An individual, two teams and an entire office were honoured with the Premier’s Award of Excellence, today, Sept. 25, in recognition of their exceptional efforts.
The award celebrates public servants who go above and beyond in delivering programs and services to Nova Scotians. It is the most prestigious government award.
“Year in and year out, there are dedicated public servants doing extraordinary things with their everyday work,” said Premier Stephen McNeil. “Our province is better for their efforts and it is an honour to present this award.”
Today’s corporate recognition event also included more than 300 employees receiving a Long Service Award to mark 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and even 50 years of service.
This year’s Premier’s Award of Excellence recipients are:
— Michael Sampson, the Department of Justice. Michael Sampson led the equity hiring project to increase the diversity of employees working in the province’s adult and youth correctional facilities. He organized and facilitated workshops to prepare prospective candidates and assisted them through the application, interview and testing stages
— Incident Commanders with the Wildfire Incident Management Team, the Department of Lands and Forestry. In August 2016, Incident Commanders Paul Schnurr and Glenn Terris played a key role in managing one of the most demanding wildfire periods in Nova Scotia’s history. Public safety was never compromised and the damage to our forests was minimized
— The Graduate to Opportunity program team, the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. This team has helped more than 650 young people secure full-time, well-paying jobs in their chosen careers. Team members are Wayne Sumarah, Rick Alexander, Deborah Fleetham, Carolyne Corkum, Angela Jackson, Andrea Maxwell, Natalie Miller and Tracy Parks
— Nova Scotia Office of Immigration. This small team of 35 employees works hard every day to support a record number of applicants which has resulted in the province welcoming about 5000 newcomers annually. As of July 31, Nova Scotia’s total landings this year were 3,530 newcomers – the highest number in the Atlantic region. Nova Scotia also has the highest retention rate in the Atlantic region at 71 per cent. The province has surpassed its provincial nominee program allocation year-over-year since 2014 and is on track to do the same this year. This success is helping to grow our population and strengthen our economy
Award winners reflect government’s commitment to public service excellence and continuous improvement, while demonstrating the courage to step into new territory to achieve their goals. They are selected by a panel of deputy ministers.
“Today we celebrate our exceptional public servants who are leading by example,” said Minister of Public Service Commission Tony Ince. “Their ability to go above and beyond is making a big difference in the lives of Nova Scotians.”
For more information about the Premier’s Award of Excellence, this year’s recipients and their work, visit http://www.novascotia.ca/pae .
Source: Release
