Paul Côté, President and CEO, VIA Rail Canada

Paul Côté’s career has spanned the length and breadth of passenger rail services. Mr. Côté was appointed President and CEO of VIA Rail Canada in March of 2005. Previously he had served as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for customer services, transportation, maintenance, labour relations, safety and the day-to-day marketing activities of VIA’s four operating sectors.  In the 1990s he played a key role in the renaissance of passenger rail in Canada, re-inventing the roles of on-board personnel and helping to develop a management philosophy that made customer satisfaction VIA’s absolute, fundamental priority. Under his guidance this customer focus continues to be at the centre of VIA’s strategic plan and touches every aspect of its operations.

Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec in 1951, Mr. Côté is a graduate of the Université de Montréal. He joined Canadian National Railway in 1972 and moved to VIA in 1978, where he amassed a broad range of experience managing a number of departments, including Marketing, Human Resources, Public Affairs, Labour Relations and Government Relations. Mr. Côté is a member of the Executive Board of the International Union of Railways [UIC], member of the Board of Directors of the Rehabilitation Institute of Montréal [RIM] and member of the Board of Governors of Portage, a non-profit agency dedicated to the social reintegration of drug abusers. He also supports various organizations that work primarily with youth such as the Association Québécoise de la Fibrose Kystique, Kids Help Phone and Le Club des petits déjeuners du Québec.

Kaitlyn Chau, Honourary Co-chair, Youth Innovator

Kaitlyn Chau may only be 16 years old, but this Grade 12 student’s calendar is overflowing! On top of being a fulltime student at London Central Secondary School, Kaitlyn is a teacher’s assistant at Lord Roberts French Immersion, a volunteer aikido instructor at the Aiki Budi Centre, and a member of LCSS’s tech crew. Even with such an impressive list of activities, Kaitlyn still finds time to act as an Academic Peer Mentor at her school, and enjoys rugby, biking, hiking, rock climbing, travel and photography. She aspires to become a French Immersion elementary school teacher allowing her to continue her love of the French language and teaching.  Environmental issues are a major interest of Kaitlyn’s, particularly the continuous destruction of our environment and how it will further damage the already delicate ecosystems and endangered species.