VIA Rail recognized in Chicago

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 28, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - VIA Rail has received top honours yesterday in Chicago where it has been awarded an honorable mention in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) by the Risk Management Society (RIMS), which holds its annual conference in Chicago.

Members of the RIMS selection committee underlined how VIA Rail's risk management system provides added value to VIA Rail's operations and also assists its Board of Directors in their oversight role of the company's activities. The most notable advantages of this system are its ability to better manage and prevent risks, to support the company's development and growth strategy and to react with agility when a risk materializes.

"This recognition once again confirms that VIA Rail does a remarkable job to anticipate and mitigate risks in the management of its daily business, as much as in the context of its strategic planning," stated Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail. "The implementation of this approach provides us with benchmarks and guidelines for taking calculated and thoughtful decisions."

Over the past five years, previous award winners include large organizations such as Harley Davidson (winner, 2013) and Sysco Corporation (honorable mention, 2012). This is the first time that a passenger carrier is on the list of recipients.

With his team and with the cooperation of VIA Rail employees, Denis Lavoie, Director of Enterprise Risk Management, developed this innovative approach. He has also been recognized for his leadership in this area in the "Newcomer of the Year" category by the Institute of Risk Management, in London, last February.

In his own words, Denis Lavoie described the importance of this recognition for our risk management policy: "It is a great honour for VIA Rail to receive such an award from the RIMS, since it indicates that our work is sufficiently important to be noticed and recognized."

VIA Rail's risk management system has also recently received a Safety Excellence Award, awarded by the Railway Association of Canada.

About RIMS
As the preeminent organization dedicated to advancing the practice of risk management, RIMS, the Risk Management Society™, is a global not-for-profit organization representing more than 3,500 industrial, service, nonprofit, charitable and government entities throughout the world. Founded in 1950, RIMS brings networking, professional development and education opportunities to its membership of more than 11,000 risk management professionals located in more than 60 countries. For more information on RIMS, visit www.RIMS.org.

About VIA Rail
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada (viarail.ca) and its 2,500 employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. The Corporation was presented seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the past eight years, and was the recipient of the 2012 Agent's Choice Award voted by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested almost a billion dollars in VIA Rail. About VIA Rail: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.

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SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.

For further information: Maxime Dupont-Demers, Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications, VIA Rail Canada, 514 871-6137, 1 877 393-8787, [email protected], [email protected]