Speakers

Jon-Richard Willan
Jon-Richard Willan is an officer with the Canadian Coast Guard who has sailed on several vessels in Atlantic Canada. He has also worked with the Ice Office in St. John’s, supporting icebreaking operations. Currently, he is based at the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre in St. John’s, where he serves as a Search and Rescue Coordinator.

David Burneau
David Burneau brings forty-four decades of military service and 23 years of search and rescue experience. His SAR career includes nine years flying and 14 years in Joint Rescue Coordination Centres.

Eugene Carter
Eugene Carter, an avid fisherman and one of the “Lucky 7,” was also the captain of the Elite Navigator on the night of the fire.

Their eventual rescue by the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Teleost, and Canadian Armed Forced R901 Cormorant was hailed as a miracle, with all seven surviving against the odds. The case highlights the importance of preparedness, resilience, and coordinated search and rescue operations, while honoring the legacy of a community shaped by the sea.

Jon-Richard Willan, Canadian Coast Guard- Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre St. John’s, David Burneau, RCAF- Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Halifax, and Eugene Carter, Captain of the Elite Navigator

Dr. Lorna Ferguson is an award-winning criminologist and the leading Canadian expert on policing and missing persons. She is a professor at the University of Regina and the Founder of the Missing Persons Research Hub, a North America-wide network dedicated to advancing research, practice, and policy in the field. Dr. Ferguson has collaborated with over forty police services and numerous individual police officers across Canada, as well as several SAR volunteer groups and personnel, to enhance responses to missing persons and improve inter-agency coordination. Her work encompasses operational reviews, policy development, training, and frontline engagement, with a focus on supporting those who do the work and enhancing public safety outcomes.

While her primary research focuses on police responses to missing persons, Dr. Ferguson also examines incident command, interagency collaboration, operational stress, and evidence-based approaches to policing and public safety. She has contributed to high-profile national discussions, including reviews of the Bruce McArthur investigation and federal return support systems with the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains. Dr. Ferguson’s scholarly work has been published in top peer-reviewed journals in the field and has been the subject of many local, national, and international presentations. Her recent research has been published in Criminology & Criminal Justice, Crime & Delinquency, Policing & Society, and Policing: An International Journal, among other outlets. She has written six books, e.g., ‘Occupational Stress Injuries: Operational and Organizational Stressors Among Public Safety Personnel’ (Taylor & Francis), ‘Police Search and Rescue Response to Lost and Missing Persons’ (Springer Nature), and ‘Missing Persons: Beyond Serial Killers and Unexplained Disappearances’ (Palgrave).

“Delayed call outs.”
“Poor communication.”
“They try to micromanage us.”
“Won’t share data.”
“Lack of appreciation.”
“We have a different approach.”

These are just a few of the unfiltered responses from over 500 police officers and SAR volunteers across Canada who participated in a national survey about what it’s really like to work together in the field. From coast to coast to coast, personnel offered honest reflections on the frustrations, misunderstandings, and tension points that can arise when two systems, unified by a common mission but shaped by different structures, cultures, and expectations, come together in time-sensitive, high-risk situations.

This presentation will go beyond surface-level discussion to unpack the real-world dynamics of these relationships. The survey data revealed consistent pain points, such as unclear or delayed call outs, communication breakdowns in the field, mismatched expectations, and a lack of collaborative training and post-incident follow-up, among others. But alongside these challenges are stories of partnership done right—examples where respect, local relationship-building, and integrated planning have led to more seamless coordination and better outcomes for communities. By highlighting both the challenges and successes, this session will offer a balanced, field-informed perspective on inter-agency SAR collaboration in Canada. It will underline patterns across jurisdictions, roles, specializations, and geographic areas, and identify the practical, often simple steps that have made a difference in building trust and operational efficiency.

This session will aim to equip SAR personnel and police alike with actionable strategies for enhancing collaboration, strengthening local networks, and fostering a culture of mutual respect. Through shared experience and collective learning, the Canadian SAR community has the opportunity to move forward—not just together, but stronger together.

