Rewards and Recognition Gala

Customer Service Award Winner

Monique Blake, Streetcar Operator – Russell Division
​Monique observed a customer on her streetcar who appeared unsteady on her feet and shaking with a slight tremor. When Monique asked the customer if she was okay, the customer insisted she was fine and to continue service as she did not want to delay her fellow customers. Instead, Monique offered kind, compassionate reassurance to the passenger that she was not inconveniencing anyone and that her health came first.

She promptly called EMS, and they transported the customer to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor. She underwent emergency surgery that day, which saved her life. Even though the customer said she was fine, Monique’s experience told her otherwise, and she took immediate and decisive action, saving the customer’s life. She is a role model to everyone at the TTC, and her keen eye and quick actions saved a life. Her compassion and quick thinking are an inspiration.

Safety Award Winner

Shaun Allan, Divisional Assistant Manager – Bus Transportation
​Shaun demonstrated exceptional leadership at the TTC’s 2024 Family Day and Roadeo Competition, ensuring safety for more than 4,000 attendees. He analyzed the previous year’s event, identified improvements, and repositioned Safety Supervisors to enhance oversight between the event attendees and active buses.

Shaun secured additional Tetra radios for improved communication among event organizers, enhancing co-ordination and safety. This made communication between security seamless. His proactive measures and initiatives resulted in a successful event with no significant safety incidents, fostering a culture of safety within the TTC. Shaun’s actions set a strong example for others, empowering colleagues to prioritize safety and contribute to a secure environment.

Innovation and Sustainability Award Winner

Milan Novakovic, Overhead Foreperson, – Streetcar Infrastructure
​Milan has a notable history of thinking outside the box when it comes to new and efficient methods of accomplishing Overhead work. He engineered the Power Off Device (or POD), a crucial innovation that activates an audible power-off alarm in the streetcar Operator’s cab as it enters restricted zones, prompting the Operator to stop. His innovation has successfully eliminated the costly consequences of our legacy tripper and out-of-service vehicles. Because of Milan’s ingenuity with the POD, the TTC has benefitted immensely with the decrease in Automatic Drop Down (ADD) incidents.

Milan’s proactive approach ensures that all offline areas of the system, especially those affected by long-term construction projects, are promptly addressed with proper stakeholder co-ordination. He demonstrates an in-depth understanding of his work and is consistently present onsite with his crews to prevent and address any issues that may arise, minimizing disruption to infrastructure and service. And when there are issues, he handles them promptly to make sure they are addressed with minimal downtime to infrastructure and service. Milan’s dedication to innovation and sustainability has significantly improved operational efficiency and safety within our transit system, setting a remarkable standard for excellence in our organization.

Leadership Award Winner

Kathy Cuschieri, Occupational Health Director – Human Resources
​Kathy goes above and beyond her role, dedicating extra hours and actively engaging in contingency planning during critical periods, such as collective bargaining. During this time, she was Acting Director of Employee Relations, but her responsibilities entailed so much more than the job she was filling. She played a pivotal role in negotiating Occupational Health and Employee Well-being issues, significantly contributing to the bargaining team’s success. Her onboarding of new team members during challenging times showcases her ability to uplift and support others despite significant demands. She fosters an empowering environment, making team members feel valued and safe, ultimately driving their success and growth through compassionate leadership.

Diversity Award Winner

Adil Ali, Garage Foreperson – Bus Maintenance and Shops
​Adil ensures that all hiring processes are free from discrimination in his role. He has hired individuals from diverse ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and religions. He strongly promotes and encourages women to enter the trades, going above and beyond to support them in their journey as apprentices in the 310T trade.

Adil always encourages apprentices to voice their concerns and addresses them with urgency. He makes himself available to assist apprentices, particularly if their safety and well-being are compromised. By fostering an inclusive and supportive environment, Adil not only strengthens his team, but also champions the value of diversity in the workplace.

Teamwork Award Winners

This Teamwork Award was presented to two groups consisting of 34 recipients nominated for their contributions to the Broadview Station Loop Track Replacement project. These individuals came together to have northbound and southbound Broadview Street lanes open for the community and have TTC buses running to serve riders. Everyone was available and ready to work around the clock, to have the streetcar tracks removed and replaced with all the intricacies it takes to co-ordinate work between the TTC and the contractor in an assembly-type environment rather than a staged one.

Some of the recipients ensured that communications were in place well before and throughout the heavy construction on Broadview Avenue and at Broadview Station, so that City Councillors, customers, neighbours, and business stakeholders were proactively informed of major service changes, traffic management/detours, parking, and access. Through early collaboration between Strategy and Customer Experience, Community and Stakeholder Relations, Customer Communications, ECE, Streetcar Way, and Corporate Communications, a massive communications and outreach campaign built early understanding and support for the infrastructure renewal. ECE and Streetcar Way delivered the project on time and on budget under major pressure from elected officials, customers, and stakeholders.

Kal Bedder, Print and Electronic Information Supervisor, Marketing and Customer Experience
​Melisa Bernier, Project Administrative Secretary, Construction
​Martha Beshai, Lead Engineer, Civil Engineering
​Abram Braithwaite, Transit Planner, Service Planning and Scheduling
​Jeff Collins, Supervisor, Construction and Preventive Maintenance, Streetcar Infrastructure
​Vince Dichio, Senior Construction Inspector, Streetcar Infrastructure
​Merve Erenler, Project Controls Specialist, Project Management Office
​Seyed Eshtehardian, Construction Co-ordinator, Construction
​Matt Garton, Senior Construction Inspector, Construction
​Steven Gehring, Senior Manager, Operational Safety and Planning
​Victoria Gorobets, Marketing and Social Media Director, Marketing and Customer Experience
​Angela Gougeon, Construction Site Manager, Construction
​Johnathan Gowe, Assistant Designer, Track, Streetcar Infrastructure
​Adrian Grundy, Acting, Head of Corporate Communications, Corporate Communications
​Evan Harris, Customer Communications Specialist, Marketing and Customer Experience
​Lloyd Haughton, Survey Technologist, Streetcar Infrastructure
​Sabrina Iannantuono, Construction Clerk, Construction
​Tom Kliem, Project Manager, Construction
​Mae Lee, Community Liaison Officer, Community and Stakeholder Relations
​Jessica Liu, Procurement and Contract Specialist,
Procurement and Category Management
​David Manuel, Survey Technologist, Streetcar Infrastructure
​Lancefield Morgan, Community Stakeholder Relations Manager, Community and Stakeholder Relations
​Kristjan Naelapea, Transit Service Senior Planner, Service Planning and Scheduling
​Alexander Pavlovski, Senior Construction Safety Officer, CCO’s Office
​Maryam Rezvanian, Project Scheduler, Project Management Office
​Bernard Semenya, Construction Safety Officer, CCO’s Office
​Kassondra Shiu, Digital Communications Specialist, Marketing and Customer Experience
​Derek Stryland, Senior Photographer, Marketing and Customer Experience
​Marc Tan, Transportation Engineering Manager, Project Development and Planning
​Paul Tran, Senior Community Liaison Officer, Community and Stakeholder Relations
​Felix Tse, Senior Transportation Planner, Project Development and Planning
​Michael Vieira, Senior Community Liaison Officer, Community and Stakeholder Relations
​Kevon Wilks, Streetcar Way Manager, Streetcar Infrastructure
​Wei Zhang, Construction Engineer, Construction