Éric Fortier
Encyclopedia
Éric Fortier, M.B., of Gatineau
, Quebec
, Canada
, is a recipient of the Medal of Bravery
, a Canadian honour for acts of heroism.
The citation reads:
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, is a recipient of the Medal of Bravery
Medal of Bravery
The Medal of Bravery is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the third highest award for bravery, and one of the three Canadian Bravery Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, generally through his or her viceroy-in-Council...
, a Canadian honour for acts of heroism.
The citation reads:
On July 27, 2001, Éric Fortier confronted a polar bearPolar BearThe polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
that was attacking two of his camping companions at the Soper RiverSoper RiverThe Soper River is a waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in Baffin Island.It flows over and then empties to the Soper Lake and Pleasant Inlet....
, in Katannilik Territorial Park ReserveKatannilik Territorial Park ReserveKatannilik Territorial Park Reserve is a territorial park in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It was established in 1993 and has an area of . The Soper River, part of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System, flows through the park.-References:*** Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve ("the...
, NunavutNunavutNunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
. In the early morning hours, the bear ripped open the tent where Mr. Fortier and his partner were sleeping. Their screams drove the bear away but the animal turned on their friends, savagely mauling them as they tried to exit their own tent and escape. Ignoring the danger, Mr. Fortier threw rocks at the animal while yelling at it in an attempt to scare it off. Seeing that his efforts were in vain, he confronted the bear and stabbed it repeatedly in the throat with a pocketknife until the wounded animal retreated into the woods. Mr. Fortier and his partner then helped their injured friends into a canoe and paddled eight kilometres across the river to find help. The victims recovered from their injuries.