RV Lifestyle Magazine, RV Dealer News, and the RVDA of Canada Present – the 2026 Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award!
Las Vegas, NV, November 11, 2026 – The official presentation of the Annual Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award has just taken place at the RVDA of Canada AGM at the Paris Hotel, Las Vegas.
Here is the transcript of the presentation, by Melanie Taylor, Associate Publisher, RV Lifestyle Magazine / RV Dealer News.
Good morning, everyone! Welcome to the Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award ceremony!
When you look around this room today, you’re looking at people who truly understand what it takes to run a dealership—the long hours, the seasonal rushes, and the constant effort to make sure families across Canada can head out on the road with complete peace of mind.
Today isn’t about sales targets or showroom square footage. It’s about taking a moment to recognize three extraordinary leaders who represent the absolute best of our industry—dealers who take care of their teams, invest deeply in their communities, and lift up the standard for all of us.
This award honors the enduring legacy of Walt Paseska, a pioneer who helped shape the RVDA of Canada and its Provincial and Regional associations. Walt believed that a great dealer does far more than sell RVs—a great dealer builds trust and champions the RV lifestyle across generations.
This national recognition is never about dealership size or sales volume. It is reserved strictly for leaders who achieve excellence through unwavering ethics, customer care, and community impact. Nominees remain eligible for three consecutive years, reflecting our core belief that true leadership is measured over the long term.
Finalists are nominated directly by their peers through the 7 provincial and regional RVDA associations across Canada.
The 2026 Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award selection committee is comprised of five previous Canadian RV Dealers of the Year: Al Robinson, Great Canadian RV, Peterborough, Ontario; Andy Thomson, Can-Am RV Centre, London, Ontario; Roland Goreski, Campkin’s RV Centre, Whitby, Ontario; Jason Friesen, Voyager RV, Winfield, BC.; and Jeff and Kyle Redmond, Bucars RV Centre, Balzac, AB.
To ensure absolute transparency and impartiality, our selection process is overseen by a Committee of Champions: comprising five past award recipients, overseen by Melanie Taylor, Associate Publisher of RV Lifestyle Magazine and RV Dealer News, sponsor of the Award, with the process supervised by RVDA of Canada President Eleonore Hamm.
Melanie Taylor, left, Associate Publisher of RV Lifestyle Magazine and RV Dealer News, and Eleonore Hamm, right, President, RVDA of Canada, oversee the Canadian RV Dealer of the Year selection process.
Our sincere thanks to committee members Al Robinson, Andy Thomson, Roland Goreski, Jason Friesen, Jeff Redmond, and Kyle Redmond for their dedicated stewardship.
Meet the Nominees…
Our three 2026 nominees represent the absolute pinnacle of Canadian RV leadership. Let us celebrate each of these exceptional individuals.
Our first nominee is Travis Bromley, General Manager of Transcona Trailer Sales in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Starting in 2003 washing RVs after school, Travis worked through every dealership department over 23 years. In 2023, he received the George Goodrick Emerging Leader Award.
Serving on the Manitoba and National RVDA Boards, Travis spearheaded the merger of regional shows into the unified Mid-Canada RV & Marine Sale. His customer dedication is legendary—once driving 16 hours round-trip to deliver a unit and resolve a warranty issue for a travelling family.
Travis is equally devoted to community relief. During the 2025 Lac du Bonnet forest fires, he organized trailer-loads of emergency supplies. He regularly hosts animal shelter adoption events at the dealership and provides event trailers for local charity festivals.
Congratulations to Travis Bromley!
Our next nominee is John Petrie, President and Owner of Niagara Trailers in St. Davids, Ontario.
Founded by his parents in 1972, Niagara Trailers became John’s full-time passion when he officially joined in 1980—marking an extraordinary 46-year career in the RV industry. After assuming day-to-day leadership in 2002, he expanded the dealership into a premier 20-acre facility with over 70 staff members.
Under his direction, Niagara Trailers has been recognized as Canada’s No. 1 KZ RV dealer for 10 consecutive years. Named Ontario’s 2026 ORVDA Dealer of the Year, John has served as ORVDA Treasurer and Director. Remarkably, John’s father, Doug Petrie Sr., won the very first Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award in 1989—making this nomination a proud continuation of a family legacy.
Beyond business, John is a pillar of philanthropy. He supports Red Roof Retreat for children with special needs, provides free propane for Lions Club charity drives, and buys up remaining raffle tickets to donate turkeys to local food banks.
Congratulations to John Petrie!
Our next nominee is, Richard Taché, Dealer Principal of the Earlton RV Group across Northern Ontario.
Joining Earlton RV in 2010 as Store Manager, Richard soon purchased the dealership and expanded the business into four full-service dealerships and a regional campground, employing over 50 staff.
Recognizing that northern families were often underserved by traditional trade shows, Richard founded the annual Camp Life RV Show in Timmins, transforming a 150,000-square-foot outdoor venue into a free community festival drawing over 3,000 attendees annually.
An advocate for technician education, Richard serves as Chair of the ORVDA Board and pioneered standardized apprenticeship pathways in Ontario. In his community, he donates facilities to the Earlton Lions Club and hosts popular music festivals at Sutton Bay Campground alongside his wife Valérie and family.
Congratulations to Richard Taché!
Let us give all three of these outstanding nominees another round of applause!
To officially present this year’s award, please welcome Jeff Redmond, 2024 Canadian RV Dealer of the Year, to join me at the podium.
The recipient of the 2026 Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award is…
John Petrie, Niagara Trailers, St. Davids, Ontario
In his acceptance speech, John Petrie had the following comments:
“I am proud to accept the Canadian RV Dealer of the Year Award – my father, Doug Petrie, was the first winner of this award in 1989 – he passed away in 2002. I would like to thank the team at Niagara Trailers – this recognition belongs to all our staff – how they look after our customers, strive to do excellent field service, and make every experience at Niagara trailers one to remember. So I have received the Award on behalf of our team, and I would like to thank my wife Anna our two boys, Luke and Cole, and my mother, who would have loved to be here today.”
On behalf of myself and my family, and all the staff at Niagara Trailers, I thank you very much for the recognition – I am very humbled by it and I am very proud to have been awarded this very important honour – thank you very much!
Congratulations to our 2026 Winner, and congratulations to our nominees – Richard Taché and Travis Bromley, for their incredible leadership and inspiring impact across the Canadian RV community!
