While awards and accolades may be hanging in his garage, a Winnipegger is most proud of who is hanging out in Ontario: the man and the dog that he saved one windy day on the lake.

Matt Haarsma was given the MG Griffiths award from the Lifesaving Society in November, has a Bronze Medal award and plaque of Bravery from the Royal Canadian Humane Association, and a letter from Mayor Brian Bowman, all for a 2019 water rescue.

In June of 2019, Haarsma and his father-in-law were spending time together fishing on a windy Ontario lake when they heard a call for help. The two were not sure what they were hearing at first, but not long after heard the faint call a second time.

"We noticed an orange jerry can floating because the boat had completely capsized and the individual was standing on the bow," Haarsma says. "The most shocking thing was to see Taylor holding this 70-80 lb shorthaired pitbull-looking dog that didn't seem like it was inclined to swim whatsoever."

Taylor had a life jacket, but the inflation mechanism did not work. The pair brought the man and his dog to safety, later recovering Taylor's boat.

boatHaarsma and his father-in-law were able to recover the boat. (Supplied)

Haarsma later learned that the boat Taylor and his dog Bella were standing on was Taylor's grandfather's.

"It just goes to show, I think, that the preparedness and continuously practicing emergency scenarios even though they may be scenarios and not actually emergency events that natural instinct kicks in. It is just second nature; that once you practice something so consistently that it becomes almost instinct."

Haarsma previously worked as a lifeguard and continued to do more safety training with his work at Manitoba Hydro in the Gas Operations Customer Service department.