Armand La Barge was born in Sulphide, Ontario and raised in the Tweed-Hungerford area. He began his career with York Regional Police in 1973, and in 2002 he was appointed Chief of Police, a position he held until his retirement in December 2010. Chief (Ret) La Barge served as the President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, the Ontario Director of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and he was an Associate Member of the First Nations Chiefs of Police Association. Chief (Ret) La Barge has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2012 Black Business Professional Association Harry Jerome Award for Diversity, the Wilf Wilkinson Rotary Peace Award, the YMCA Peace Medallion, the National Ethnic Press & Media Council of Canada Distinguished Service Award, the Ontario Volunteer Service Award, the Police Exemplary Services Medal and First Bar and the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals. He is a member of the Special Olympics Hall of Fame, a Paul Harris
Fellow and a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and the Alpha Phi Sigma Honour Society. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and he was invested as an Officer of the Order of Police Merit and a Commander in the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.
Armand holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Canadian Studies and a Multicultural Studies Certificate and a Master’s Certificate in Municipal Management from York University; an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Studies degree from Seneca College; a Master of Arts degree in Canadian and Indigenous Studies from Trent University; a Master of Philosophy degree in Criminal Justice from Walden University; and a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) from the University of Guelph. Chief (Ret) La Barge is the Co-Chair of the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada Advisory Board, a member of the Universal Peace Federation, and a member of the Intercultural Dialogue Institute GTA Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Senate and past Chair of the St. John Council for Ontario and past Chair of Special Olympics Ontario and the Uxbridge Library Board. Chief (Ret) La Barge’s second three‐year term on the Trent University Board began July 1, 2018. After his term as Vice-Chair for the 2018-19 term, Chief (Ret) La Barge was appointed Chair of the Board of Governors, for a two-year term that commenced July 1, 2019.
Armand joins the CopDoc Podcast on May 24, 2021.