CP Police Service Constable Bidulka honored for rail-safety efforts

Operation Lifesaver Canada (OL) announced yesterday that Canadian Pacific Police Service Constable Brad Bidulka will be awarded its Roger Cyr Award.

The award recognizes "rail safety ambassadors who have made exceptional contributions to rail safety in Canada," OL officials said in a press release. The award is announced annually during Canada's Rail Safety Week, which is being recognized this week through Sept. 29.

“Brad is proof that through passion and commitment, each of us can make our communities safer places to live,” said OL Canada’s National Director Sarah Mayes. “Whether he’s knocking on doors to speak directly with community members, or hosting a mock-collision in minus-30 weather to highlight the importance of obeying railway signs and signals, Brad goes above and beyond to get the rail safety message across.”

Bidulka joined CP's police service in 2015. In 2017 he worked to establish and chair a new OL provincial committee in Saskatchewan, to help coordinate rail safety education and outreach efforts in the province, OL officials said.

Since that time, Bidulka has built up the committee’s membership and secured the support of more than a dozen key organizations in the region.

Bidulka also understands the value of one-on-one rail safety conversations, OL officials said. After footage recently surfaced on social media of children climbing under a stopped train at a crossing, he identified the community and reached out to its local association.

Along with parent discussions, school presentations and a rail safety open house at the community center, Bidulka and his team knocked on doors throughout the community to spread the rail safety message. He still visits the area weekly to speak with community members, and he oversaw the installation of 12 new “no trespassing” signs along rail lines in the area.

Named after the founder of Operation Lifesaver Canada, the Roger Cyr Award for Public Rail Safety was first awarded in 1981 and is a joint initiative of OL, the Railway Association of Canada and Transport Canada.