Gord Holmes & Colin Cotnam

OCOA Certificate of Lifesaving 2009

Conservation Officers Gord Holmes, and Colin Cotnam with K9 Tanner

On the evening of October 26, 2008, Conservation Officers Gord Holmes, Colin Cotnam and K9 "Tanner" assisted in the rescue of a group of lost hikers, including a senior lady, at Silent Lake Provincial Park near Bancroft.

Officer Holmes was checking for moose hunters in the area of Silent Lake Provincial Park. He observed a distraught woman in the parking area who reported that three hikers were missing, one of whom was her 78 year old grandmother. The hikers had no food, water or lights. It had been raining and the temperature was dropping as night approached. Officer Holmes notified the OPP and the MNR Canine Unit with CO Cotnam and his dog Tanner. The MNR and OPP conducted the search. The hikers were later found huddled together across the lake by the Canine Unit. The hikers had gotten off the trail in the dark. The grandmother was too exhausted to walk out, and they had to be brought out by boat.

These hikers may not have survived hypothermia without the efforts of these officers.