Public Heroes GTA – Nomination Form

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE 2024 PUBLIC HEROES AWARDS.

NOMINATIONS OPEN TO MARCH 1st 2025

GUIDELINES FOR NOMINATION
Any member of the public can nominate one or more police officers, firefighters or paramedics or support staff who work for any of the emergency services in the GTA (Peel, Durham, York, and Toronto) including the RCMP, OPP, ORNGE, HMCS YORK and the Correctional Services. Nominations are submitted based on three criteria: “Altruism“, “Dedication“, and “Community Involvement“. Please read the guidelines below to better understand the criteria. Teams (e.g. platoon X) can also be nominated instead of individuals.

The information below is intended to assist nominators when considering the nominee for consideration of the IDI Public Heroes award.

This content is intended as a guide and the examples we have provided are just that, examples. We certainly are aware that potential nominees can exhibit altruism, dedication, and community involvement in many different ways.

Altruism: Altruism or selflessness is the principle or practice of concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious traditions and secular worldviews. The nominee is expected to have demonstrated the actions implying selflessness while carrying out his profession. An extreme example could be risking his/her life to save the lives of others.

Dedication: The nominee should have demonstrated their sincere loyalty to the profession. The nominee has shown that they had developed a passion/love towards the occupation of being a member of a first responder agency, serving fellow citizens. An example could be the nominee’s exemplary efforts in the way to becoming a police officer, firefighter or paramedic such as making an early decision and receiving related training.

Community Involvement: The nominee should be active in their respective community through volunteer activities with the intention of serving humanity and knowing more about the people they are serving through interaction. This can be in the community around the workplace or in their home communities. Examples could be coaching the local hockey team, volunteering for the local food bank, or travelling abroad for relief campaigns.

Every year IDI Toronto organizes a media launch to kick off the nomination process for Public Heroes Awards. This event is also the venue for recognition of the youth, future Public Heroes.

Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) Regina organized the first public heroes award ceremony with the participation of government of Saskatchewan ministers, the mayor of Regina, and general directors of Regina Police Department, Regina Paramedic Service and Regina Fire Department.

Public Heroes GTA 2016 Awards Ceremony was held on April 14, 2016 at Mississauga Convention Centre. 16 heroes from several services across the GTA were presented Public Heroes Awards. Click on the picture to see the list of award recipients along with photos and videos from the awards ceremony.