Two local police officers receive police forces' Order of Merit

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Two local police officers have been appointed to the Order of Merit of the Police Forces at a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, the residence of the Governor General of Canada, on Friday, May 24th, 2013.

The Order of Merit of the Police Forces, as a means of recognizing conspicuous merit and exceptional service by the members of the police forces, was created in the year 2000.

The Order of Merit confers no special privileges on its members and brings them no monetary rewards. It is a society of honour with three degrees of recognition: Commander, Officer and Member.

Appointments to the Order are made by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. An advisory committee has the task of assessing the relative merits of persons who are nominated for the Order, and recommending to the Commissioner, the names of those considered especially worthy of the appointment.

Maintenance of the high standards of admission, and consequently the prestige of the Order is ensured by the Constitution of the Order, which limits appointments to one-tenth of one percent of the average number of persons who were members and employees of the police forces during the preceding year.

Following their initial appointment, officers and members are eligible for elevation within the Order at some future time in recognition of further achievement.

Receiving the recognition this year are Sergeant George Couchie of the Ontario Provincial Police (r) and Sergeant Mike Hunter of the North Bay Police Service (l).

They were 2 of only 48 appointments from across Canada.

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North Bay Police Service
News Release

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Sergeant Mike Hunter Invested into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces

On May 24, 2013 Sergeant Hunter along with sixty colleagues from across Canada were named to the Order of Merit of the Police Forces during an investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall presided over by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada.

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.

Sergeant Hunter commenced his career with the Peel Regional Police in 1987 before returning home to join the North Bay Police Service on November 19, 1990. In June of 2007 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

He has been assigned to our Patrol Section and our Investigative Support Section. He has been a coach officer, responsible for training new recruits, an Employee Family Assistance Program Rep, a member of our Colour Party, representing our Police Service at countless community events over the years and a member of our Emergency Response Team since it was formed in 1994, including time as a Team Leader, Sniper and later Team Sergeant.



He was also a member of the 26 Service Battalion Reserves as a Corporal from 1984-1987 assigned to Transportation and later a 2nd Lieutenant assigned to the Military Police from 1994-1996. As a 2nd Lieutenant he was directly responsible for the supervision and training of 20 soldiers under his command.

Over the years in his spare time Sergeant Hunter has coached youth and high-school soccer and hockey, organized the Police Association’s hockey team, participated in Cops for Cancer, Remembrance Day Ceremonies, the Police Memorials, the Dragon Boat Festival, Torch Run activities, represented our Police Service on the Road Safety Committee and with the Nipissing Chapter of MADD, sat on a variety of Boards and been involved in several police related presentations to other police agencies. He has lectured on a variety of topics within our local primary and secondary schools and at both Nipissing University and Canadore College.

Sergeant Hunter was one of 8 officers selected to represent our Police Service at the 2010 Winter Olympics to provide assistance to Vancouver Police Department and the RCMP.

He was the winner of the 2010 International Police Association’s Arthur Troop Scholarship traveling to Gimborn Castle in Germany to study international policing. While in Germany he also participated in educational opportunities with Police Departments in Cologne and Koblenz, where he made several international policing connections and learned some best practices that he has incorporated here in North Bay.