VAC Observations

February 20, 2020

Our Latest Bulletin

Dear Association Members,

Thought we would try a different template to add some spice to this message.
And, combine some different topics in a single message to keep you posted on what is happening.

James Forrest
Director of Communications
RCMP Veterans’ Association

A Diversity of Topics

The Gold Pen

Our Association Secretary, Mark Gaillard is moving on to new horizons and will vacate his office in the not too distant future (May/June).

We are all very conscious of the lynchpin role that the Secretary plays in the day to day operations of our Association and hoped that there would be interest amongst you for someone to become that lynchpin.

As you can imagine this is a very active position within the Association and participates in keeping the administration of the Association up-to-date.
Ideally it would be someone who can attend at the Canadian Police College in Ottawa from time to time.

Another asset would be a strong interest in non-profit legislation and regulations as well as the internal administration of the Association.

The Association does use a variety of computer software applications so a knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets and some graphics would be very helpful.

If you’re interested and want more details just drop us a line and we would be pleased to oblige.

Ruby Burns

Yes, this young Constable has come a long way since her first days in the Force and is now our Chef d’Equipe for our Advocacy Program.

Ruby has provided a very interesting article that deals with research on prostate and pancreatic cancer and as you read through it you will notice numerous references to police and police patrol vehicles and the correlation between the diseases and the worksite.

David Ljunggren, Reuters

David, who is a reporter with Reuters, contacted the Association asking if there was anybody in our Association who could provide some insight into police thinking about how to handle aboriginal protests. He went on to say ” I certainly get the impression that the official approach is much more cautious in the wake of the Oka and Ipperwash incidents and I just wanted to talk to someone about the sensitivities involved and what strikes me as the increased focus on deescalating tensions.”
We told David that we would share the topic with our members in the event that there would be interest in providing the police side of the equation.

So if you would like to give David a hand please let us know and we’ll put you in contact with him.

Finally a Touch More of VAC

I would like to add some comments to this subject. My name is Darryl Cook and I retired from “B” Division in 1996 and moved to Bridgewater, NS. In 1998. When I retired I was asked if I had any medical complaints. My reply was that I did have problems with my knees and hips and those complains were duly recorded on a Form which was given to me up retirement. During my service I had received treatment on my knees. Nothing was mentioned about future medical assistance or treatment from VAC after I retired. In fact I had attended a Retirement Course prior to retiring which was mainly concerned with finances and I cannot recall anyone speaking of what medical assistance or any assistance from VAC. one would be entitled to after retirement.

I subsequently joined the Royal Canadian Legion and soon after became the Service Officer. I was the Service Officer for 14 years and the Asst. Service Officer for the last 5 years. As Service Officer I soon learned what VAC could do and how I could help both Military Veterans and RCMP Veterans, which I did.

My main concern is that the Veterans Association’s Advocacy committees hardly ever mention the Legion’s Service Officers who our members can go to for help, for free. Every Legion has a Service Officer, and there are many Legions throughout Canada. Those Legion Branch Service Officers can assist members or retired members with their initial Applications. The Applications are then sent to the Command Service Officers, who are trained and paid for their duties and have access to members medical and service files through VAC. Those Command Service Officers then put together a file with all the required information for a successful and quick result. All of our serving and retired members should know of this service.

Darryl Cook – Nova Scotia Division

And A Little Bit of Art Deco to Amuse