Maritime Search and Rescue Expert, Instructor, and Advocate

Amber Sheasgreen is a seasoned maritime search and rescue (SAR) expert with over 12 years of experience and a Master’s in Business Administration and Leadership.

Growing up on the north coast of British Columbia, her early exposure to local maritime tragedies inspired her lifelong commitment to SAR work. She has made significant contributions partnering with and supporting organizations including RCMSAR, CCG, CNCGA, and Transport Canada.

Amber is a coxswain, instructor, and training officer with her local RCMSAR unit. Her career also includes notable involvement in three overseas missions in the Central Mediterranean with NGOs, addressing saving lives along one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. Her dedication to SAR and supporting Women in the maritime industry was recognized with the 2023 IMRF Women in SAR Award. Amber is a strong advocate for increasing female participation in maritime SAR, emphasizing that SAR skills can be developed by anyone, regardless of background.

In her former role as Manager Operations with RCMSAR, Amber played a crucial part in shaping the organization’s policies, procedures, and training programs. She also led the planning of regional SAR exercises, fleet development, and contributed to governance as a member of the RCMSAR Board of Governors.

Globally, Amber has supported SAR efforts through teaching basic SAR skills to future humanitarians in the UK, assisting with SOP development for Refugee Rescue and Sea-Eye, and helping organize the IMRF Women’s mentorship program. Her unique combination of operational expertise and leadership continues to drive meaningful progress and inspire others in the SAR community.

Everybody has a right to be safe on and off the water. This is especially true in the Central Med (the world’s deadliest migration route) where people are fleeing for their safety, there are not enough resources/capacity getting involved and volunteer burnout is a vicious cycle. Let’s take a look at SAR in the Central Med, what to expect, tools and tactics in place, and ongoing challenges faced by NGOs. Come enhance your knowledge and awareness through a humanitarian SAR lens.

Mr. Blakely is a former infantry officer and a founding member of SARVAC. A lawyer by profession, he has 38 years’ experience in SAR and is currently a Retired SAR Manager with Vernon SAR in British Columbia. Mr. Blakely is a co-author of BC.’s SAR Strategic Plan where he was primarily responsible for policy analysis and recommendations. He also played key roles during B.C.’s various Wildfire emergencies. A founding member of Fort Nelson SAR and co-developer of B.C.’s Ground SAR Team Leader Program, Mr. Blakely was B.C.’s 1999 SAR Volunteer of the Year and the 2012 recipient of the Award of Excellence for Exemplary Service from the National Search and Rescue Secretariat. He was responsible for the creation of the National GSAR Liability Insurance Program and participated in the development of B.C.’s various GSAR training standards. Mr. Blakely has also been an adjunct professor at Thompson Rivers University teaching SAR Management in the Adventure Studies Department. More recently he led BC’s participation in advising on the development of the Humanitarian Work Force (HWF) program.

The core of any SAR Unit is its volunteer base and Board of Directors. Managing a group of Type A personalities can be challenging in the extreme. When things go wrong with governance or the membership, they tend to go very wrong and can adversely impact operational capacity and infrastructure for years. Find out what factors to address in implementing “smart” management of the SAR Units governance and volunteers. The presentation will cover best practices, recommendations, provide sample documents, and lessons learned. Consider it a practical approach to managing SAR volunteers (oops…I mean cats).

Mr. Gregory Surek joined Public Safety Canada in March 2025 and was appointed Manager of the Cospas-Sarsat Section and Canada’s Permanent Representative to Cospas-Sarsat in July 2025.

Prior to joining Public Safety, Greg served in the Canadian Armed Forces for nearly three decades, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Specializing in Search and Rescue, he held a variety of operational and leadership roles, including at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, as an instructor and aircrew on the CC130 Hercules, and as Officer-in-Charge of the Canadian Mission Control Centre. His military career culminated with his appointment as Commanding Officer of 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron from 2021 to 2023. He also deployed to Kuwait in 2012 in support of Canada’s air operations in Afghanistan and served at NATO Air Command in Germany from 2019 to 2021.

