The Corpsrespondent NEWSLETTER OF THE HAMILTON DIVISON
SPRING / SUMMER 2015
Opening Ceremony - Veterans’ Place INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Chairman’s Message
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From the Desk of the CEO
Home Hardware Spring Show
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Workplace Harassment Policy
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Code of Conduct
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Director of Operations
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HR Manager Dispatcher Training
Welcome Aboard
Service Awards A Personal Note
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The City of Hamilton has held the official Opening Ceremony for the new “Veterans Place” on Friday May 8th 2015, the 70th Anniversary of VE Day. `Veteran’s Place’ grew from the desire to recognize Gore Park as a place where military service has been continually commemorated since the original unveiling of the Cenotaph in 1923. The series of glass display panels now erected, with images and text illustrate the meaning of military service to our community and country in the past, today and into the future. The content of the panels was developed by the Veterans’ Place Focus Group - local veterans, military representatives, historians and City staff. The work of this group was undertaken within a broader context laid out in the Gore Pedestrianization Initiative plan, developed and approved by a Public Stakeholder Group. It is the City of Hamilton’s sincere hope that `Veteran’s Place’ in Gore Park will provide the citizens of Hamilton a space in which to reflect on and remember the past, and to hope for the future.
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Spring has finally arrived and not a bit too soon for most of us in South Western Ontario. The longer days and melting snow brings with it a promise of warmer and greener days ahead. We are starting to look forward to outside activities with our family and friends and are getting the golf clubs out of winter storage in order to carry out the annual ritual of cleaning our clubs for the first game of the season. The spring is a busy time for your Board of Directors. The Annual Spring meeting of the National Board, the National Business Management Committee and various other committees will take place in Montreal at the end of March. Three of your Board members including myself along our CEO will represent Hamilton Division. The delegates will be working on improving our governance documents in order to strengthen our Federation across Canada.
From the Chair
In early June, Hamilton Division will hold its Annual General Meeting to elect our Board members and Executive Committee for the coming year. This meeting will be quickly followed by the Annual Meeting of Division (AMOD) in Calgary AB. This annual national level meeting sees all of the divisions across Canada come together to discuss ideas and exchange best practices in the pursuit of a more dynamic and stronger corps. Your Hamilton Board has been working diligently on your behalf over the past few months to provide sound governance and business plans that will ensure that Hamilton Division continues to execute its mandate of providing meaningful employment for veterans of the Canadian Forces and the RCMP now and for the future. In this season of rejuvenation, I thank all members of the Hamilton Division for their service and dedication, not only to the Corps of Commissionaires but to the clients that we serve. Best wishes for a pleasant spring and summer. The events in the press the last few days and the discussion created by the release of Madame Marie Deschamps’ review into sexual harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces makes this a particularly timely message. As you are all aware Commissionaires Hamilton is committed to providing a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity and has a Code of Conduct and a Workplace Harassment Policy to which we are all subject. Policies, however are sometimes seen as ‘pains in the neck’ and an annual ritual to be signed off on rather than directives that guide us each and everyday in the workplace. Let there be no doubt that these policies and indeed all of our policies and procedures are the rules and regulations that shape our business relationship and must be rigidly adhered to and strictly enforced.
The CEO’s Desk
If you feel that you have been discriminated against or harassed in the workplace based on your race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status or family status then I call upon you to take the proper steps to have this unwanted behavior corrected. The proper steps are to inform your detachment commander of your concerns and if that is not possible inform your Account Managers Keith Hodge or Larry Will. If you are uncomfortable with any of the personnel in the previous listing please report directly to Rick Luden in Human Resources. You will find the Division’s Harassment Policy reprinted in this Newsletter for ease of reference and access and I expect that you will adhere to it. Harassment on any grounds is wrong and is unacceptable to our core values as Commissionaires and will not be tolerated. We are a cut above other security companies and I trust that all of you will reflect that in your day to day workplace interactions.
