Building bridges between all communities
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/68073
JUNE 2012 • PAGE 9 Feast of memories Chief Keith McCaskill Winnipeg Police Service Springhill Lumber is committed to providing quality products and services for all of your building needs. Builders such as Greentree Homes, as well as contractors and tradepersons can take advantage of our competitive pricing, along with estimating and design services provided by our seasoned sales and service personnel. Our aim is to expand our business by helping clients such as Greentree Homes grow their business. Phone: 204-661-1055 Fax: 204-668-4511 1820 DeVries Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R2G 3S8 I have seen and done a lot of things in my 30+ year career in policing. One thing I have learned is that you cannot remember it all, but there are certain events that you cannot forget. The District 3 Spring Feast is one of those events that will always stick with me. That hit home on April 18th as my wife Grace and I at- tended this event for the last time in my official capacity as Chief of Police. I have written about this event in the past, but I felt compelled to revisit this topic. As you may know I have announced my retirement which is planned for later this year. With that, comes a time of reflection. Each year our members, alongside mem- bers of the of the CP Rail police, RCMP and this year Treaty 3 Police, prepare and serve a feast for the community. There is always a great drum group, young dancers and tradi- tional singers which I love to see. More than that, it is about and for the peo- ple. That is why this event will always stick with me. I think about Sergeant Susan Swan who chose to attend this year's event as she wanted it to be her last official duty with the Service. Like me, she is retiring, and on April 18th she chose to end her career honoring the community by serving this Feast. I think of Constable Scott Wiley who is also moving on to working in our Missing Persons Unit. He is the officer who started and has sus- tained our Community Cadet Corps program. I know this program keeps many of your young- sters busy after school and on weekends. I think of Patrol Sergeant Cecil Sveinson who has moved on as our Aboriginal Liaison Officer. He will be missed by many of the groups that have come to draw upon him as a contact within the police service. The good news is that he is back policing the streets of Winnipeg, where I know he will impart all he has learned with the young officers that will be under his command. I should also note we have three new fac- es working in our Diversity Relations Section (http://www.winnipeg.ca/police/Diversity/): • Patrol Sergeant Edith Turner who won our James Toal Award this year. The James Toal Award of Excellence is awarded to a Winni- peg Police Officer who has made a signifi- cant contribution to his/her community, his/ her Police Service; and law enforcement in general. • Constable Rose Ledoux who worked so long and hard in the School Resource Officer program (specifically at Children of the Earth School); and, • Constable Stacy Wyntick who comes to the team after working in the Missing Per- sons Unit. Speaking of familiar faces – and perhaps most importantly for me – I think of the familiar faces I would see at the Spring Feast every year. There is a group of students who attended Children of the Earth School who, during my first year as Chief of Police approached me about having their picture taken with me. One young woman who I would see at the Feast every year after that made a point of having that photo taken each year and I was happy to oblige. I think of Dennis White Bird, who was the Commissioner of the Treaty Relations Com- mission of Manitoba at the time and joined me at the Feast in 2009 to sign a Treaty People accord. I was so glad he made that opportu- nity available to us as it was a good learning and awareness opportunity for our members to learn a little more about Treaty Rights. I think of former Grand Chief Ron Evans who also attended the Feast in the past. He is a strong leader who I was proud to forge a great relationship with. I think of Grand Chief David Harper who at- tended this year's Feast. He gave me a beauti- ful drum head at the Feast to mark my retire- ment. I will cherish it for years to come. I think of the skills he brings to the table and I have high hopes for his role in furthering police and aboriginal. Last but certainly not least, I think about a youngster named Raven, whom I met at a Feast I attended back in 2003. He was part of Sgt. Bonnie Emerson's youth group at the time. I was the Inspector of District 3 (North End) and Raven presented me with a dream catcher. A photographer from the Winnipeg Sun captured the moment. I still have that pic- ture. I think of Rob Young. He was a police of- ficer with the Winnipeg Police for a number of years before moving on to join Treaty 3 Police. Having been involved in the Feast in the past, I was inspired to see that he has brought this tradition to Treaty 3 Police and that they took part in this event. There have been so many connections made at the Friendship Centre. The Feast is an inspiring event, filled with many inspiring people from all walks of life. I have named but a few of them in this article. There are many more to be sure who will also stick in my memories as I leave my current job. Happy National Aboriginal Day! From all of us at Proud to be working with Greentree Homes www.springhilllumber.com