By Lindsey Cole
The Oshawa Express

As former Durham Regional Police Chief Vernon White stepped up to the podium during the 2009 University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) convocation, he was visibly nervous as he accepted his honorary doctorate degree.“If I look nervous, then you are very perceptive,” he says in front of the crowd, which consists of around 700 family members and friends of more than 1,000 students who crossed the stage to get their degrees.

“I jokingly said when I came in that I’d rather be at a homicide investigation as an officer
not a suspect.” White, the current police chief of Ottawa, was one of two awarded honorary degrees for their hard work and contributions to the community. The other was Donald McGillis, a prominent engineer who pioneered a number of firsts in power systems technology.
White has worked for the RCMP and has also modernized and enhanced policing on a national and international scale.“We have an extremely strong representation of leadership (at UOIT),” he tells the students as they listen intently.

“I’ve come to understand and epitomize police service.”

He says that in order to succeed in the future, one must embrace the mistakes that are made as well as be optimistic.“Lead, challenge and inspire this country out of deliverance. Make your own path.” Ron Bordessa, president of UOIT, also had some words for students. “Convocation is a day to celebrate and savour...to capture in our hearts and minds,” he says.“UOIT is connected to the world outside our own confines. The purpose of education here is to make the world a better place. We know we can count on our graduates to excel.” For White, the entire ceremony was overwhelming, but a good testament to what those from humble beginnings can do if they put their mind to it.

“I’m humbled to be granted this honour, after all I’m just a cop,” he says.


“I jokingly said when I came in that I’d rather be at a homicide investigation as
an officer not a suspect.”

-Vernon White