Four offices to serve you:
News Release
Veteran and Commissionaire Honoured for 25 Years of Loyal Service at the Privy Council Office
Sgt Ron Cowick & PM Harper. Photo courtesy of PMO.
Ottawa, 15 July 2011 - On 7 July 1986, Commissionaires Ottawa assigned Cmre Ron Cowick to work as a security guard at the Privy Council Office (PCO), where he still reports for duty 25 years later. Six Prime Ministers and seven Privy Council Clerks later, Sgt Cowick’s 25 years of loyal service were personally acknowledged and honoured by PCO staff at an intimate celebration held on 6 July 2011 at Langevin Block. Also in attendance were Commissionaires Ottawa’s CEO and executive team, as well as Sgt Cowick’s fellow commissionaires and close family.
Paul A. Guindon, CEO, Commissionaires Ottawa, says, “Sgt Cowick is a very loyal employee of Commissionaires Ottawa—a veteran and private security professional whose professionalism, versatility, candour and passion to serve truly distinguish him as a model security guard. Over the years, Ron has built strong working relationships with his co-workers, employees of PCO and their guests.”
Prior to joining Commissionaires Ottawa in 1976, Cmre Cowick served for 5 years in the Army branch of the Canadian Forces here in Canada and overseas in Cyprus. Sgt Cowick is a recipient of a United Nations Cyprus decoration as well as several of Commissionaires Ottawa’s long service medals issued at various milestones of his career.
Guindon says, “We are grateful that our client, the Privy Council Office with support from the Prime Minister’s Office, went to such great lengths to pay tribute to one of our commissionaires—and we are especially honoured that the Prime Minister would take time out of his demanding schedule to personally acknowledge Sgt Cowick’s 25-year milestone during a recent one-on-one exchange organized by his staff. Both were a complete surprise for our commissionaire. As a dedicated service provider, it means a lot to us when our clients go out of their way to treat us like a valued part of their team.”
Throughout his life, Sgt Cowick has contributed countless volunteer hours in his community. Much of his involvement has been coaching, managing or assisting various sports teams and organizations. He has positively impacted the lives of many young (and not so young) people, who still refer to him today as “Coach”. As a point of interest, he coached the first women’s hockey team at the former CFB Rockcliffe in the early 1970s.
“At Commissionaires Ottawa, we know that attracting skilled, reliable people to our organization is an important focus, but retaining them is another important measure of success. Despite an unprecedented increase in new employees over the past couple of years, our retention rate remains by far the highest in the private security industry. That’s not only great feedback that our employees are loyal, but it also ensures that our clients benefit from a stable, familiar and dependable on-site team of security professionals,” adds Guindon.
Currently the largest private company in Ottawa with about 3,700 employees, Commissionaires Ottawa offers a comprehensive range of digital printing and identification services, enforcement and non-core policing, security training and private security solutions. It is contracted at over 500 private and public sector client sites in the National Capital Region, the Ottawa Valley, across Northern Ontario and through Northwestern Quebec. As part of its social mandate, Commissionaires Ottawa has been focused on hiring former and serving military personnel since 1939. It also hires RCMP veterans and other security-focused citizens who share a passion to safeguard their fellow Canadians.
-30-
For more information relating to Commissionaires Ottawa, visit www.commissionaires-ottawa.on.ca, or contact:
Andrée Paige, Media Relations
Commissionaires Ottawa
T 613 745 2312
C 613 863 1828
communications@commissionaires-ottawa.on.ca
Return to News Releases