City of Pointe-Claire Receives a National CNESST Grand Prize

The City of Pointe-Claire is proud to announce that its Public Works and Buildings Department received a 2026 National CNESST Grand Prize in the “Innovation – Public Organizations” category on May 6.

This latest distinction recognizes the innovative pedestrian crosswalk painting template developed in-house by the Public Works road-marking team. Designed to improve health, safety, and efficiency during road-marking operations, the template helps reduce the physical effort required, minimize the time workers spend on the roadway, and produce more precise and consistent markings.

See the Painting Template in Action

After receiving a regional CNESST Grand Prize in 2025, the City of Pointe-Claire is now being recognized at the national level for this practical, simple, and replicable innovation that contributes to safer and better working conditions for field employees. This new award highlights the ingenuity and commitment of the blue-collar employees who helped develop a solution that improves both their working conditions and operational efficiency.

The project, initiated by experienced blue-collar employee Claude Lepage, was carried out in collaboration with the road-marking team, the training, prevention and continuous improvement team, and department management. It is a great example of what can be achieved through teamwork and collaboration.

Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this remarkable achievement, which reflects the City of Pointe-Claire’s values of innovation, health and safety, and operational excellence.

The City of Pointe-Claire Awarded a CNESST Regional Grand Prize

June 11, 2025

The City of Pointe-Claire is proud to announce that its Public Works and Buildings Department was awarded a 2025 CNESST Regional Grand Prize in the “Innovation – Public Organizations” category on May 29. This honour recognizes a locally developed innovation: a pedestrian crossing painting template that significantly improves health, safety, and efficiency in road marking operations.

This regional recognition automatically qualifies the City of Pointe-Claire for the CNESST National Grand Prizes, which will be awarded in 2026. It is a great opportunity for our municipality to shine on the provincial stage and share this innovation with other public organizations across Québec.

This initiative was born from a concrete need: to reduce musculoskeletal risks and hazards related to road traffic for employees responsible for painting pedestrian crossings. Thanks to the ingenuity of Claude Lepage, a long-serving employee of the department, and the collaboration of the entire team, a brand-new template system was developed. Made from recycled materials and refined with the City’s support, the device allows crossings to be painted at waist height—without crouching or handling heavy metal stencils.

There are numerous benefits:

• Reduced back and knee strain
• Less time spent on the roadway, resulting in a lower risk of accidents
• More precise and consistent markings
• Simplified cleaning
• Increased efficiency for the teams

This innovation is the result of strong collaboration between field staff, continuous improvement and prevention leads, managers, and department leadership, who supported the project every step of the way.

A Shareable Innovation

This template could easily be adapted by other municipalities or organizations performing this type of road marking. Its simple, cost-effective, and modular design offers a practical solution to improve working conditions anywhere pedestrian crossings need to be painted.

Congratulations to the entire Public Works and Buildings team for this outstanding achievement, and best of luck in the national stage of the 2026 CNESST Grand Prizes!