Advocacy award honours John Pearce

TAA Treasurer Don MacLeod presents the inaugural John Pearce Award to John Pearce (seated). Looking on, from left to right, are TAA board member Michael Perry, President Ted Bartlett, and Membership Secretary Christine Mills Garnet. (Photo – Tim Hayman)

How does an organization appropriately acknowledge more than four decades of dedicated service to its cause?  When president emeritus John Pearce advised his TAA colleagues last summer in a brief e-mail that his health no longer would permit him to maintain an active role, that question immediately arose.  The answer came from vice-president Ashley Morton: establish an annual award in John’s name to recognize outstanding public transportation advocacy.  And, let’s further honour John by naming him as the first recipient.

So it was that following the TAA fall board meeting on November 18, a delegation visited the Dartmouth seniors complex where John and his wife Karen now reside to personally present the annual award plaque and the recipient’s “keeper” trophy.  It was obvious during the brief ceremony that, although age and health issues have forced him to the sidelines, they have not diminished his commitment and enthusiasm for the cause.

John joined Transport 2000 Atlantic in the mid 1970s, served for many years as its president, and remained an active volunteer and board member as the organization rebranded itself as Transport Action Atlantic.  His primary focus was always passenger rail, and until less than a year ago he could be frequently found in the Halifax VIA station, promoting the cause and chatting with passers-by and railway employees.

The John Pearce Award will be given annually to a group or individual demonstrating outstanding effort in the field of public transportation advocacy.  A selection committee will be established to invite nominations and choose the winner each year.

The physical award. The names of each year’s recipients will be added to the main plaque, and each individual will also receive a smaller trophy to keep.

TAA holds successful AGM in Moncton

TAA Vice President Ashley Morton (at podium) introduces the panel at TAA’s 2017 AGM in Moncton.

Transport Action Atlantic hosted a successful Annual General Meeting at the CN Pensioner’s Center in Moncton this past Saturday. Though the turnout was smaller than in some years, no doubt thanks to Saturday being one of the few really beautiful spring days we’ve had so far, the discussion among those who attended was engaging and enjoyable.

Our slate of panelists provided some excellent and thought provoking discussion on the topic of how we get to sustainable transportation, covering a wide range of topics that affect communities throughout the Maritimes. Special thanks to our excellent panelists: David Coon (MLA Fredericton South), Greg Turner (Councillor at-large, Moncton), Erica Butler (journalist, Halifax Examiner), Adrian Hetherington (traffic analyst), and Michael Perry (TAA Board member, involved with RuralLynx/Charlotte County transit initiative).

A correspondent from CTV News was on hand to cover the event. You can read the CTV article below, complete with a short video clip including interviews with TAA President Ted Bartlett, TAA Vice President Ashley Morton, and panelist and New Brunswick Green MLA (Fredericton South) David Coon. The CTV report only touches on a few of the day’s topics, as the conversation also covered passenger rail, ferries, local transit, and general issues about how varying levels of government can work together to meet public transportation needs.

http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/transport-action-atlantic-holds-annual-general-meeting-in-moncton-1.3412575