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Home Hardware Spring Show Using the Navy saying “All Hands On Deck” describes very well the Home Hardware (HH) Spring Show. Commissionaires from all Detachments in the Kitchener-Waterloo; Guelph area participated in providing Security Services for the show. It is a very intense 6 days of “round the clock” addition security at the St Jacobs Home Hardware site. Under the very capable leadership of WO (Beth) Merryweather; our Commissionaires were on duty for the Show during the set-up, show-days and tear down. A special mention goes to Cm Gill and Landry for their discovering of a maintenance issue that could have caused serious damage within the show area. LCol (John) Livingstone (CEO), WO (Melissa) Ivanchuck-Meritt (Dispatcher) and MWO (Larry) Will (Acct Mgr) visited the show on the 20th of April and had an opportunity of meeting with a number of the Commissionaires.
Cm Roy Becker manning Guard Post 3
Cm Morris Phlad manning Guard Post 2
“Gathering on the Stairs”
LCol Livingstone; WO Merryweather; WO Ivanchuck-Meritt
Cm Meghan Miller
Cm Chocker with Dispatcher and Det Cmdr
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Director of Operations It has been a very busy time in the operations department over the last few months. We were successful securing three new contracts. We now provide 24/7 security coverage at the Strata Condominium in Burlington. This is a luxury 21 story, 186 unit condominium building. We were also awarded the contract for the Brantford Courthouse magnometer security. Three commissionaires on duty ensure that all people entering the courthouse go through the magnometer and are scanned to prevent any restricted articles from being taken into the courthouse. As well we now provide access security for the new RCMP - Maritime Security Operations Centre located in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It has also been a very busy time for contractor escorts at various sites. We appreciate any extra shifts that anyone can work to assist with providing our services to our clients. If you are available for any extra work please contact Melissa at extension 31 and let her know. As a reminder do not forget that we are always in the public eye so please make sure that your uniform looks good. If you require any new pieces of uniforms contact Ken Brady at extension 26. Commissionaire Bill Dorks with his Second World War 75th Anniversary Tribute Award
MWO Larry Will receiving his 5 year pin from the CEO, John Livingstone
Dawne Luden being promoted to Sergeant. Dawne is the Detachment Commander for the Brantford Courthouse
Cm Tina Handley from the Hamilton Bylaw Detachment was presented with a Commissionaires coin by the CEO, John Livingstone. Tina was recognized by the City as the top ticket producer of all the bylaw officers
From the Operations Dispatcher’s Desk Thank you to all of the Commissionaires out in the field who I have continued to keep very busy over the past few months. We appreciate everyone’s assistance, as together we continue to provide exceptional quality service to our valued clients. As we look forward to the warmer weather and the summer months that are fast approaching, Commissionaires vacation requests continue to be submitted. Commissionaires are reminded of the following: Please ensure that you submit a completed vacation request in a timely manner, in order for approval and coverage to be confirmed. Vacation requests are available on site and recommended by the Detachment Commander. Please ensure that only one Commissionaire is requesting vacation at a time. Approval for these requests is normally dependent upon available coverage, without incurring any overtime. Once approved by the Account Managers, the Operations Dispatcher in partnership with the Detachment Commander will arrange replacements accordingly. For further insight, please reference Commissionaire’s Policies and Procedures Section 12.2 which outlines applying for Annual Vacation. Thank you for your cooperation. THE
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HR Department It has been a long and difficult winter with Commissionaires Hamilton. New clients, and new client requirements, have stretched Commissionaires within the Division in the amount of hours they are called upon to work, new training standards to be met, a large influx of newly hired Commissionaires who are still learning their positions, and the requirement through all of these changes to just ‘get on with the grunt’. It could be daunting on some levels, and, admittedly, there are some who have had a difficulty in facing these challenges. But after speaking with the Account Managers, and the Dispatcher about these challenges, I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what region Commissionaires work in; whether Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph, or Niagara Falls and St. Catharines, or the core of Hamilton itself, our Commissionaires have overwhelmingly answered the calls to assist whenever they are able. You have stepped up to meet the scheduling and training and duty challenges placed upon you, and you have done so with little to no complaint. As can be seen by the photo spread provided by the DOps, Commissionaires Hamilton is filled with dedicated, competent personnel who, simply by going to work every day and performing to the best of their ability, continue to present the best possible reflection of this organization. So, instead of belabouring the point, I would simply extend my appreciation for all the work you are all doing to keep the Division strong. I encourage all of you to continue what you are doing, by being efficient, effective and professional in your conduct, because it is each and every one of you who make Commissionaires the company that lives up to its motto: Trusted. Everyday. Everywhere.
