Safer Communities

Awards

 

The Rev. Harry Lehotsky Award

Jim Harms is a pastor, an active member of his community and has been involved with Youth for Christ programs since 1986. He’s dedicated to helping youth and is a key player in bringing forth changes for young people. Jim is the director and driving force behind bringing initiatives such as the Backstage Drop-in Centre, Skate Park and UTurn to Steinbach. These youth serving agencies incorporate mentoring, guidance and support for those who attend.

2008 Attorney General Safer Communities Awards
Individual Under 18

Jorrel Camuyong has been a member of the St. John’s Youth Justice Council for more than three years. The council meets with young people who have committed offences, using restorative justice practices to help them understand the impact of their actions and to have the young person repair the harm they have done.

Individuals Over 18

Nahanni Fontaine is dedicated to the community, evidenced by her involvement on many boards and committees. She is currently the director of justice for the Southern Chiefs Organization, working diligently to raise the profile of justice and its many related issues both with members of Southern First Nations communities and the citizens of Manitoba as a whole.

Stephen McIntyre was instrumental in restoring the courtyard in front of the Gas Station Theatre, making it a safe and pleasant fixture of Osborne Village. He initiated an art program that had local youth design and create urban art on the walls and planters. The transformation brought people together to work toward positive change in the community.

Community Based Initiative (Rural)
The Survivors Hope Crisis Centre was founded in 2003. The organization addresses the issue of sexual violence in eastern Manitoba. Programs include the Sexual Assault Recovery and Healing program through which 25 volunteers provide victims with 24-hour crisis intervention and immediate support that helps speed the healing process. Sexual Assault Discussion Initiative educational workshops on relationship and sexual violence are presented to students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12.

Community Based Initiative (Urban)
Make Point Douglas a Crack Free Zone: Point Powerline has helped shut down more than 30 crack houses and closed the sex trade stroll in the area. Founded by Sandra Dzedzora and Christine Burrows in June 2007, the project has a 51-member safety team, an email address and telephone line. The volunteers identify and report crime in the community, working with the province's Public Safety Branch Investigative Unit and the Winnipeg Police Service to revitalize the neighbourhood.

Community Justice Initiative
Audrey Lysack-Ross was a member of the St. Boniface/St. Vital Justice Committee for 15 years. A dedicated volunteer, she was instrumental in developing a community resource booklet for families and was the driving force behind the Shifting Gears program that combats auto-related offences. She now volunteers with the Girl Guides of Canada.

