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Earlier today, Chief Jean-Michel Blais and Superintendent Robin McNeil were invested in the Order of Merit of the Police Forces at a ceremony, held at Rideau Hall and presided over by His Excellency the Right Honourable Dave Johnston, Governor General of Canada, who is chancellor of the Order.
The Order of Merit of the Police Forces was created in 2000 to recognize conspicuous merit and exceptional service by members and employees of Canadian police forces whose contributions extend beyond protection of the community. Three levels of membership reflect long-term, outstanding service: Commander (C.O.M.), Officer (O.O.M.) and Member (M.O.M.).
Chief Blais was invested in the Order for his exemplary leadership, particularly in international policing and police oversight; his adeptness at relationship building with diverse communities, namely the francophone community; and his strong communication skills, including lecturing extensively on police leadership and modern police management and authoring numerous papers on law and policing, some of which have been award-winning and/or published.
“I’m particularly proud to be invested into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces as a member of Halifax Regional Police.” said Chief Jean-Michel Blais. “Having the totality of my contributions to policing recognized by my employer and my peers is especially gratifying and further solidifies my commitment to my chosen profession and my community here in Halifax.”
Supt. Robin McNeil was appointed to the Order for his commitment to professional policing here and abroad. This work has included extensive community outreach and relationship building at a local level, and commitment to advancing policing on an international level given his recent, year-long mission in Afghanistan, where he served as the head of international officers who train and mentor senior officers from Afghanistan.
“I’m very humbled by both the nomination and my appointment to the Order of Merit. I chose policing as a career to give back to my community and it’s truly an honour to be recognized with this esteemed award. It inspires me to continue giving to my community as well as to advancing policing for the betterment of community and policing as a whole.”
Congratulations, gentlemen! You’ve done HRP and our community proud!
Following are the HRP employees who have been invested in the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (in alphabetical order by rank):
Chief (Ret'd) Frank Beazley, O.O.M.
Chief Jean-Michel Blais, M.O.M
Deputy Chief (Ret'd) Tony Burbridge, O.O.M.
Deputy Chief (Ret'd) Chris McNeil, O.O.M.
Deputy Chief Bill Moore, O.O.M.
Superintendent Robin McNeil, M.O.M
Superintendent (Ret'd) Don Spicer, O.O.M.
Glen Selig (civilian – Ret’d), M.O.M.
