Current News from 2015

Reading from a plaque that was presented to Mr. Ledson, Scott Smith noted that the scholarship recognizes “George’s long-standing support and membership on the OTA Education Foundation Board of Directors” which spanned a 20 year term that ended in 2015, when George stepped down to make room for new participation. The plaque also acknowledges George’s “unwavering commitment to the Foundation” and his “passion, dedication, and outstanding support of our industry and its people”.

 

“This is quite a surprise”, said Mr. Ledson when called to the podium to receive his plaque. He thanked Scott and the rest of the Foundation’s board for the honour, and encouraged the trucking industry to support the Foundation’s scholarship program.

 

Details on the George P. Ledson Scholarship will be released in the coming months, and will be included in the 2016/2107 Scholarship Application Package.

 “We think that Vicki’s background in education, along with her experience in the Ontario trucking industry make her an ideal candidate for a position on the Foundation’s board”, says Foundation chair, Scott Smith, who is also president of J.D. Smith and Sons. Smith acknowledges that aside from her background in education, Vicki is with a business that has been a strong supporter of the Foundation for decades. “I know that Vicki has been instrumental in spreading the word about the Foundation with Cavalier’s staff, and as a result, several employees’ children have benefited from Foundation scholarships. We look forward to benefiting from her experiences and insight”.

 

Vicki decided to leave education and join the family business in 1998, and has found that her background as a teacher was an excellent foundation for the various roles she now plays within the human resources, staff development, and strategic planning functions.

 

“I am honoured to be nominated to join the Education Foundation board and look forward to being part of this valuable organization”, says Ms. Stafford. “The mandate to support the children of our industry in their pursuit of higher learning, and to also raise awareness of our industry and the varied careers it offers are important goals to support and have long been personal goals of mine, as well”.

 

Vicki has also been involved in several community and professional organizations including Trucking HR Canada, and its predecessor, the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council. She is also on the board of the Truck and Coach Program in the Peel District School Board and served for 7 years as president of the Bolton Skating Club. Vicki and her husband, Scott, live in Caledon and have two children, one of whom is currently in university, and one who is a recent graduate.

The Bison Transport Scholarship was awarded to Julian Donovan, a resident of London, Ontario who is currently enrolled in his third year of an Honours Business Administration degree at the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey Business School. Through his studies in economics, Julian came to realize that economics is “about the factors that affect the standard of living in a community”, Julian said in his letter to the Selection Committee. Julian’s career goal is to be a social entrepreneur. He plans to contribute to Canada’s economic success by creating opportunities to facilitate “aligning the talents and ambitions of individuals with fulfilling jobs”, as a way of developing human capital locally, and then replicating globally.

 

The Bison Transport Scholarship is awarded to one post-secondary student who demonstrates an exemplary commitment to his/her academic studies, and who is enrolled in full time studies at a recognized university or college in Canada.

 

The Erb Group of Companies “Service to Community” Scholarship was awarded to Kevin Soetemans, a resident of Watford, Ontario and an International Relations and Development student at the University of Windsor. Kevin has been an active member of the Watford Branch of the Lambton Organization for Literacy, where, for four years, he has volunteered every week to help younger students improve their math skills. He has been an active member of the NLSS Athletic Association, and served as co-president for one year. As a member of the Student Senate for the Lambton-Kent District School Board, he coordinated fundraising to support the construction of a school in Zambia.

 

The Erb Group of Companies “Service to Community” Scholarship is awarded to a first-year post-secondary student enrolled in a recognized college or university who demonstrates a commitment to his/her community, through his/her involvement in community and/or charitable volunteer work.

 

The JD Smith and Sons “Leaders of Tomorrow” Scholarship was awarded to Nicole Soetemans, whose mother is the office manager with VanBree Drainage and Bulldozing in Warwick. Nicole’s résumé of accomplishments and leadership achievements includes too many to list. Nicole was the president of her high school’s Athletic Association. She is the recipient of her school’s premier award, the I. R. Davis Leadership Award for excellence in academics in combination with superb leadership skills. Nicole is studding for a degree in Science with an Honours’ Specialization in Chemistry at the University of Western Ontario, and hopes to follow her education with a career that involves being part of new scientific breakthroughs in either pathology or pharmacology.

 

The J. D. Smith and Sons “leaders of Tomorrow” Scholarship recognizes one student each year who is the child of a parent who works in the Ontario trucking industry, and who demonstrates exemplary leadership qualities through undertakings in his/her community, school or other volunteer work.

 

The OTA Professional Driver Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Valarie Wood, whose father is a driver for Canada Cartage. Valarie is a third year student enrolled in Forensic Science at Trent University.

 

The OTA Professional Driver Memorial Scholarship recognizes the hard work, dedication and professionalism of all Ontario truck drivers, and honours the memory of those who have lost their lives while driving on-the-job. Applicants must be the child of a commercial driver who has been driving professionally for a minimum of 5 years.

 

The OTA Allied Trades Division Scholarship was awarded to one university a student. Lauren Stacey is a fourth year student at Queen’s University where she is studying Global Development. Lauren notes in her essay that her experiences growing up has exposed her to “certain value systems and beliefs that resonate in communities where nature, indigenous roots, and small-scale local perspectives dominate”, all of which factored into to Lauren’s academic and career decisions. As a person with a minor physical disability, Lauren has come to “understand the flaws in our current health care system, particularly for those individuals who do not have great financial means or social access”. Lauren has decided to pursue a graduate degree in Occupational Therapy, hopes to assist disadvantaged persons.

 

The OTA Allied Trades Davison Scholarships are Awarded to one university student and one college student each year, who have completed at least one year of post-secondary education, and who has demonstrated a strong commitment to his/her academic performance.