Mr. Surek holds a degree in computer engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada and a master’s degree in defence studies. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Joint Command and Staff Program. Over the course of his career, he logged more than 2,000 flying hours on the CC130 Hercules and participated in numerous search and rescue missions across Canada.

Distress alerting technology has been an integral part of the search and rescue landscape in Canada and internationally for several decades. The COSPAS-SARSAT Programme is an international satellite-based system that utilizes beacons operating on the 406 MHz radio frequency band to locate persons in distress. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) and Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) are required carriage on marine vessels and aircraft respectively, while Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are regularly used by backcountry adventurers and workers alike. These 406 beacons use the LEOSAR, GEOSAR and now MEOSAR satellite systems to relay location information directly to Local User Terminals (LUTs) and Mission Control Centers (MCCs) on the ground. In addition to 406 enabled beacons, there are various other alerting products known collectively as Satellite Enabled Notification Devices (SEND). These devices generally use satellite networks (for example Iridium or Globalstar) and private sector technology to send distress signals and offer various other features such as two-way communication and navigation. This presentation will identify the technology utilized by current 406 PLBs and various SENDs with the goals of i) providing potential buyers with the information required to make an informed choice that meets their individual needs; and ii) informing SAR volunteers and professionals of the distress alerting technologies currently available so they are able to share this information if asked for advice on purchasing a distress alerting device.

Bio TBA

The first, a glimpse of the Project Lifesaver program at YRP. Since its inception in 2006, YRP has continued to evolve and advance the program through process and operational capabilities. By sharing our experience and learnings we hope to help others.

The second, a 4 operational period search for a missing vulnerable person, a Project Lifesaver participant who went missing in the City of Markham in the winter of 2023. As the case study is delivered many operational challenges will be reviewed and discussed. 

By identifying these challenges and learning points YRP was able to develop and implement solutions that would ensure future success. All of which were exemplified when the missing person once again went missing a few months later. Your organization is not required to use Project Lifesaver to receive value from this session.

In 1993 he transferred to shore-based positions with the SAR program, working as a SAR instructor in the Atlantic Region, program specialist at CCG HQ in Ottawa, and as a watchkeeper and acting Officer in Charge of the Maritime Rescue Sub Center in St. John’s. In 2021 Neil retired as the Deputy Superintendent of Maritime Search and Rescue, CCG Atlantic Region.

In December 2023, Neil joined the SARVAC HWF program where his responsible for the exercising program and the oversight of after-action reviews and reports following major exercises, workshops and operational deployments.

The Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC), representing Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) volunteers nationwide, is one of the NGOs participating in this program. Traditionally serving as a coordinating and advocacy body for Provincial and Territorial GSAR associations, SARVAC has expanded its role through the HWF Program to include national-level operational coordination. Supported by the development of a National SAR Operations Concept and a National Readiness System, SARVAC’s HWF Program now forms the foundation for a sustained national operational coordination capability.

Sid Parizi is a PhD candidate in Administration Sciences in the Operations and Decision Systems department at Université Laval, supervised by Professor Irène Abi-Zeid and Professor Michael Morin. As an Operations Research Specialist and Data Analyst, he brings over 10 years of experience in Transportation Networks Design, Mathematical Optimization, and Data-Driven nOptimization across both academic research and industrial settings. As a Doctoral Researcher at Le Centre de recherche en modélisation, information et décision (CERMID), he focuses his research on SAR operations, designing SAR missions using mathematical models built in Python and optimized with solvers like GUROBI and CPLEX. What drives his work is the opportunity to apply rigorous mathematical thinking to humanitarian crises, developing specialized algorithms that help SAR teams make more informed decisions when every minute counts.

