EX-NHLER HONOURED BY OPP

It's not every day someone can use two of their life's passions to
benefit not only a community, but an entire region.

Ontario Provincial Police Const. Paul Harrison has managed to do just
that. Today the entire police service is recognizing his work with the
regional DARE program with a Commissioner's Commendation. A police
officer for 25 years, Harrison has taken his love of hockey and his
career to help thousands of children learn about the dangers of drug
and alcohol abuse.

For the past 12 years, Harrison has been working with the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education (DARE) program. He has been able to use his
experience as a goalie in the National Hockey League to reach out to
children.

"This gave me a chance to draw from my hockey experience and really
reach out to the kids," Harrison said. "We've combined DARE with
achieving your goals.

"These are tough decisions for kids and a life-altering one for
some."

Today, during an OPP awards ceremony, Harrison is being singled out
for helping to bring the DARE program out of the dark and into the
classrooms of 110 schools across Northeastern Ontario. He has also
helped train and recruit more than 50 police officers as
instructors.

"We started out humbly, but have grown quite extensively," Harrison
said. "It works because of the officers who teach it. The students
really seem to embrace the officers in their classrooms."

The program has grown to include the trends that impact students,
including bullying, over-the-counter medications and crystal meth.

Harrison said the curriculum allows the students to take ownership of
the program.

"We're not telling them what to do. We let them know the risks they
would be taking," he said.

In the early 1970s, Harrison was enjoying the hockey dream as a goalie
in the NHL. Over his 11-year career, Harrison played for the Minnesota
North Stars, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh
Penguins.

When he became a police officer in the 1980s, Harrison worked as a
patrol constable for 16 years before finding DARE.

"It was an opportunity for me to try something different," Harrison
said. "I also knew I related well to 11-and 12-year-olds."

Over the years, Harrison said the DARE program never seems like work.
While some students have chosen to go down the path of drugs and
alcohol, it's the ones who took the message to heart that made it all
worth it.

"You get a great sense of satisfaction and I feel as though I've made
a difference," said Harrison.

"I know that being a cop and a hockey player has prepared me for
this," he said.

Often he'll be walking down the street and be approached by former
DARE students. To Harrison that means he has made an impact on their
lives. While some may have made mistakes, the program helps students
know how to pick themselves up.

"When I first started, there were a few occasions where I felt I had
let them down, or not done enough to prevent them from going down that
path," he said. "But I know now they may not embrace it or use it
right away, but eventually they might."

A program such as DARE in a region the size of Northeastern Ontario
doesn't come cheap. Harrison said they manage to run the program on
about $50,000 a year.

In addition to training and still teaching the program out of Matheson
and Iroquois Falls, Harrison has come up with a number of fundraisers
to help keep the program running.

His affiliation with the NHL alumni and players' association led to
the creation of the Ontario Provincial Police Association/DARE Hockey
Dream Draw (www.hockeydreamdraw.ca), which has raised more than
$285,000 for the program.

In the future, there's only more room to grow. Harrison said he's
surprised that some police services have still not picked up the
program, but hopes in time that will change.

"I thought by this time every child in Ontario would have the
opportunity to participate in the program," Harrison said. "But I'm
more than pleased with what's been done in our region.

"We still have kids making bad decisions, but I'm hearing from parents
that kids are benefiting from this."

Also being recognized at today's ceremony with a Commissioner's
Citation for Bravery is Const. Gino Nolet of the Hearst OPP detachment.

On Dec. 12, 2006, Nolet entered a burning building in search of any
occupants. With help from a local off-duty volunteer firefighter, the
two located a man lying on the floor.

After reaching safety, efforts were taken to try and save the man, but
unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries soon after.

Both Nolet and Robert Ringuette were honoured for their courageous
attempt to save the man's life.