Marine Professional of the Year Canadian Safe Boating Council 2006
Ontario Conservation Officer Jim McMullen
CO Jim McMullen, Upper Great Lakes Enforcement Unit, accepts CASBA 2006 Marine Professional of the Year Award
Marine Professional of the Year– Conservation Officer Jim McMullen was recently recognized as the Marine Professional of the Year by the Canadian Safe Boating Council. The award ceremony took place in Toronto on January 14th, 2007.
Jim was recognized for his efforts to have Conservation Officers appointed and trained to enforce the Small Vessel Regulations. Although Conservation Officers in Ontario have been informally contributing to boating safety for years, it has just been formalized and this past year Conservation Officers were appointed and trained to enforce the Small Vessel Regulations on Ontario’s waters. This has truly acted as a "force multiplier" providing more boats and a greater law enforcement presence by about 40 per cent – probably the largest single increase of marine safety enforcement in Canada.
Jim has been promoting boating safety for years. Stationed in Parry Sound, he partners with members of the OPP to facilitate safety information. He is a designated OPP marine instructor and annually participates as such in OPP marine courses. He has been, and continues to be, an active participant at many education venues, angler and hunter club events, boat and cottage shows and the like, and while his prime mandate remains resource compliance, Jim constantly speaks boating safety to those attendees who are often otherwise hard to reach.