Nominate Paramedics for Provincial Awards
Members of the Ontario Paramedic Association may log into our provincial website to submit award nominations. Primary chapter members must log into their own website to submit award nominations. Nominate paramedics, support staff, educators, students, media and civilians here.
Log in to submit award nominations:
King Charles III Coronation Medal
The Coronation Medal was created to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, which took place on May 6, 2023. It is the first Canadian commemorative medal to mark a coronation.
The Paramedic Association of Canada (PAC) and its provincial chapters have been identified as partner organizations that will nominate and present medals to individuals who meet the medal’s eligibility criteria. The list of partners was developed by the Government of Canada. Nominations of paramedics from the general public will not be accepted by PAC.
This year, 30,000 deserving individuals will be recognized for their contributions to Canada or to a particular province, territory or community, or for their outstanding achievement abroad that has brought great credit to our country. Candidates may only be awarded one King Charles III Coronation Medal. As well, this medal can be awarded posthumously as long as the recipient was alive on May 6, 2023, the date of The King’s coronation.
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General is responsible for administering the King Charles III Coronation Medal program. How to Nominate a Paramedic The OPA's nomination process for the King Charles III Coronation Medal is the most technologically advanced in Canada and takes less than 2 minutes. To nominate a paramedic for the King Charles III Coronation Medal, paramedics must login to your member account (see links for chapter websites below) and proceed to the menu "OPA Award Nominations".
Ontario Paramedic Association Awards
There shall be six standard categories of Ontario Paramedic Association awards:
- Appreciation Awards
- Long Service Awards
- Exemplary Service Awards
- Acts of Valour Awards
- Media Awards
- Amanda Finch Memorial Awards
- Meritorious Service Awards
The committee, under advisement from the OPA Executive, may add awards to this list as deemed necessary.
The OPA will not be responsible for members who are not recognized if they are not nominated.
Appreciation Awards
The Appreciation Awards shall be a multiple level award presented to persons who have provided support & or assistance to the OPA. The specific type of award shall be determined by the level of support rendered and is not limited to members.
Long Service Awards
The Long Service Awards shall consist of a plaque to be presented to OPA members in good standing who have reached at least 25 years of service in paramedicine and are active as of the date of nomination. Nominees may be involved at the administrative, educational, support or field level.
Nominations can be accompanied with a letter from the current employer & any documentation supporting the years of service. Nominations can be accepted at any time with presentations being made annually.
Exemplary Service Awards
The Exemplary Service Awards shall be a plaque presented annually to OPA members in good standing only when the following criteria are met:
- The nominee must be active in any facet of the provision of paramedic or pre-hospital care
- The nominee must not have personally gained from the service performed (i.e. financially or through professional advancement as recognition for the nominee's service).
- The nominee must have a history of exemplary service as attested to by the committee through the use of interviews, news articles or any other means at their disposal.
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The nominee shall have exhibited in their career the ideals of Paramedicine;
- Commitment to patient care
- Commitment to professional growth
- Commitment to fellow Paramedics
- Commitment to positive public awareness of the profession
Special Note: This award may be presented posthumously.
Act of Valour Awards
The Act of Valour Awards shall be awarded to Paramedics for acts of valour or provision of care under extreme conditions. Valour is defined as: "Strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness".
The award shall be presented under the following circumstances:
- The local chapter or OPA member submits the name of a nominee with full disclosure of events, circumstances & performance of the nominee during the event. There shall be no compromise of patient confidentiality. The event for which the paramedic is nominated must have taken place within 2 years of the presentation of the award.
- The committee shall determine if the nominee acted in a manner showing above average performance during extreme conditions. It shall be determined if the patient or personnel were put in danger by the actions of the nominee. If the danger present to the patient was such that the action taken by nominee is justifiable to assure patient safety, then the award may be presented.
Special Note: This award may be presented posthumously.
Media Awards
The Media Awards shall be presented annually to a member of the media or a news agency who consistently & correctly report about paramedics and the profession in a positive manner.
