Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: February 13, 2003
• Invested on: September 12, 2003

On March 30, 2002, Janet Ward disarmed a troubled elderly man who was intent on suicide after killing a woman at a retirement home in Kitchener, Ontario. Alerted by a colleague's screams, Ms. Ward rushed to the scene to find the man slashing the woman's throat with a knife. Without concern for her own safety, Ms. Ward removed the murder weapon from the aggressor's hands and dashed out to hide the knife. When she returned, she witnessed the man lying on the floor, armed with another knife, attempting to slit his own throat. Undaunted by the disturbed man's violent behaviour, Ms. Ward disarmed him again, and ran out to find assistance. Returning to the room a third time, she found the victim stabbing himself in the neck with a screwdriver. Once again, she tried to stop him but he turned on her menacingly. Ms. Ward managed to flee the room and hold the door closed until emergency personnel arrived.