Sixty-five members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ‘D’ Division today received one of the province’s highest honours, the Order of the Buffalo Hunt, at a special ceremony hosted by Premier Brian Pallister.

“These officers displayed exemplary conduct while recently deployed to Fort McMurray, at the height of the terrible wildfires that forced mass evacuations and the destruction of many homes and businesses,” said Premier Pallister.  “Their presence ensured the safe operation of checkpoints, the protection of property and businesses, and facilitated the emergency evacuation of major oil industry camps under threat by the fires.”

The Order of the Buffalo Hunt was established by Order in Council in 1957 and is the highest honour the Province of Manitoba may bestow on individuals who have demonstrated outstanding skills in the areas of leadership, service and community commitment.  Queen Elizabeth II became the first member of the Order and has been joined in the ranks by Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many other champions of sport, business, science, entertainment and innovation.

The 65 people honoured today are:

Members of the RCMP ‘D’ Division Tactical Troop – These members were deployed from May 9 to 18 and were part of the Emergency Operations Centre.  They controlled checkpoints and ensured the access of critical infrastructure emergency personnel to Fort McMurray, Anzac and Gregoire Lake.
Insp. Paul Saganski                              Insp. Dave Kalist

Staff Sgt. Greg Gerbrandt                     Sgt. Milo Thompson

Cpl. Glen Binda                                     Cpl. Jason Vrooman

Const. Brent Beatty                               Const. Rehan Bokhari

Const. Michael Carr                              Const. Scott Cherney

Const. Matthew Demey                        Const. Gennifer Furkalo

Const. Gilles Gravelle                           Const. Tyler Humen

Const. Tyler Kuzyk                                 Const. Max Lavictoire

Const. Carrie Lecomte                         Const. Chris Nixon

Const. Joseph Pasloski                       Const. Mike Pitman

Const. Cole Plaetinck                           Const. Devon Sloane

Const. Daryle Starkell                           Const. Eric St-Pierre

Const. Ira Tarleton                                Const. George Walsh

Const. Bridgitte Weiss                           Const. Sabrina Whall

Const. Jason Wollman                          Const. Brian Woytkiw

Const. Nick Yaxley

RCMP uniformed members – These members were deployed from May 9 to 18 and assumed the control of daily detachment duties within the Wood Buffalo/Fort McMurray detachment area including the safekeeping of personal properties, business and infrastructure within the City of Fort McMurray.  They also worked closely with firefighting personnel to assist in the emergency evacuation of oil industry camps that were under imminent threat of the wildfire.
Staff Sgt. Noel Allard                                Staff Sgt. Paul Gilligan

Staff Sgt. Jim Mirza                                   Sgt. Colby Argue

Sgt. Charles Brown                                 Sgt. Breanne Chanel

Sgt. Joe Frizzley                                        Sgt. Lance Goldau

Cpl. James Buhler                                   Cpl. Murray Dyck

Cpl. Darcy Pahl                                         Cpl. Gregory Peterson

Cpl. Colin Stark                                         Cpl. Terry Sundell

Const. Darren Brown                               Const. Nicole Durrand

Const. David Giroux                                 Const. Grant Kummen

Const. Cammy Lussier                           Const. Bruce Moore

Const. Brooke Ostendorf                        Const. Brad Parker

Const. Luke Paydli                                   Const. Gregory Safiniuk

Const. Pier-Luc Savaria                          Const. Patrick Simard

Const. Ann-Marie Smith                          Const. Adam Stokes

Const. Jarett Turcotte

Staff Sgt. Jeff Asmundson and Sgt. Stuart Evans – These members are specially trained in urban search and rescue efforts and were present in Fort McMurray for that purpose.
Trevor Boulanger, occupational safety officer – This civilian member ensured RCMP members had the personal protective equipment required to conduct their work in a very challenging and hazardous environment.
Nancy Copp and Michele Lavallee, telecommunication operators – These operators were deployed to assist in the increased call volume that occurred as a result of the fires.