach by businesses, transit systems, and/or their municipal owners, committed to inclusive, accessible, diverse workplaces and community

• Toronto Transit Commission (TTC): 2022 Indigenous Heritage Month Campaign, working with frontline employees to create an internal communications campaign that celebrated the strength of indigenous communities.
• Edmonton Transit Service: Launching a new bus network and on-demand transit service, with community consultation through virtual and in-person workshops for various community stakeholders that included Indigenous Peoples, new Canadians, seniors and people with disabilities.

Safety and Security Award – For systems that took extra steps to keep riders and workers safe

• BC Transit: People in remote areas were rescued and brought to safety during BC’s 2021 Emergency Evacuations. With the help of its fleet of buses, regional authorities helped evacuate vulnerable residents (sick and elderly) to help as floods began threatening communities across the province.

Environmental Sustainability Award – For systems whose projects helped advanced environmental sustainability

• Société de transport de Montréal (STM): Sustainably designed and constructed Côte-Vertu underground metro train storage facility provides capacity for future network expansion, turning a brownfield site into an open and publicly accessible outdoor space.
• Toronto Transit Commission (TTC): Implementing its green bus technology plan that includes the largest electric bus fleet in North America.

Innovation Award – For using technology and new approaches to make services more effective and efficient

• Société de transport de Montréal (STM): Innovative approach at its Towers Mechanical Ventilation Station, where the facade of an abandoned 19th-century Victorian home has been preserved and converted into an underground ventilation station for the Montréal Metro.
• Town of Coburg: Coburg Rides campaign that consolidated paratransit service and other on-demand transit service into a single on-demand transit service that provides town-wide coverage.
• MiWay, City of Mississauga: Digitalized crew selection for transit operators that saves staff time and provides cost savings through reduced print costs.

Marketing and Communications – For excellence in advertising, corporate communications or public relations

•  Halifax Transit: Launched an updated Transit Code in 2021 for passenger conduct and policy guidelines, aimed at increasing public safety for riders and operators, and public awareness to promote a modern and inclusive urban transit culture in Halifax.
• MiWay, City of Mississauga: Launched the Freedom to Move back-to-school marketing campaign that reminded Mississauga residents to consider public transit with a strategic youth-targeted social media ad campaign for student riders.
• BC Transit: Celebrated Transit Operator and Worker Appreciation Day with programming that reached over 900 schools, and a digital marketing campaign that reached over 100,000 people, to show gratitude for all transit staff that helped keep transit running during the pandemic.