Four Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo community members were celebrated for their significant contributions to the region at Council’s Excellence Awards ceremony on Monday night.
Among the honourees was veteran Diversified driver/driver trainer Nadeem Aslam, whose heroic actions saved 25 lives on June 23, 2024, while driving a Fort McMurray Minor Baseball team home from Slave Lake.
Nadeem received the Everyday Hero Award for his actions after his bus was struck by lightning, which immediately blew the front tires and caused the back tires to begin losing air. Nadeem was able to steer the bus to a stop with no injuries to any passengers.
Council presented certificates to recipients of the four award categories: Citizen of the Year, Everyday Hero, Indigenous Advocate and Youth.
“It’s clear to me that the greatest resource in this region has always been our people,” said Mayor Sandy Bowman. “We congratulate the winners and all those that were nominated during what was a record year for community participation. Thank you to everyone that took time to express how much these people are making a positive difference to those around them.”
Congratulations, Aslam, on this well-deserved honour. Your exemplary driving skills, quick thinking and focus on safety resulted in everyone getting Safely Home.