The Bracebridge OPP detachment will soon be under new leadership.
Michael Burton, the current detachment commander, is set to retire on Monday, Feb. 28.
A permanent replacement has not yet been chosen so Jason Nickle will serve as the interim detachment commander until a replacement is named.
Nickle will start in his new role on Friday, Feb. 25. He will serve in the role for three months but said during Bracebridge council Wednesday night that he is competing for the permanent position.
“I take this role very seriously and I’m incredibly honoured to be asked to sit in the chair,” he said, adding Burton has left “large shoes to fill.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Nickle has worked for the OPP for 27 years and leaves his post as an inspector with the Orillia OPP detachment. This will be the second time in as many years that he’s served as an interim detachment commander. He spent three months leading the Orillia OPP in 2021 until its permanent detachment commander was named in August of that year.
Burton told council that Nickle has spent the “past couple of days” with him at the detachment.
“On behalf of council and on behalf of the community, I would like to send our collective thanks to you,” Mayor Graydon Smith said to Burton, thanking him for being an “integral part” of the community over the past four years. “I’ve admired the work and dedication you’ve put into your job.”
“This has been an incredible career,” Burton said, fighting back tears. He called the community “incredible” and said he will miss seeing the many “outstanding people” he met over the years. However, Burton said he’s happy to retire and make his young son the “centre of his attention.”
Burton was named detachment commander in 2018. Before that, he spent time with the Southern Georgian Bay and Huronia West detachments.