It is important that Media Awards meet at least two prerequisites from the following criteria:
- Correct use of "Paramedic" terminology rather than "EMS", "Ambulance" or "Emergency Workers"
- Correct use of "injury prevention" terminology such as "crash, collision, wreck, incident, event" rather than the outdated term "accident" (which incorrectly implies an act of fate)
- Factual and balanced reporting with reference to evidence based medical information and is devoid of propaganda
The selection of the Media Awards recipient shall be based upon links to news articles, features, editorials, photos, etc, submitted with regards to the nominee.
Amanda Finch Memorial Awards
The Amanda Finch Memorial Awards is an education award that shall be presented annually to the Primary Care Paramedic graduate who best exemplifies positive professionalism, maintains academic proficiency, possesses strong leadership skills & shows consistent enthusiasm towards the profession. One graduate may be recognized from each Ontario college paramedic program.
The award will include a 1 year full membership in the Ontario Paramedic Association. Selection will be based upon information provided to the committee by the respective college paramedic program administrators.
Meritorious Service Awards
The Meritorious Service Awards shall be a plaque presented annually to OPA members in good standing only when the following criteria are met:
- The nominee must have been active in any facet of the provision of pre-hospital emergency care for their entire career
- The nominee must not have personally gained from the service performed (i.e. financially or through professional advancement as recognition for the nominee's service).
- The nominee must have a history of meritorious service as attested to by the committee through the use of interviews, news articles or any other means at their disposal.
- The nominee shall have exhibited in their career the ideals of Paramedicine;
- Commitment to patient care
- Commitment to professional growth
- Commitment to fellow Paramedics
- Commitment to positive public awareness of the profession
- The nominee shall have had positions and broad impacts in a majority of the following categories affecting paramedicine:
- Education
- Unions
- Associations
- Rural Services
- Urban Services
- Land Ambulance
- Air Ambulance
- Municipal impacts
- Provincial impacts
- National impacts
- The nominee shall have exemplified professionalism and tenacity in a majority of the following categories:
- Appreciation Awards
- Long Service Awards
- Exemplary Service Awards
- Acts of Valour Awards
- Media Awards
Other Associated Awards
EMS Exemplary Service Medal
This federally recognized award is presented by the Governor General. The EMS Exemplary Service Medal is not merely a long service medal. It is first and foremost awarded to those eligible members of the Paramedic community who have served for at least twenty (20) years in a meritorious manner. It recognizes those professionals who have performed their duties in an exemplary manner, characterized by the highest standards of good conduct, industry and efficiency. To qualify, at least ten (10) of those years of service must have been street level duty involving potential risk to the individual. Nominees must have been employees on or after October 31, 1991, but may now be active, retired or deceased. If you feel the individual under consideration meets these criteria, please go to:
The nominee's current employer is normally the nominating authority. Only under exceptional circumstances is a peer allowed to nominate. The form should be accompanied by a supporting letter and any documentation, newspaper clippings, etc which further acknowledges the individual's accomplishments.
The OPA encourages our members to recognize excellence in Paramedicine. If you have any questions about this award, please contact us. Further information about the Canadian Honours System can be found on the Governor General's website at www.gg.ca.
Awards Committee Structure / Terms of Reference
There shall be three (3) full OPA members in good standing appointed by the executive to stand on the awards committee. A Director from the OPA board shall be appointed to liaise with the committee & may or may not be part of the committee.
The purpose of the Awards Committee is to accept nominations and make recommendations to the OPA Board of Directors for final approval of award recipients.
Terms of service on the awards committee shall be for a maximum of 4 years. The committee shall endeavour to have continuity from year to year as much as possible. One committee member shall be elected as Chairperson by the committee members.
Nominations for awards can be made at any time by OPA members in good standing & will be presented annually during the OPA conference or at the Annual General Meeting, except in the case of the Amanda Finch Memorial Award which will be presented at the time of graduation / invocation / commencement of the recipient.
Nomination forms are in your chapter website:
