Mr. Gary Miner is a retired Inspector with York Regional Police and has served for over 40 years. His family has a history in the armed forces as his father served in the Canadian Armed Forces and grandfather with the British Expeditionary Forces during the First World War.
Mr. Miner makes the most of his spare time to volunteer towards supporting and remembering the military and Veteran community in the York Region. He volunteers with the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping and serves as the Chapter Secretary.
From 2010 to 2014, he spearheaded the Welcome Home initiative, where he would arrange to have a group of uniformed police officers, firefighters and, paramedics wait outside of the homes of members returning from Afghanistan and offer them a hero’s welcome.
As an active writer for the York Regional Association Magazine, he often contributes articles highlighting Veterans and peacekeeping initiatives.
He helped raise thousands of dollars for Peacekeepers Park by being a key organizer in the annual Plunkett Memorial Baseball Game and made presentations to the Memorial Committee to convince them to donate some of the proceeds from the event to Peacekeepers’ Park. He also collects donations from sponsors and promotes the annual Peacekeepers Golf Tournament to local companies by bringing to their attention the importance of the park in honouring Veterans.
In 2011 Mr. Miner, along with the York Regional Police, unveiled the Recognition Stone—a tribute to Canadian Armed Forces personnel, both past and present. The unveiling was attended by over 200 local Veterans, peacekeepers, firefighters and serving Canadian Armed Forces members. Mr. Miner was instrumental in raising the funds for the Memorial and coordinating the entire event. Furthermore, he leads an annual memorial service where the stone rests. He reaches out to the family of members who served in both the Canadian Armed Forces and the York Regional Police, arranging transportation to the ceremony for those Veterans wishing to attend.