36 Years of Work with the Federal Government

By: Ron Renneberg

 

After 36 years of service with the federal public service, Ron Renneberg has retired and agreed to share highlights of his career with government.  Thanks Ron and enjoy your retirement!

 

I first joined the federal government in 1968 as a radio inspector after graduating from the two-year Electronic Technologist program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.  Following six months of formal training in Ottawa, I was assigned to the Edmonton field office of the Department of Transport.

 

My duties there included investigation and resolution of all interference to the reception of commercial radio and television station signals, ensuring interference-free communications for two-way radio and private commercial.  This included airport terminals, safety service systems for the police, ambulance and fire departments, as well as public commercial and Restricted Common Carrier Mobile Radio Service Systems (RCCMRS).  I was also responsible for the physical inspections of all systems using the airwaves to transmit information to ensure compliance with the Radio Communications Act.  Occasionally, and only as a last resort, the duties included evidence gathering and completing the paper work required to obtain and execute search warrants through the court system.

 

During my time at the Edmonton District Office, I was considered one of the” road inspectors,” covering the area bordered by Red Deer on the south, to the Northwest Territories on the north, British Columbia on the west boundary and Saskatchewan on the east.  My office was my fully equipped government vehicle, with all the necessary equipment and forms to meet any problem encountered away from the office - and computers and cellular phones were not options back then! You were on your own as the Department’s sole representative in rural communities, and often times the site representative for the whole federal government.

 

My stint in Alberta lasted until 1977, when I was offered a similar position with the Department of Communications and Communications Canada, in Kelowna B.C.  I accepted the position in the Kelowna District Office, and my wife and son moved to Kelowna in June of 1977.

 

My office, however didn’t change!  It was still my fully-equipped government vehicle - this time from the Vancouver Regional office.  Luckily my travel territory was vastly decreased, and included the Okanagan Valley, North Thompson, to Valemount, the Cariboo from Boston Bar to 100 Mile House.  Although a much smaller territory, travel time increased because of mountainous terrain and many small communities, each having its own radio infrastructure separated by mountains.

 

I was fortunate in that the other inspectors in the Kelowna district office chose to work in the office and agreed to do my share of the in-office licensing duties, provided I did their share of traveling.  And so I became the “Road Inspector” for the Kelowna District Office. The duties did not change from when I joined the government and worked in Alberta, although, various new programs were added from time to time or as departmental policies changed.

 

In 1991, I applied for and won the Split EL Inspector position in the Victoria District office, where arts and cultural duties were added to the District office work loads.  It was supposed to be a three-year secondment position. But because of complications in the agreement, I returned to Kelowna after six months in Victoria, and resumed my traveling inspector duties.

 

In 1995, because of retirement options accepted by inspectors in the Cranbrook District Office, the East and West Kootenay areas were added to form the Okanagan Kootenay District office. This added dramatically to the Kelowna District office workload, and sharply increased the “Road Inspector’s” territory, which now included south central BC.

 

During my 36 years of government work travel, I drove 22 different government vehicles, from sub compact cars, to 4x4 vans, to 4x4 SUV’s.  These included 4 cylinders to V8’s, and most vehicles were retired with in excess of 160,000 km. None were written off due to damage by accident, although there were four accidents in total that caused damage to the vehicle.  All were deemed either unavoidable with wildlife running into the side of the vehicle, or through no fault of the government vehicle’s operation.  This is a statistic that I am definitely proud of, as many of those kilometres were driven in adverse weather and road conditions, including snow, sleet and ice in all seasons in the mountains, or whiteouts on the prairies.

 

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

1967	Began officiating hockey to supplement financial income and support my family while attending NAIT
1969	Hired by the Western Hockey league to referee major junior hockey games, in cities from Winnipeg to Victoria, Flin Flon to Spokane
1975	Refereed for the Canada Winter Games in southern Alberta
1975	Elected President of Referees association for Northern Alberta, and representative on Rules Committee for Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA)
1971	Son Derek was born; I was hired, under contract by the World Hockey Association (WHA) to officiate games Friday to Monday nights, anywhere the league wanted to send me within Canada and the USA
1977	Won an EL4 position in the Kelowna District office, moved to Kelowna
1978	Part of a group to develop SPEAKOUT program for Pacific Region employees
1981-82	Chosen as one of two officials from Canada to represent Canada as a Referee in the World Junior Hockey Championships, International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
1991	Won a competition for a EL4 position in the Victoria District Office
1994	With the help of other EL4’s, developed a program to combat Illegal use of Radio Communication (CIUS) that was approved by two Regions and four District Offices
2000	Diagnosed with throat cancer
2003	Classified as cancer survivor
2003	Suffered disabling stroke
2004	Retired due to disabilities caused by the stroke.

 

Ron's Retirement Party Pictures!

 

Happy Hour prior to Ron's arrival

 

 

Ron and his partner, Kacy

 

 

Dean Suggett, who helped to train Ron back in Edmonton in 1968, and his wife Donna

 

 

Keith Yule (retired radio inspector) presenting Ron

with the responsibility of taking care of the radio spectrum

 

 

Ron with protégé, Mike Amyotte