His professional background includes roles as a Transportation Network Modeler for Iran’s Ministry of Road and Urban Development, where he co-led the planning of national logistics centers networks, and various positions in supply chain optimization and transportation planning. His expertise includes intelligent transport systems, emergency management, large- scale optimization and machine learning. He is also a research member of Canada’s logistics association (CITT), Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les réseaux d’entreprise, la logistique et le transport (CIRRELT), and Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en opérationnalisation du développement durable (CIRODD), focusing on advanced logistics and sustainable transportation systems.

Current SAR planning typically assigns one search area per aircraft sortie, but this approach often misses opportunities to maximize search effectiveness within available flight time and fuel constraints. This presentation addresses a common operational challenge: how to efficiently search multiple high-probability areas in a single mission while maintaining safe flight operations. The first project focuses on designing search missions for single aircraft operations, where instead of searching one large area that includes low-probability zones, the system identifies multiple smaller rectangles concentrated over high-probability locations and determines the optimal sequence to visit them. Testing across various Canadian SAR regions shows nominal improvements in probability of success compared to traditional single-area missions, with the approach expected to result in nominal improvements of approximately 38%. Expanding beyond single aircraft operations, the second project tackles the challenge of deploying multiple aircraft safely in the same search region through coordinated search team mission design. Rather than simply keeping aircraft apart, this approach uses altitude separation to allow multiple SRUs to search the same high-priority areas simultaneously – a “stacked search” concept that maximizes coverage of critical areas. The third project recognizes the critical importance of search time in SAR operations and focuses on designing missions that achieve maximum probability of success while minimizing search time. This research proposes a set of search policies presented as Pareto optimal solutions to SAR coordinators as decision-makers, allowing them to select the best policy based on their specific priorities and operational constraints while balancing finding the search object quickly against using available resources efficiently.

Bio: Dr. Peter Kikkert is an Associate Professor in the Public Policy and Governance program at St. Francis Xavier University. His current research program focuses on how to strengthen search and rescue, disaster and emergency management capabilities in Northern communities. He is the academic lead for the Nunavut-Nunavik SAR Project and the co-creator of the Nunavik and Nunavut Search and Rescue Roundtables and the Arctic SAR Exchange. He has had the privilege to learn from and work with community responders and Elders on the land, ice, and waters of the Canadian North and Alaska. Kikkert also serves as Team Leader and Training Officer with Strait Area Ground Search and Rescue, which covers the largest operational area in Nova Scotia.

Bio: Calvin Aivgak Pedersen was born and raised in Kugluktuk, Nunavut. He has served as a SAR volunteer in Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay for almost two decades, and as a Canadian Ranger for almost 25 years. Pedersen also served as a member of the Nunavut legislative assembly. Over the last six years, he has been actively engaged in the Nunavut-Nunavik SAR Project. Currently, Pedersen works as the Manager, Search and Rescue at Nunavut Emergency Management.

Bio: Michael Cameron has decades of experience in ground and marine search and rescue. A resident of Salluit, Michael works as a coordinator for the Uumajuit Wardens, who regularly carry out search and rescue activities as part of their daily activities. He also serves as the leader of the Salluit Canadian Ranger Patrol and as Zone Director for the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. In these roles, he is involved in the coordination and execution of ground and marine SAR operations, as well as the training of Inuit SAR responders across Nunavik. His SAR training methods embrace both western and Inuit approaches to search and rescue and emergency response. For the last four years, Michael has been heavily involved in the research activities conducted as part of the Nunavut and Nunavik Search and Rescue Roundtables.

Search and rescue (SAR) operations on the water, land, and ice of Inuit Nunangat/Canadian Arctic are challenging and complex. The austere and changing environment, limited local resources, the distance from other SAR assets, and close cooperation, coordination, and communication often required between a wide array of actors all create unique difficulties. The region’s vast size – over 3 million square kilometers – and cold climate combine to make time the enemy of all responders. Yet it is not only the vast space and distances involved that define search and rescue in Inuit Nunangat, but also its intimacy. The burden of search and rescue in the region largely falls on the shoulders of community responders who usually know the people for whom they are searching. Almost all have found family and friends deceased – from the cold, from accidents, or from self-harm. The toll of this trauma on the mental health of community responders is extreme. Through various research initiatives, we have engaged with almost two hundred Inuit and government responders involved in search and rescue in the Canadian Arctic/Inuit Nunangat over the last five years. In this presentation, we will explore the unique challenges faced by SAR responders in one of the most difficult environments in the world, assess recent initiatives aimed at strengthening response capabilities, offer recommendations, and identify broadly applicable best practices. Finally, we will showcase the practitioner-oriented tools and support mechanisms that we are co-creating with responders across the region, including those developed for critical incident stress management.