Excellence in Law Enforcement Award Recipients

• Detective Sergeant Dave Bessason, a 19-year veteran of the Winnipeg Police Service, established a police dog breeding program that saved the service about $50,000 and has raised 42 puppies, many of which are now working for police services across North America.
• Sergeant Robert Cooke is an RCMP veteran of nearly 35 years who continues to demonstrate his personal commitment to community policing excellence. His involvement in the Kidsfest program helps promote literacy and physical fitness and he helped expand it into Aboriginal communities. He works with the Police Academy for Seniors, various elder abuse prevention programs and led the reserve member and auxiliary constable programs.
• Constable Lois Cormier is the community relations officer in Thompson and has been with the RCMP for eight years. She works to help address chronic substance abuse and related gang violence in the community, maintaining a strong police presence in area schools. She initiated northern restorative justice circles in schools, bicycle safety rodeos, a graffiti removal program and an anti-bullying program. She’s involved in the community both on duty and off, and is currently working towards establishing a skateboard park in Thompson to enhance recreational opportunities for local youth.
• Corporal Leslie Dolhun’s tenacity and expertise were critical in the investigation of criminal allegations at the Virginia Fontaine Addictions Foundation. The 13-year member of the RCMP coordinated and led the investigation. It involved 43,000 hours of investigation, 850 tasks, 125 search warrants and the seizure of 85,000 documents, which ultimately resulted in 34 charges being laid against six people. He is currently assigned to the Winnipeg Commercial Crime Section.
• Deputy Chief Shelley M. Hart was recently named deputy chief of the Winnipeg Police Service. Prior to that, she was the divisional commander of the criminal investigation bureau. It oversees the investigation of major crimes including homicide, robbery, organized crime, vice and drugs. The 30-year veteran has led numerous traffic safety initiatives and is responsible for policies reducing unsafe police pursuits. She co-founded Manitoba Women in Law Enforcement and co-ordinated three provincial conferences.
• Sergeant Rodney Hourd is currently assigned to the Organized Crime Unit. The 22-year Winnipeg Police Service veteran has been involved in more than 100 undercover operations. His expertise helped him develop the WPS undercover techniques course, which is now part of the training for officers across the country. His vast experience investigating the illicit drug trade led him to become the coordinator of the WPS clandestine laboratory unit, developing its protocol, standards and strategic partnerships.
• Chief Superintendent Doug Lang is a 30-year member of the RCMP who has served with distinction in three provinces. His assignments have included reviewing the internal workings of covert operations, technical, protective and behavioural science-related programs, and leading the technical investigative services branch, responsible for the research and deployment of law enforcement covert surveillance tools and techniques. He has helped secure funding for important police initiatives, including a response training program for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. He was the sole Canadian law enforcement representative on the G-8 Lyon Roma Group and a member of the International Working Group of Technical Support.
• Deputy Commissioner Darrell Madill has been with the RCMP for 35 years, serving in three provinces and three territories. He continually seeks opportunities to develop and enhance positive relationships between police and the communities they serve. He worked extensively with Aboriginal communities to develop the Aboriginal Policing Directorate, and helped implement Canada’s First Nations Policing Policy. As commanding officer of “D” Division, he has worked closely with the province on policing issues and helped establish the Manitoba Integrated Organized Crime Task Force, an elite integrated investigative unit that has been extremely successful in addressing organized crime threats in the province. He served as the provincial director for Manitoba on the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, chair of the Criminal Intelligence Service of Manitoba and is past-president of the Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police. He has earned the RCMP Long Service Medal, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and the Order of Merit of the Police Forces by the Governor General of Canada. He is now stationed in Ottawa.
• Sergeant Chris Murphy has worked in a range of policing positions throughout the province, and brings a strong commitment to helping youth in the communities he has served in. An RCMP member since 2000, he is now the detachment commander for God’s Lake Narrows. He helped develop a number of programs with structured activities for youth including an archery club and movie nights. His professionalism and positive example is an inspiration to his colleagues.
• Constable Allan Pasquini has been with the RCMP since 1985. Along with his duties, he volunteers as a member of the Keewatin Youth Justice Committee in Winnipeg and helped establish the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Run Against Cancer. Doing wellness checks on an isolated senior led him to launch the White Horse Hamper Fund in 1996, and earned him the nickname Constable Christmas. Last year the program delivered 109 hampers. He is involved in the RCMP Charity Combined Golf Tournament, the Starbuck Credit Union Charity Golf Tournament and the RCMP Community Consultative Committee.
• Sergeant Sheldon Peddle began his law enforcement career in 1987, and is now the sergeant team leader in the commercial crime section at RCMP divisional headquarters in Winnipeg. He was the case manager in the investigation of criminal allegations at the Virginia Fontaine Addictions Foundation. His skills helped focus the case, define the scope of the investigation and organize it for the Crown to prosecute.
• Staff Sergeant Ralph Pohl is a senior planner for the RCMP with 28 years of experience in policing. He is an adept interviewer, and in 2000 helped conduct war crimes investigations in Kosovo as part of an international team. He received a commendation for his security planning work during the G-8 Summit in Kananaskis. He currently works closely with Manitoba and its municipalities, using his extensive knowledge of the Municipal Policing Services Agreement to provide valuable support to communities.
• Staff Sergeant Bruce Prange is a forensic expert who has been with the RCMP for 20 years. He is certified as a forensic identification specialist, fingerprint examiner and forensic bloodstain pattern analyst. He led a team of dentists and fingerprint experts tasked with identifying the remains of the tsunami victims in southeast Asia. The team successfully identified all 15 Canadian victims of the disaster. His expertise has been sought in investigations of several high profile cases, including a fatal hostage taking in Cambodia and the Mayerthorpe tragedy where four RCMP officers were killed in the line of duty.
• Corporal Cindy Prince joined the Dakota Ojibway Police Service in 1996, and is a driving force for law enforcement excellence. As Acting Deputy Chief, she developed an updated operational plan for the detachment and established a policies and procedures manual based on best practices in policing. Her work helped chart a new direction for the service during a difficult transition period, and she is now the detachment commander at Roseau River.
• Patrol Sergeant Robert Riffel has been with the Winnipeg Police Service for 18 years. He is an expert on impaired driving investigations and was one of the first WPS officers to be trained in Standard Field Sobriety Testing and Drug Recognition Expertise. He has now trained hundreds of other officers, and provides leadership in many initiatives aimed at curbing impaired driving.

Auxiliary Constable Award Recipients

• RCMP Auxiliary Constable Robert Cleveland grew up in Northern Manitoba, and trained as a social worker. He takes a special interest in the well-being of young people and using experience gained in working with high-risk youth, he developed a youth wilderness program. He has been an honorary probation officer, and is now a social worker helping Manitobans with acquired brain injuries.
• RCMP Auxiliary Constable Ivan Mason joined the Island Lake RCMP detachment 10 years ago. An employee of the Island Lake Tribal Council, he is a valued resource for law enforcement, helping with even the most serious matters including 11 homicide investigations in the past two years. A certified deep water diver, he assists the RCMP in the recovery of drowning victims. He has also completed the DARE program and is currently establishing a drug education program for St. Theresa Point First Nation, which is his home community.

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