Police honour heroism, innovation with two internal awards
Two members of the Thunder Bay Police Service are being recognized for exemplary work in the last year.
“Both of the recipients today were nominated by people in the building because of the outstanding work they’ve done,” Police Chief Darcy Fleury said at Thursday’s award ceremony. “We have a very difficult job. Having the organization recognize you is so important to people as they progress in their careers.”
Constable Joshua Pugh received the Lifesaving Award for acts of bravery and heroism for an event that occurred on December 24, 2025.
“It was a very, very traumatic event. What [Pugh] did that day went above and beyond the call of duty, and [he] showed what police officers are there to do,” Fleury said.
During that call, Pugh was shot at by an armed male who refused to comply with police commands. He returned fire and incapacitated the suspect before administering first aid immediately following the exchange.
“A call like that, by nature it could be very dangerous,” Pugh said. “So you’re thinking about keeping the public safe, keeping yourself safe and the other officers that are on the scene. Heading to the scene, you’re planning in your head what could happen, so you can try and be as prepared as you can when you get there.”
To Pugh, courage means doing the right thing even when you’re scared.
“It’s the reason I go to work every day,” he said.
Constable Ken Ogima received a Bravery Award for his work that day, but was not present at the award ceremony.
Fleet Manager Aaron Dowsell received an Innovation Award for saving the force over $500,000 in about two years of work by optimizing repair work for police vehicles in the garage.
“I was hired on and basically given full reins to the garage,” Dowsell said. “I didn’t do it for any kind of award. My job is just to come in and give 100% of what I can do.”
Dowsell’s biggest change was bringing maintenance and repair work in-house instead of outsourcing it elsewhere.
“It’s a trifold of benefits: it cuts costs rather than farming it out, we get discounts on the parts, and it brings the vehicles back into service way quicker,” he said.
A third individual who chose not to be named was recognized for his efforts in a fatal car crash on Highway 11/17. The officer and an off-duty paramedic attempted to pull a victim out of a burning vehicle, but were unsuccessful. The officer was able to pull the paramedic to safety as the fire intensified and the vehicle began to explode.
