First Nations Voice

PAGE 6 • APRIL 2014 WINNIPEG POLICE SERVICES NEWEST DIVERSITY RELATIONS SECTION MEMBER Constable Dirk Creighton/WPS Community Relations Unit Becomeanintegral partofourteam! www.sherritt.com There are opportunities for: engineers - mechanical, mining, civil, environmental, along with technologists, journeymen electricians, heavy duty mechanics, welders, accountants, human resources, safety professionals, geologists, surveyors, heavy equipment operators, administrative personnel. To find out more about career/employment opportunities, please visit our website at: Stan Struthers MLAforDauphin 204-622-7630 StanStruthers.ca Frank Whitehead MLA for The Pas 204-623-3358 FrankWhitehead.ca Nancy Allan MLA for St. Vital 204-237-8771 NancyAllan.ca Ron Lemieux MLA for Dawson Trail 204-878-4644 Ron-Lemieux.ca Clarence Pettersen MLA for Flin Flon 204-687-3367 ClarencePettersen.ca Tom Nevakshonoff MLA for Interlake 204-664-2000 TomNevakshonoff.ca ProudlyStandingwith Manitoba'sFirstNationsFamilies I am honoured to be the newest member of the Community Relations Division. I will be working within the Diversity Relations Section starting this spring. I have been a police officer for 13 years. I began my journey with the Winnipeg Police on September 4, 2001. I worked my first five years in the Downtown area as a General Patrol officer. I enjoyed the heavy workload and often found myself in challenging situations that taught me valuable lessons. After five years in Division 11, I was transferred to Division 13. I spent one year as a General Patrol officer and the following two years as part of the Community Support Unit. I was transferred to the Arson Strike Force in Spring of 2011; there I worked as a detective for three years. I come from a family of first responders. My Grandfather was a Captain with the Winnipeg Fire Department. My father was a Police Officer with the Winnipeg Police Service, as were two of my retired uncles. I still have an uncle currently working as a Sergeant within the Winnipeg Police Service. Creighton – it doesn't really come to mind when you think of the Diversity Relations Section, does it? The Creighton family name is from the United Kingdom. The family clan came from the borderland between Scotland and England. For the past 100 or so years, most of the Creightons had been living in the confines of London. Many of the Creightons made their way across the Atlantic in the mid 1900s. My Grandfather's parents came to settle in Winnipeg in the early 1930s. As with any good story, that is only the half of it. My mother's maiden name is Pruden. My Uncle Pruden began to do an extensive investigation into our family's history. I took a keen interest in his work as I had many questions left unanswered. My uncle shared the complete family history with me when I was around 21 years old. Our family is Métis. He was proud to tell people and so am I. The Prudens have been living in our beautiful country for over 223 years. The first member of the Pruden family arrived in 1791 in York Factory as a 13 year old apprentice with the Hudson Bay Company. The maternal Pruden name is rooted in the Oxford House Community known today as Bunibonibee. So there you have the mystery behind my family name and my family history. I became a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation on March 21, 1997. I can still remember telling my friends about my new found ancestry. They had many questioned, like "what does it get you" or "why do you want it"? I explained to them that I wanted "to declare myself Métis, as it is part of who I am". I told them that I was not seeking to gain anything with my new found status – I was seeking out my identity. I have worked extensively during my career in many of the communities in Winnipeg with large urban Aboriginal populations. I have come to understand the many difficulties and challenges that our people face on a daily basis. I have worked with a number of community groups within these areas and I have met many great people who are working together to try to resolve the issues at hand. I know that we are headed in the right direction when it comes to making our neighbourhoods safer, providing a sense of community for our children and working together for the common good. A collaborative and diligent effort is required to resolve and achieve these goals. I look forward to meeting you and learning from you.

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