Jack Ewatski served more than 35 years in policing and public safety. Thirty-four of those years were spent serving the residents of Winnipeg as a member of the Winnipeg Police Service, holding the position as Chief of WPS for 9 of those years, from 1998 to 2007.

Ewatski has been recently appointed as Chair of Public Safety with Assiniboine Community College in Brandon, and steps into his new role with a passion he has developed from his own personal experiences in the field of police work.

“The police profession is something I’m very proud to be involved with over the course of 34 years in Winnipeg, and then subsequent to that even after I retired from the Winnipeg Police Service I was involved in policing internationally in Trinidad and Tobago for a couple of years,” explains Ewatski, “and then coming back to Canada being involved in ACC with their Police Studies Program as well as other programs that we’ve delivered, most recently the First Nations Safety Officer Program.”

“So, policing yes, I still have a strong passion for it,” he says, “and it’s something that, especially in today’s world in terms of the recent events going on around the world, it’s something that has probably gained more attention regarding the future of policing here in Canada.”

The Public Safety education and training program at ACC has expanded over the past several years, with a new expansion added to its current programming mix in Public Safety education. The new Public Safety Advanced Diploma program will be starting in the fall of 2021, offering more extensive training in the field of public safety.

Ewatski says this advanced program aligns with ACC’s philosophy of ‘learn by doing’.

The newly appointed Chair's role includes a variety of program opportunities at ACC surrounding the public safety sector.

“The portfolio that I have is to oversee the Public Safety Programs at the college, and that includes the current Police Studies program,” explains Ewatski. “It will obviously include the Advanced Diploma program in Public Safety, all the other programs that we have done and continue to do on a contract basis, the First Nations Safety Officer Program, the Community Safety Officer Program, Inservice Training for Police and other Public Safety entities within the province, as well as the Social Services Worker Program at ACC.  So, that all falls under my perview.”

“Critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, and emotional intelligence are all skills we focus on developing as graduates are entering into careers that serve communities,” adds Ewatski.

Assiniboine Community College has delivered the Police Studies certificate program for over 10 years, being the only one of its kind in Manitoba.  Since 2016, ACC has delivered the province’s First Nation Safety Officer program, with more than 220 students completing the FNSO training.