THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay police officers and civilian staff have been honoured in a ceremony that was a long time coming.
The exemplary service awards ceremony had been suspended for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, the Thunder Bay Police Service acknowledged recipients from those years, with dozens of members recognized for milestones including 20, 30, and 40 years of service in a ceremony at the Valhalla Hotel.
Sworn officers receive bars approved by the Governor General of Canada, while civilian staff were presented with civilian dedication to service awards.
What are known as special unit accommodations were also awarded to members of the TBPS’s intelligence, community oriented response and engagement (CORE), and primary response units for exceptional service.
Constable Derek Hymers, Constable Ryan Krupa, and Constable Desmond Berry from the CORE unit were honoured for responding to a severe opioid overdose.
The officers administered CPR and naloxone to a man at Andras Court, who later recovered.
“At the hospital, Constable Hymers connected with this male on a personal level,” said acting police chief Dan Taddeo in a release. “They spoke of life in general during a polite and respectful conversation, at which point the male expressed gratitude for the officers’ life-saving efforts. He also told Constable Hymers that he would be entering into a drug treatment program and was thankful for having a second chance.”
The intelligence unit was honoured for its work from 2021 to 2023, which the TBPS said “have led to a number of arrests and seizures that the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario remarks as ‘simply astounding.’”
The unit led 143 operations or warrant executions in that time, resulting in 346 arrests, 914 criminal charges, 539 under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, 72 home takeover investigations, the seizure of 31 firearms and nearly $2 million in currency, and nearly 60 kilograms of hard drugs, according to the TBPS.
Constable Gerald Duffy of the primary response branch was recognized for exemplifying TBPS values of trust, integrity, leadership, inclusivity, and collaboration.
The force pointed to Duffy’s compassionate response to a mental health call in which he deescalated the situation through a conversation with the young male involved.
The force also highlighted Constable Craig Town, who received a 30-year bar after starting with the service in 1989.
Taddeo honoured Town for continued dedicated service after being injured by gunfire on the job.
“The highlight of his career was surviving two bullet wounds; one to the face, the other to the shoulder and spine, and living to tell about it,” said Taddeo. “Mel Vilcek, his Unit Sergeant at the time, saved his life that day by administering CPR until the ambulance arrived.”
“Craig still has a sense of humor and is always happy to tell you a joke to make you smile… His determination and perseverance are an inspiration to us all.”
The list of award recipients includes:
2019
30 Year Bar – Sworn
Constable John Fredborg
Constable Greg Symons
Constable Craig Town
20 Year Medal – Sworn
Sergeant Lee Arnone
Sergeant Michael Sweitzer
Constable James Willson
30 Year – Civilian
Charmaine Cimini
Sherry Dubois
Heather Labelle
20 Year – Civilian
Vicky Miller
2020
20 Year Medal – Sworn
Staff Sergeant Jason Anderson
Constable Larry Baxter
Constable Londyn Bilbrough
Constable Jody Bellemare
Constable Rob Bonthron
Constable David Exell
Constable Kirk Laamanen
Constable Roxanne Legarde
Constable Rob Main
Sergeant Todd Pritoula
Staff Sergeant Lori Quinlan
Detective Constable Cari Rybak
Detective Sergeant Jason Rybak
Sergeant Shawn Whipple
30 Year – Civilian
Heidi Hrycyk
20 Year – Civilian
Carole Kurylo
Sharon Seeley
Francie Sweitzer
Tracy Tesky
2021
20 Year Medal – Sworn
Detective Cameron Girvin
Detective Sergeant Rob Gombola
Constable Ron Mihalus
Constable Brent Parres
Inspector Gordon Snyder
Detective Constable Jeff Saunders
Detective Michael Tomasevic
30 Year – Civilian
Jolene Turecki