Dr. Richard Smith has an extensive background spanning over 40 years in the fields of Search and Rescue and Emergency Management. During his years with the RCMP across Canada, he was involved in Search and Rescue at all levels both as a practitioner and in the development of policies and training standards in Search and Rescue. He teaches in a variety of program areas, including Search and Rescue Management (Urban and Wilderness), Incident Command System, Emergency Management. Richard’s extensive actual experience in searches and rescues missions since 1977, emergency management incidents, combine with his backcountry experience (including solo, unsupported backcountry expeditions in remote areas of Canada) to provide others with an expertise that is practical, comprehensive, and relevant to a wide variety of situations. Richard has co- authored five Search and Rescue books since 1999.

Richard has been the recipient of numerous Provincial and National awards and has been a presenter at many International and National conferences.

Bio: Darrin Harvey is a highly accomplished law enforcement leader with over 27 years of distinguished service, currently serving as Sergeant with the Saskatoon Police Service. In his current role, he oversees the Traffic Services Unit, providing strategic direction and operational leadership in areas such as major case management, inter-agency coordination, and fatal incident investigations. His career reflects a trajectory of progressive leadership and a deep commitment to public safety. Since beginning his service in 1997, Sergeant Harvey has held key positions in Uniform Operations, Community Response, Intelligence, and Tactical Command. He played a pivotal role in the Saskatoon Integrated Intelligence Unit, a collaboration with the RCMP targeting organized crime, terrorism, and national security threats. He has led and contributed to operations of significant provincial and federal sensitivity. Sergeant Harvey holds a Diploma in Criminology from Mount Royal University and has undertaken advanced training through the Canadian Police College, RCMP, and Ontario Provincial Police in counterterrorism, emergency operations, incident command, threat management, and tactical response. He is a certified Tactical Trainer with the Toronto Police Service and has created and led specialized training programs across the province, including advanced firearms and surveillance courses. Among his most notable contributions is the creation of Saskatchewan’s first and only municipal police Search and Rescue Team, developed in partnership with the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC). As a Search Manager and long-serving Team Leader of the Public Safety Unit, he has led critical response operations involving search and rescue, CBRNE threats, disaster response, and crowd management. Throughout his career, Sergeant Harvey has been recognized for excellence in leadership and service. His awards include the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Governor General’s Exemplary Service Medal, the Calgary Police Service Deputy Chief’s Award of Excellence, as well as the Saskatoon Police Service Deputy Chiefs award and numerous commendations from national and international agencies including the FBI, CIA, RCMP, and Prime Minister’s Protective Detail. In addition to his professional work, Sergeant Harvey is a dedicated community advocate and long-time youth sports coach. He has volunteered extensively with minor hockey, baseball, and ball hockey leagues throughout Saskatoon, reflecting his belief in the value of mentorship and grassroots engagement.

Bio: Cst. Adam Boyce has been with the Saskatoon Police Service for 17 years, working in Patrol, Bikes, and the Special Investigations Unit. Cst. Boyce has been on Public Safety Unit for 14 years and a Team Leader for 7 years. Cst. Boyce’s note-able Public Safety Unit deployments includes many public order events, the search for Megan Gallagher; whose remains were found using a combination of physical search techniques and scientific analysis of how the South Saskatchewan River flow moves evidence over long distances, and the search for Mackenzie Trottier (Project Magpie – named in recognition of her family’s nickname for her).