OPP Association Members Jennifer Landry and Steven Large Honoured with PAO Police Hero Awards 2021
OPP Provincial Constable Jennifer Landry of Temiskaming Shores Detachment and OPP Sergeant Steven Large, of the 1000 Islands Detachment in Lansdowne, have been honoured with Police Association of Ontario (PAO) Police Hero Awards for 2021. The awards were presented at the 2021 Virtual Annual General Meeting on June 2, 2021. PC Landry was posthumously honoured after her tragic off duty death in 2020.
There were over 30 nominees that were OPP members in 2021. A total of 399 members of the policing family were nominated by members of the community for the awards across Ontario. Click here to read all of the nominations. Click here to read the PAO News Release.
Provincial Constable Ed Sanchuk was a runner up in the On Duty Difference Maker Category.
President Rob Stinson and the OPP Association Board of Directors congratulate all 399 members of police services across Ontario nominated for the 2021 Police Hero Awards. Thank you all for your dedicated service, and thank you to the Police Association of Ontario for recognizing the dedicated service of the members of our policing family.
Temiskaming OPP Constable Jennifer Landry was awarded a police services hero of the year award from the Police Association of Ontario. https://t.co/H6V3bwO4fP
— CTV News Northern Ontario (@CTVNewsNorthern) June 4, 2021
Award: Community Role Model (Provincial Constable Jennifer Landry-awarded posthumously)
Service: Ontario Provincial Police
Year: 2021
Ontario Provincial Police Constable Jennifer Landry, of the Temiskaming Detachment, was an Indigenous woman and a member of the Matachewan First Nation. As a former constable of the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS), she was involved extensively in the communities she policed as an officer and citizen. She treated everyone she encountered with respect and dignity including those that she arrested. She was an advocate for violence against women, children and other marginalized and vulnerable citizens. Please note that on October 14, 2020, Cst. Jennifer Landry died tragically while off-duty, leaving behind her 8-year old daughter and her family.
Jenn was highly respected among her peers and throughout her career, sat on various committees in Kirkland Lake and Temiskaming Shores. Jenn was a role model and provided many hours of volunteer work for various Indigenous organizations in the District of Temiskaming.
Jennifer served as President on the Board of Directors for the Temiskaming Native Women’s Support Group for many terms. She sat with the Ontario Native Women’s Association and the Native Women’s Association of Canada representing our District. Jenn recognized the impacts of childhood trauma, inter-generational trauma and violence on individuals in the communities she served. Jenn was able to support her Elders and teach the Youth through encouragement and support. Her various acts of kindness included giving an elderly male suffering from mental health and addiction issues money to purchase food and coffee while he waited for his family to pick him up. Not only did she actively support victims, she was very impactful with her colleagues. She consistently provided support and assistance to her co-workers who had been experiencing difficulties with personal/professional issues and occupational stress injuries.
Jennfier went over and above the regular duties of a police officer. Her kindness led her to become a strong leader within the community. Jenn had a great impact on those she worked with and those communities she served. She was a Police Hero that always took the extra steps to help people in all of the communities she served including James Bay Coast, Cochrane, Kirkland Lake and Englehart.
https://www.policehero.ca/steven_large_2021winner
Service: Ontario Provincial Police
Year: 2021
On March 10, 2020, Sgt. Steven Large with the Ontario Provincial Police utilized quick thinking to rescue a fisherman who had fallen through the ice into the St. Lawrence River off Landon Bay while ice fishing. Sgt. Large risked his own life by undertaking a precarious water rescue using an available canoe on shore and sliding it across the ice to the fisherman in distress. Officer Large wasn’t worried about his safety, rather, just saving this individual and doing his duty.
Exactly one year to the day, this rescued individual was happy to tell Sergeant Large that he was back out ice fishing “all thanks to him.” This would be the second time in his career that Sgt. Large subjected himself to freezing water conditions in order to save a life, which is certainly above and beyond the call of duty.
Also announced at the PAO AGM were the Harry DeJong Awards for Police Association Service. Congratulations to OPP Association Director Jason Cull from Thunder Bay on receiving recognition for 15 years of service to the Ontario Provincial Police Association and to OPP Association Vice President John Cerasuolo from Sault Ste Marie for 20 years of Association service.
