Nominations Invited for the Bank of Canada's Law Enforcement Award of Excellence for Counterfeit Deterrence

Beginning today, the Bank of Canada is inviting nominations for the fifth annual Law Enforcement Award of Excellence for Counterfeit Deterrence. This award recognizes police officers, employees, or volunteers of a Canadian law-enforcement agency who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and initiative in counterfeiting deterrence and prevention.

Nominations may be submitted by any serving member of a Canadian law-enforcement agency and must be received at the Bank of Canada by 31 March 2008. Award recipients will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of three representatives from the Bank of Canada and two from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) and will be honoured at the 2008 CACP conference to be held in Montreal in August.

The Bank of Canada, in collaboration with the CACP, established the Award of Excellence in March 2004 to recognize the efforts of Canadian law-enforcement personnel in deterring the counterfeiting of bank notes.

In 2007, Acting Detective Brian Wintermute and Detective Tom Warfield, and Constables Steve Poplawski, Scott Besco, and David Bauer of the Peel Regional Police Service in Ontario received the award for their relentless efforts and innovative investigative techniques in a major investigation dubbed Project More Money. The tireless work of these officers led to the shutdown of a significant counterfeiting operation, the arrest of 30 suspects on 469 criminal charges, and the seizure of sophisticated printing equipment that was linked to many counterfeit $20 and $50 notes circulated in Canada during 2005 and 2006.

For more information on the award, as well as the nomination process, application procedures, and forms, visit www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotes/law_award.html. You may also contact Michael Duncan at or by calling 613 782-7057.