Island employers recognized for support of Canadian Forces members

Six P.E.I. employers were given special recognition at the Queen Charlotte Armoury Thursday.

The awards, hosted by the Canadian Forces Liaison Council,recognize employers whosupportmembers of the Canadian Forces who also have civilian jobs.

Maj.Trevor Jain is a surgeon for the Canadian Forces and an emergency room physician at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Last year he was deployed oversees for several weeks and only given 96 hours notice. He said his boss, Dr. Ron Whalen, not only helped get his shifts covered, but even took some on himself.

"For the member on the ground, knowing that back home your workplace is squared away is a tremendous relief to the cognitive load on your brain so that you can concentrate at the job at hand," Jain said.

Ceremony in Ottawa

Whalen was selected as the Most Supportive Employer in Canada for International Operations and will receive the award at the national CFLC awards ceremony in Ottawa in May.

He'll be joined by Don Leary of Leary's Independent Grocer, who was named Most Supportive Employer on P.E.I.

Those who received recognition for Best Practices in Employer Support on Thursday include:

• Louis Philip Purcell of Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Large Organization)
• Josh Stanley of Green Diamond Equipment (Private Sector)
• Paula Gallant of the Canada Revenue Agency, Charlottetown office (Public Sector)

Nick Green of Ainsworth Inc. received a recognition certificate.

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