Eight Manitoulin paramedics receive Governor General awards

Eight Manitoulin paramedics receive Governor General awards
By Michael Erskine -March 16, 2022

ESPANOLA—Manitoulin Sudbury District Services Board (DSB) Chief of Paramedic Services Paul V. Myre shared a good news story with the DSB board of directors at its recent virtual meeting.

“Eight of our employees have been recognized for their service with the Governor General of Canada Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal,” said Mr. Myre.

Mr. Myre shared that in order to be eligible for the honour, recipients must complete 20 years of exemplary service in emergency medical services. He noted that the requirement included that the recipient must have been employed with emergency medical services on or after October 31, 1991, have completed 20 years of exemplary service—including at least 10 years in the performance of duties involving potential risk. Those with at least 10 years of service with emergency medical services may include in those 20 years of service, work completed in another profession, provided that service has not been recognized by another long service, good conduct or efficiency decoration or medal awarded by the Crown. The Medal may be awarded posthumously.

Those DSB employees eligible for the Governor General of Canada Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal included primary care paramedic Darren Assiniwe, primary care paramedic Guy Roy, primary care paramedic Jeanette Fox, deputy chief Jennifer Tasse, primary care paramedic Keith Crockford, community paramedic Sherri Chopra, primary care paramedic Theresa Peltier and primary care paramedic Walter Blair Peltier.

Although there is no award ceremony currently scheduled for the presentation of the medals, Mr. Myre said a ceremony would eventually take place “once the province completely opens up again.”

The Governor General of Canada Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal is a circular medal with the Star of Life featured on the obverse, superimposed on a maple leaf, and circumscribed with “EXEMPLARY SERVICE. SERVICES DISTINGUÉS.” The reverse side of the medal features the Royal Cipher. The medal is suspended from a blue ribbon with two stripes of gold six millimetre in width, equally spaced, and three stripes of Philadelphia orange 2.3 millimetre in width, centred on the blue areas of the ribbon. A bar with a stylized maple leaf may be awarded to a recipient of the Medal for each additional 10-year period of service with emergency medical services.