Police Chief Rick Bourassa recently received a national award from the Governor General, and while he was humbled to receive it, he gave full credit to the work his team performs in Moose Jaw.
Bourassa received the Order of Merit of the Police Forces Medal (Officer-level) from Gov. Gen. Julie Payette at Rideau Hall on Oct. 31 in Ottawa.
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. It is based on the highest qualities of citizenship to Canada, to the police force and humanity at large. The award focuses on an officer’s total contributions over a career and not simply one incident.
Three levels of membership reflect long-term, outstanding service: Commander (C.O.M.), Officer (O.O.M.) and Member (M.O.M.).
Bourassa was one of 40 recipients to receive an award during the ceremony; one commander medal, three officer medals, and 36 member medals were handed out overall.
“It’s quite an honour, but even though I’m the one (who) receives the order, it’s really about the people we have in our police service, not only here in Moose Jaw but police services across the country,” Bourassa said on Nov. 18. “We work together all the time. There’s so much good work done.”
While it was special to be at Rideau Hall to receive the award, Bourassa missed having other people there he knows who are also as deserving.
“It’s really something to be shared with everyone because that’s life. No one person can do anything. It’s what we all do together as a group,” Bourassa continued, adding not only is the Moose Jaw Police Service a good group, but other community groups also do great work to make life better for everyone.
This was Bourassa’s second trip to Rideau Hall to receive a national award from the Governor General. He received the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (Member-level) medal in 2015 from former Gov. Gen. David Johnston. Bourassa was impressed with how personable each governors general was when he spoke briefly with them.
The police chief found out this past spring that he would receive this medal and had to stay quiet until the summer when it was officially announced.
Since Bourassa does so much work across Canada with police matters, he knew several of the officers at the ceremony who were receiving an award. Overall, he thought it was a rewarding experience.
One of the outcomes of receiving this award is that Bourassa is now on a regional committee that reviews all the nominations submitted for this award and makes recommendations to move forward those submissions.
“There is really outstanding work in police services that goes on across this country,” he added. “So much of it happens out of the public eye. The results are very visible when it’s done, but (it’s all about) all the work that goes into improving the quality of life in Canada for people through our police services.”