 

The OTA Education Foundation’s Endowed Scholarship program is funded entirely by one-time contributions by the organizations for which the scholarships are named. The eligibility and assessment criteria are determined jointly between the endowed fund contributors and the Foundation, who also administers the scholarship program.

The recipients are chosen by the Foundation’s Selection Committee, which spends hours reviewing applications that are submitted by students who are the children of parents who work in the Ontario trucking industry. “These students exhibit an impressive balance between academic abilities, service to community and strong personal values, and are extremely deserving of this additional recognition”, says Foundation chair, Scott Smith.

 

The JO Goodman Scholarship, which is awarded to outstanding first-year university applicants, was awarded to two outstanding individuals this year: Juliane Clemente of Scarborough and Abhishek Paul of Mississauga. Juliane’s application was sponsored by Kriska Holdings where her father is employed as a driver. Juliane is studying Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto.  Abhiskek’s application was sponsored by Highland Transport, where his father has worked as an owner-operator for 5 years. Also a student of the University of Toronto, Abhishek is studying Computer Engineering. 

 

The Bud Barr Scholarship, which is also awarded to outstanding first-year university applicants, was awarded to Jack Mills of Ancaster and Tressa Oke of Courtland. Jack’s application was sponsored by Challenger Motor Freight where his father is employed as a long haul commercial driver. Jack is studying Commerce at Queen’s University. Tressa’s application was sponsored by Kriska Holdings where her father, also a long haul commercial driver, is employed. Tressa is studying Biological Science at the University of Guelph.

 

The CV Hoar Scholarship, which is awarded to an outstanding first-year college applicant, was awarded to Joanne Gonsalves of Brampton. Her application was sponsored by TST Overland Express where her mother works as a PAPS agent. Joanna is attending George Brown College where she is studying Fashion Management.

 

All scholarship recipients are selected from all qualifying applications from students who are entering their first year of post-secondary studies at recognized universities or colleges. In addition to the Goodman, Barr, and Hoar scholarships, 28 general university and college scholarships were awarded to students who submitted applications sponsored by Ontario-based trucking companies where the applicants’ parents work.

 

 The J.O. Goodman Scholarship is named for Joe Goodman, who for 44 years was Senior Staff Executive of the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA).  He served as the Foundation’s Executive Director from its beginning in 1958 until 1978.

 

The Bud Barr Scholarship is named for Bud Barr, who served as the Foundation’s Executive Director from 1992 to 2005, following his retirement from a long career in the Ontario trucking industry. The scholarship honours the memory of Bud Barr, who passed away in 2009.

 

The C. V. Hoar Scholarship is named for Charles Hoar, who is one of the founding members of the OTA Education Foundation and who led the Foundation into its current form when he helped establish the J.O. Goodman Awards in 1979.

The scholarship was presented by Grant’s Transport controller, Geoff Walker, at the schools end-of-June graduation ceremony in Haileybury. President, Gord Grant, welcomes the annual opportunity to recognize a local student for their academic success. “This is a great way to give back to our local community, and to assist a hard-working and dedicated individual with tuition and other university costs”.

 

Timothy finished in the top 25% of the University of Waterloo’s Euclid Mathematics Contest, which provides an opportunity for secondary students to develop their mathematical and problem-solving skills and abilities. He was also a member of TDSS’s band, and served as the senior band president in his final year. He is also a recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Medal.

 

The Grant’s Transport Math Scholarship is awarded annually and is funded by an endowment established by Grant’s Transport Limited, and is administered by the OTA Education Foundation.

Michael Anderson, president at Don Anderson Haulage located in Gormley, Ontario welcomes this annual opportunity to provide post-secondary financial assistance to students graduating from the local high school. “Being from a very ‘hands-on’ type of business, we think that it’s important to encourage students to pursue practical learning through education and training at the college level”, notes Anderson. Anderson Haulage sees this as a meaningful opportunity to “give back to the local community”. The company specializes in the movement of over-dimensional and overweight shipments throughout North America.

 

Both Brinthan and Nicolas plan to earn their diplomas in their chosen studies, and then transfer to university, where Brinthan hopes to study to become a certified accountant, and Nicolas aspires to earn a degree in civil engineering.

 

Winners are selected by Stouffville District Secondary School using academic performance criteria.

 

The Don Anderson Haulage Business and Technology Scholarships are awarded annually to two graduating Stouffville District Secondary School students with high overall averages who are attending college to study business or technology. The scholarships are funded by an endowment established by Don Anderson Haulage Limited., and are administered by the OTA Education Foundation.

Trailcon Leasing’s Al Boughton is pleased to provide much needed financial assistance to David so that he can continue his studies. “Skilled workers are very much in demand in Ontario, and we are pleased to award this scholarship each year to a deserving individual whose skills will one day benefit the trucking industry”, says Boughton.

 

Winners are selected by Conestoga College using academic performance criteria along with established criteria to assess financial need. The Trailcon Leasing Trailer Service Technician Scholarship is funded by an endowment established by Trailcon Leasing Inc., and is administered by the OTA Education Foundation.

"We are thrilled to see our scholarships awarded to two hard-working and dedicated students" said Glasvan Great Dane Trailer Sales president Paul Cobham after the awards presentation. "We view our annual scholarship as a terrific opportunity to provide some financial relief and support to students who plan to seek employment as truck and trailer technicians".

 

The winners of the Glasvan Great Dane scholarships are selected by Conestoga College using academic performance as the primary criterion. The scholarships are funded by an endowment established by Glasvan Trailers Inc., and is administered by the OTA Education Foundation.