The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 20, 2 0 1 7 | 4 Veteran Halton officer province's sergeant-at-arms by Kristin Rushowy Toronto Star Ontario' s new sergeant-at-arms is the first woman to hold the position in the province' s history Veteran police officer Jackie Gordon, who spent 3 4 years with the Halton force -- the last 12 as an inspector -- told reporters Monday she will first spend some time listening and learning, meeting with staff to "talk about their roles and responsibilities, and then I'll begin to ask questions, and I hope that those questions will help identify and lead to some priorities. And then from there, we'll establish funding and figure out what we can and can't do." Gordon, who also worked for two years with the Ministry of Education in building and fire codes compliance, feels she' s spent her professional life preparing for her new job -- which also includes heading the precinct properties branch that operates and maintains the legislative building. She is the province' s 10th sergeant-at-arms, and didn't want to dwell on the fact that she is the only female since Confederation to hold the post. "I just intend to be as competent as I can in the role, and focus m y efforts on raising the performance levels of the team, and not focus so m uch on who held the chair before m e," Ontario's new sergeant-at-arms Jackie Gordon is a former 34-year veteran of the Halton police force. | Kristin Rushowy/Toronto Star said Gordon, who was born in Hamilton and grew up in Burlington, where she still lives. She' s married, and has a daughter now in her fourth year of university. Gordon said she has always welcomed a challenge, "and certainly picking policing, in a predominantly male environment, I'm obviously attracted to a challenge," adding she has worked in investigations, community policing, courts -- "pretty much everywhere. That's what happens when you work (somewhere for) 3 4 years." Speaker Dave Levac introduced her at a news conference Monday at the Legislature, where he said her experience makes her "eminently qualified" for the position. As for the new job, Gordon confessed she' s already gotten lost twice in the building, and that right now she' s m ost nervous about the daily procession into Question Period, which resumes Feb. 21. "The part that probably gives me the most sleepless nights is carrying the mace and doing the ceremonial side of things," she said. "That certainly will be a new responsibility for me, but I plan to rehearse and make sure that I don't trip on my first day and I'm going to work at making sure that I do everything properly" The government' s website says the position dates back to 14th century England, when the sergeant-at-arms was appointed by the king. Gordon replaces Dennis Clark, who held the post for 19 years and in 2 0 1 5 earned $17 1 ,1 1 9 . In the aftermath of the shooting attack on Parliament Hill in 2015, Clark told the Star he was taking steps to arm some officers, and last March, it was announced an "armed response unit" would be working at Queen' s Park. K a r a s t a n e a R u g e F l O 0 R //V G ca.com SERVICING THE OAKVILLE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 20 YEARS! SOONTORN BAH N THAI Soontorn Bahn Thai is the premium thai restaurant in downtown Oakville specializing in Royal Thai cuisine with fresh ingredient from Thailand. It is extremely beautifully decorated to enhance the thai tropical effect and the romantic atmosphere. 210 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville · 905-815-848 BEST QUALITY. BEST SERVICE. BEST PRICES! 1 /2 PRICE Any Carpet Style · Berber · T w ist · P lu s h · S h a g C O A A Monday - Thursday 11:00; Friday 11:00-11:00; Saturday 12:00-11:00; Sunday 12:00-9:30 w w /s q .ft. WWW.BAHNTHAIGROUP.COM · Textured B erber Installed with Underpad 1500 sq.ft, limit m 5 ' X 8 ' STARTING AT Q u e s t io n s A b o u t In s u ra n c e R a te s o r C o v e ra g e s ? W e have the answers you need. Call or drop by today. Phil Charron FOLLOWiNG LOCATiONS ONLY: ip Lod/U w · M i r a g e H a r d w o o d ca .co m · K a r a s t a n OPEN SUNDAYS 1921 S U P E R S T O R E 228 KING St. E. Hamilton 905-546-1921 < # Allstate. You're in good hands. ®Trademark used under licence by A llstate Insurance Company. O a k v ille A g e n c y 2 0 3 N o rth S e rvice Road W e s t 289-813-4537 p c h a rro n @ a lls ta te .c a 2550E_01/17 Tr a fa lg a r village, (across fromO akville G o station) Oakville 905.849.4472 C a r p e t i n g · P e r s i a n R u g s *