News Releases

June 7, 2016

Sixty-five members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ‘D’ Division today received one of the province’s highest honours, the Order of the Buffalo Hunt, at a special ceremony hosted by Premier Brian Pallister.

“These officers displayed exemplary conduct while recently deployed to Fort McMurray, at the height of the terrible wildfires that forced mass evacuations and the destruction of many homes and businesses,” said Premier Pallister.  “Their presence ensured the safe operation of checkpoints, the protection of property and businesses, and facilitated the emergency evacuation of major oil industry camps under threat by the fires.”

The Order of the Buffalo Hunt was established by Order in Council in 1957 and is the highest honour the Province of Manitoba may bestow on individuals who have demonstrated outstanding skills in the areas of leadership, service and community commitment.  Queen Elizabeth II became the first member of the Order and has been joined in the ranks by Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many other champions of sport, business, science, entertainment and innovation.

“Too often we take for granted the important work of our members of law enforcement,” added Justice Minister Heather Stefanson.  “These brave Manitobans were deployed on short notice and withstood difficult circumstances as they served in Alberta.  I am delighted we are able to honour them here today.”

The 65 people honoured today are:

• Members of the RCMP ‘D’ Division Tactical Troop – These members were deployed from May 9 to 18 and were part of the Emergency Operations Centre.  They controlled checkpoints and ensured the access of critical infrastructure emergency personnel to Fort McMurray, Anzac and Gregoire Lake.

                       Insp. Paul Saganski                              Insp. Dave Kalist                                       

                       Staff Sgt. Greg Gerbrandt                     Sgt. Milo Thompson                        

                       Cpl. Glen Binda                                     Cpl. Jason Vrooman                        

                       Const. Brent Beatty                               Const. Rehan Bokhari

                       Const. Michael Carr                              Const. Scott Cherney       

                       Const. Matthew Demey                        Const. Gennifer Furkalo

                       Const. Gilles Gravelle                           Const. Tyler Humen

                       Const. Tyler Kuzyk                                 Const. Max Lavictoire       

                       Const. Carrie Lecomte                         Const. Chris Nixon

                       Const. Joseph Pasloski                       Const. Mike Pitman

                       Const. Cole Plaetinck                           Const. Devon Sloane

                       Const. Daryle Starkell                           Const. Eric St-Pierre

                       Const. Ira Tarleton                                Const. George Walsh

                      Const. Bridgitte Weiss                           Const. Sabrina Whall

                      Const. Jason Wollman                          Const. Brian Woytkiw

                      Const. Nick Yaxley

• RCMP uniformed members – These members were deployed from May 9 to 18 and assumed the control of daily detachment duties within the Wood Buffalo/Fort McMurray detachment area including the safekeeping of personal properties, business and infrastructure within the City of Fort McMurray.  They also worked closely with firefighting personnel to assist in the emergency evacuation of oil industry camps that were under imminent threat of the wildfire.

                     Staff Sgt. Noel Allard                                Staff Sgt. Paul Gilligan

                     Staff Sgt. Jim Mirza                                   Sgt. Colby Argue

                     Sgt. Charles Brown                                 Sgt. Breanne Chanel        

                     Sgt. Joe Frizzley                                        Sgt. Lance Goldau                          

                     Cpl. James Buhler                                   Cpl. Murray Dyck

                     Cpl. Darcy Pahl                                         Cpl. Gregory Peterson

                     Cpl. Colin Stark                                         Cpl. Terry Sundell                            

                     Const. Darren Brown                               Const. Nicole Durrand                                    

                     Const. David Giroux                                 Const. Grant Kummen                                    

                     Const. Cammy Lussier                           Const. Bruce Moore                                       

                     Const. Brooke Ostendorf                        Const. Brad Parker

                     Const. Luke Paydli                                   Const. Gregory Safiniuk

                     Const. Pier-Luc Savaria                          Const. Patrick Simard

                     Const. Ann-Marie Smith                          Const. Adam Stokes

                     Const. Jarett Turcotte 

• Staff Sgt. Jeff Asmundson and Sgt. Stuart Evans – These members are specially trained in urban search and rescue efforts and were present in Fort McMurray for that purpose.
• Trevor Boulanger, occupational safety officer – This civilian member ensured RCMP members had the personal protective equipment required to conduct their work in a very challenging and hazardous environment.
• Nancy Copp and Michele Lavallee, telecommunication operators – These operators were deployed to assist in the increased call volume that occurred as a result of the fires.

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