The CityWatch program is not currently active. This information is for archival purposes only.

Keeping our streets safe

In the short history of CityWatch, several groups of municipal workers have already been recognized through the program for their timely, cautious intervention.

The phone call

Peter Vink, a supervisor with Water and Wastewater Services, phoned 911 to report that the employee might be seriously ill at home. It turned out that the employee was indeed in urgent need of medical help and possibly might have died in a state of diabetic shock if EMS paramedics had not intervened and taken him to hospital for treatment.

City employee Peter Vink receives a CityWatch plaque from City Councillor Brad Duguid. At left is Donald Sorel, the City employee who nominated Peter for the award. At far right is Paul Vigianni, manager of System and Services, Water and Wastewater.

Peter was concerned when he called the employee at home to check on an uncharacteristic absence from work without notification. The employee answered the phone but was incoherent. Peter's subsequent phone calls were not answered, at which time he called 911 for help.

Councillor Brad Duguid, who chairs the Task Force on Community Safety, along with several members of the CityWatch work group and Peter's co-workers, congratulated Peter in the CityWatch award presentation held at the 435 Kipling Ave. office of Water and Wastewater, a division of Works and Emergency Services.

Through actions such as Peter's intervention, City workers help to make Toronto a safe and caring city for the general public as well as for co-workers. Last year, more than 30 public employees in Toronto received CityWatch awards.