OCOA & MNRF Officer of the Year 2016
Ontario Conservation Officer Mark Lamont
Pembroke Enforcement Unit
Conservation Officer Mark Lamont (Badge # C161) has been selected as the 2016 Ontario Conservation Officer of the Year by both the Ontario Conservation Officers Association (OCOA) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Enforcement Branch.
Mark Lamont began his career with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry nearly 30 years ago. Mark started his career as a field technician and worked in Hearst, Nipigon and Espanola Districts. Mark was appointed as a deputy conservation officer for a number of years and spent many hours volunteering in Nipigon, Espanola and Pembroke. He became a conservation officer in 2000 in Bancroft and is presently working with the Pembroke Enforcement Unit.
Mark is an accomplished investigator who has demonstrated his commitment to the job and protecting the public and our natural resources.
For example, Mark was the lead officer of an investigation that involved an individual unlawfully harvesting logs from the Ottawa River. After the logs were seized, the accused disregarded the officer’s order and took the logs to a mill to be processed. Mark used cuts in the logs to match the logs he had seized to successfully bring the accused to court and receive a conviction that included a fine of $12,000.
Some of Officer Lamont’s accomplishments include:
- In 2008, Mark received the OCOA and North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association (NAWEOA) Certificate of Valor risking his own safety in a situation of imminent danger to provide assistance to a Park Warden.
- Lead officer in complex investigations including careless hunting investigations and the large commercial timber investigation mentioned above.
- Mentor for aspiring officers as well as current Conservation Officers
- Volunteer on committees with Ducks Unlimited and the Pembroke Outdoor Sportsmen Club
- Created the Pembroke Kid’s Fishing event and Youth Mentor Hunting program in Pembroke
The official award ceremonies took place at the annual OCOA Conference held in Petawawa, from August 11th – 13th, 2016.
While accepting the awards Mark humbly stated “this is not my award, this is a team award. I have worked with a lot of phenomenal officers and have gained a little bit of knowledge from every one of those officers. There are many more officers out there more deserving of this than me.”
Mark was presented with the MNRF Officer of the Year award as well as the Shikar-Safari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year Award by Matt Orok, Provincial Enforcement Operations Manager of the MNRF Enforcement Branch. Then, at the OCOA banquet with his family in attendance, he was presented with the OCOA Officer of the Year Award by OCOA President Tim Rochette. He received a standing ovation at both presentations.
The Officer of the Year Award acknowledges officers like Mark, who demonstrate the highest level of dedication and professionalism among our ranks and pays tribute to the high quality of conservation officers we have in the Enforcement Branch and the OCOA.
Please join us in congratulating Mark Lamont as our 2016 Ontario Conservation Officer of the Year!
John Clements, Director
MNRF Enforcement Branch
Tim Rochette, President
Ontario Conservation Officers Association
The OCOA Media Release is available at: http://ocoa.ca/media-releases/2016/08/15/mark-lamont-2016-ontario-conservation-officer-of-the-year/
The Ontario.ca News Release is available at: https://news.ontario.ca/mnr/en/2016/08/pembroke-conservation-officer-recognized-for-excellence.html