Michel Denis Bourbonniere, M.B., M.S.M.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
On December 4, 2016, Mitch Bourbonniere rescued a distressed teenaged girl from the Assiniboine River, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Arriving on scene, he saw the victim in the middle of the river, drifting downstream with the current. With several bystanders holding onto one end of a rope, he grabbed the other end and started making his way out to the woman. As he felt his body go numb from the freezing water, he urgently called to the victim to swim towards him. The sound of his voice caught her attention and she began swimming towards him. Mr. Bourbonniere grabbed the hood of her sweater with one hand while holding onto the rope with the other. They were then pulled safely to shore by bystanders.