Four Westlock citizens were awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal on July 17. These medals are given out to people who represent the very best of their organizations. To be eligible, a Canadian must have made significant contributions to their province, territory, region, community or Canada as a whole.
Ralph Leriger
Former mayor of Westlock, Ralph Leriger, was presented with a King Charles Coronation Medal on July 17, 2025.
He was nominated by the community through his work as the former mayor and the work that he did with the Westlock Community Foundation. Up until the last general meeting, Leriger had been vice-chair for the board at the community foundation, but will now be taking over as chairman. =
Leriger has been a huge part of Westlock’s community, committing to making the lives of everyone in the community better by being part of the Homeland Housing board, Emergency Management Committee and Regional Economic Development Committee.
“I think that a life well spent is a life spent serving others and that I have tried to do that for my whole life, and I will continue to do that in my sphere of influence and until the day comes that I cannot,” Leriger says.
He advises that young people look for opportunities and always be optimistic in their situations, “There’s great change always, and in that change, there are always opportunities. And my advice would be to look for those opportunities and use those to make your world around you a better place.”
Leigh Drinkwater
Sgt. Leigh Drinkwater was surprised by his nomination from Peace River-Westlock MP Arnold Viersen, not quite knowing the reason behind it but in a statement made to Town and Country, Viersen expressed how honoured he was to present the medals to the two constituents in the riding.
“Each constituent was nominated by someone in the community for the significant contributions they have made to their community. This was done through an official nomination application administered by the Governor General’s office. I extend my congratulations to all the recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal across Peace River-Westlock.”
Drinkwater has been a member of the Westlock community for over four years now, when he and his wife decided to move their family to our town, but Drinkwater has been in the RCMP for far longer – 21 years of service in five different communities, including Fort McMurray, Slave Lake, Vegreville, Elk Point and Tofield. During these years of service, he has been involved in community policing, school resource officer, provincial media relations and general duty policing.
Drinkwater says that Westlock is an interconnected community, one where you know your neighbours and your local business people. It has been a pleasure for him to serve in these various communities as he sees the work he’s doing as representative of what the RCMP are, despite some of the bad press it gets.
Dave Hall
Nominated by MADD Canada again, Dave Hall received his second coronation medal for his volunteer work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
The former RCMP officer became involved with MADD for several years, serving as vice president and then president of the Red Deer chapter. Later, he would be elected to the national board of directors representing the Prairie provinces and Northwest territories, where he would serve for six years.
He remains a strong advocate for the group, where he educates students on the dangers of impaired driving.
While this is Hall’s second coronation medal, having received one back in February 2025, he has received several others that honour his service and commitments to public safety. Some awards include the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, Alberta Law Enforcement Long Service Medal and the RCMP Long Service Medal.
Jeff Sehn
S/Sgt Jeff Sehn received another King Charles III Coronation Medal from the RCMP on behalf of his dedication to serving the Westlock community.
Recipients are chosen on the basis that they represent the four core values of the RCMP. In his day-to-day, Sehn acts with integrity, professionalism, respect and compassion in all he does and with the people he serves.
Sehn has 20 years of experience with the RCMP. Starting his long-standing career in Morinville, he eventually made his way to the Ponoka Integrated Traffic, Ponoka General Duty, Redwater Detachment and finally to the Westlock detachment, where he has been an integral part of maintaining a safe and secure community.
