july 8, 2020 News Advertiser PAGE 15 www.NewsAdvertiser.com
Local Legionnaire Presented Organization’s Highest Honour
Ellen Essery with medal, certificate and plaque. (Royal Canadian Legion No.39/ Submitted Photo)
Ellen Essery with medal, certificate and plaque. (Royal Canadian Legion No.39/Submitted Photo)
de-fund - CONTINUED from PAGE 4 street or a multitude of mental health issues, that they are NOT policing. I believe there must have been a time when police only did policing. However now, they are any mix of professions on a given day. Marriage counselors, social workers, taxis, parents, etc. Not only does it boggle the mind, but I believe that most police officers are not trained well enough to be all of these, nor do they want to. From the many officers I’ve met over the years, I don’t know of many that relish the thought of dealing with a Facebook complaint or two drunken idiots that were friends 4 hours ago fighting somewhere. They do, however, have a great desire to get drugs off the street and keep people and their property safe. Proponents for the abolition of police forces often point to the 1971 New York City Police strike, noting that there was no apparent increase in crime. To my ears, that logic is more than a little
flawed. If we stopped traffic enforcement, particularly speeding, logic would state that there would be less speeding tickets handed out. This does not mean that suddenly everyone started doing the speed limit. More recent examples can be found in Seattle’s “CHOP” or “police free” zone. There are more than two sides to every story. I agree with decriminalizing all drugs. The money spent fighting that losing battle can be spent in better places, and often addiction leads to crime. However, abolishing police forces, CSIS and the CBSA brings thoughts of scenes from Escape from New York and Snake Plissken battling through veritable war-zones in autonomous zones void of law and order. Undoubtedly, there is a better way, but we must be careful what we wish for... we might just get it. Tell me what you think. Email me at abletters@newsadvertiser.com
Royal Canadian Legion No. 39 Submitted Ellen Essery, a 45-year member of the Vegreville Branch of The Royal Canadian Legion, and a Legion Life member was presented the Legion’s Meritorious Service Medal at the June meeting of Vegreville Branch. The medal is awarded on a deserving basis and represents outstanding commitment and exemplary dedication to the aims and values of the Legion. It is presented with a plaque, certificate, and a special wallet card. Only about 1 in 5500 members are recipients in any given year, and prior to recognition, the member’s work is reviewed by committees at both Provincial and Dominion Commands. Branch President, Terry Kuzyk, when presenting the award, stated; “It is my great honour to present Comrade Ellen Essery with the Meritorious Service Medal for past and continuous volunteer activities at Branch 39. Ellen has been constantly dedicated to the Legion and we are so
pleased that she is one of our members.” While unable to attend, District 3 Commander, Kelly Lindbeck, extended congratulations on the well-deserved award and expressed disappointment that she was unable to be part of the presentation.