LCol John Livingstone (CEO) assisted by Superintendent Robert Kempf, MOM, AdeC (Officer in Charge) promote the Detachment Commander of RCMP-MSOC, Marie Bissonnette to the rank of Warrant Officer. Congratulations Marie.
Pictured at right are Sgt Dave Hoto (in red serge), LCol Livingstone, WO Bissonnette, Supt Kempf
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Training Hello fellow Commissionaires, Our Training department continues to run training courses and First Aid and CPR. If you are due or close to being renewed call our office and we will schedule you for your First Aid and CPR training. We will continue to provide the training at our office in Hamilton with qualified instructors. Our Training department will continue to provide the Security guard course as numbers require it. If you have any questions or inquiries feel free to contact HQ. Enjoy your spring weather and remember to be safe.
Recognition of Service 5 Years Service: Owen Coyne, Jacques Duguay, Ed Jenner, Joe Thompson, Tom Ramm, Larry Will 10 Years Service: Anne Dawson, Roy Becker, Bruce Jeffrey 15 Years Service: Lise Lindsay
Welcome to our New Commissionaires Mark Daoust, Alan Nanders, Shanley McLellan, Simo Vrakela, Dylan Daigle, James Healey, Elaine Seibert, Lucas Teschke, Mark Irwin, Blediona Faci, Gerald Johnson, Matthew Dobbin, Vincent Grady, Irena Majecki, Faysal Hassan, Satvinder Bal, Lauryn Sloot, Justin Glass-Poyner, Adam Lord, Thomas Tooley, Dylan Christiansen, Eric Williams, Zameer Hussein, James MadLachlan, Wendal Jones, Biju Scaria, Stan Fenton, Keith Carmichael, Rebecca Cunningham-Dunlop, John Duxbury, Shane Gregg, Michael Hinds, James Marshall, Marius Przybylowski, Jinwoo Lee
A Personal Note I would like to use this space to thank all of you for your thoughts and well wishes for my recovery after my recent surgery. It’s certainly nice to know that your co-workers are concerned for your well being. Thank you all very much.
Chairman Col G. Burton, SBStJ, CD Past Chairman Maj J. Petozzi, OStJ, CD 1st Vice Chairman Maj M. Rehill, CD 2nd Vice Chairman LCol M. McKay, CD, AdeC Secretary LCdr G. Swing, CD Treasurer Capt L. Murdoch-Furchner, CD Members Col G. Elms, MSM, CD Col J. Forsyth, CStJ, CD, CA LCol P. Garrick, CD Maj R. Nuttall, CD HEADQUARTERS STAFF Commandant & CEO LCol John Livingstone, CD Director of Operations Capt Tom Lee, CD HR Manager Rick Luden, CD Administration Manager MWO Ken Brady, SBStJ, CD Account Managers MWO Keith Hodge MWO Larry Will, SBStJ, CD Dispatcher WO Melissa Ivanchuk-Merritt Finance Manager Patricia Bachor HR & Financial Assistant Sgt Heather Brady, CD
The Corpsrespondent Is the Newsletter of
Commissionaires Hamilton 151 York Boulevard, Suite 208 Hamilton ON L8R 3M2 Ph: 905-527-2775 Fx: 905-527-9948 Email;
[email protected] Editor ~ MWO Ken Brady, SBStJ, CD
Ken Brady
