APRIL 2016, Volume #7 Issue #04
EASTER EGG HUNT
On March 26th, Cst. Andrew Brock
and Monty the Safety Bear ‘hopped’
down to Dunvegan Gardens to
participate in the annual Easter
Egg Hunt.
When Monty wasn’t busy giving out
free hugs, taking photos with the
hundreds of kids, or dancing up a
storm, he was a master at helping
the kids find Easter eggs left by the
Easter Bunny. Monty and Cst. Brock
searched through the straw along
side the children seeking out surprise
eggs of their own. As it turns out
Monty wasn’t as fast as most of the
eager kiddies, however as a team,
Cst. Brock and Monty were able to
spot an egg or two.
Both Cst. Brock and Monty had
a great time and they are still
wondering who had more fun, the
children or themselves.
In This Issue
THE ROYAL CANADIAN
MOUNTED POLICE
Wood Buffalo Detachment
Fort McMurray, AB
1 Easter Egg Hunt
2Cst. Jestings Receives
Commendation Award
2Cpl. Cameron Honored at Pakistan
Day Event
3Rural Schools keep their ‘WITS’
about them
3Is your child buckled in correctly?
4A Race Against Discrimination
4‘Sporting’ the Red Serge at
Sporting Events
4 W
elcome Cst. Britton
5Municipal Law Enforcement
Visits Conklin
5 Bullying – Be Smart, Don’t Start
6Janvier Cadets Field Trip
6Monty Curls for Kids!
6Cst. Hillard Receives Award
Royal Canadian
Mounted Police
CST. JESTINGS RECEIVES COMMENDATION AWARD
Wood Buffalo RCMP’s own
Cst. Krysta Jestings was the
recipient of the Commissioner’s
Commendation Award for
Bravery. The award was
presented to Cst. Jestings
by RCMP Commissioner Bob
Paulson at a ceremony held
at RCMP K Division
Headquarters in Edmonton
on March 30, 2016.
On December 14, 2009,
Cst. Jestings risked her life
to rescue a woman who had
fallen through river ice 125
metres from shore near God’s
Lake Narrows, Manitoba. When
the rescue attempts of the
four attending RCMP officers
and the local fire department
proved unsuccessful, Cst.
Jestings donned a wet suit,
set out in a floatation device,
with a canoe paddle and a
firefighting tool onto thin ice to
the location where the woman
was last seen. There she found
the woman partially submersed
in the freezing water. With
temperatures in the minus
35-40 degrees Celsius range,
a wet and weary Cst. Jestings
found the strength to pull
the woman out of the river
and held onto her as other
members pulled both Cst.
Jestings and the woman back
to shore. Both were taken to a
nursing station. Sadly, efforts
to revive the woman were
unsuccessful.
Cst. Jestings has been with
the RCMP since 2006 and was
posted to Wood Buffalo RCMP
Detachment in 2013. Wood
Buffalo RCMP is proud to have
Cst. Jestings serving in Fort
McMurray and congratulates
her on this much deserved
award. Well done Krysta!
CPL. CAMERON HONORED AT PAKISTAN DAY EVENT
On March 26th the annual Pakistani Resolution Day event
was held at the Golden Years Society and Wood Buffalo
RCMP’s own, Insp. Lorna Dicks, was honored to attend
on behalf of the Wood Buffalo detachment. Pakistani
Resolution Day is a national holiday in Pakistan to
commemorate the Lahore Resolution of March 23, 1940
and the adoption of the first constitution of Pakistan. The
event was held to celebrate the Pakistani culture and to
honor the individuals who made this possible.
Cpl. George Cameron of the Wood Buffalo RCMP
was honored at this event. Although he was unable to
attend the evening’s festivities, Insp. Dicks accepted a
certificate of appreciation on his behalf. Cpl. Cameron
was recognized for his involvement with the South Asian
community and his cultural sensitivity in times of need.
Supt. Rob McCloy presented Cpl. Cameron with his
certificate the following week and thanked him for his
continued support.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo boasts one
of the largest diverse communities in Canada. The
Strategic Framework of the RCMP includes Community
Policing along with Canadian Culture and Heritage.
Wood Buffalo RCMP will continue to support multi2
cultural events and celebrations such as Pakistan Day to
enhance partnerships is our communities.
www.woodbuffalorcmp.ca
RURAL SCHOOLS KEEP THEIR
‘WITS’ ABOUT THEM
Seek help
both schools for a special
swearing in ceremony where
the students were sworn in
as special WITS constables.
The ceremony began with
the reading of the story of
Walrus’ gift, which deals
with a student who has
been left-out and teased at
school. Following the story,
the special constables are
taught to stand at attention,
salute, learn the secret
handshake and password
and then recite the oath;
The program has recently
been launched at the
schools in Fort McKay and
Janvier. Members attended
“I promise to use my WITS,
to walk away, ignore, talk
it out and seek help when
I’m dealing with teasing and
‘WITS’ is an anti-bullying
program designed to
provide kids with skills
to deal with teasing and
bullying in their school
and community as well
as providing violence
prevention programs.
The WITS skills
taught are:
Walk away
Ignore
Talk it out
bullying. I promise to also
help other kids use their
WITS to keep my school and
my community a safe and
fun place to be and learn.”
Wood Buffalo RCMP
members will continue to
visit these schools to assist
with the WITS program to
help the youth build on the
skills they have learned.
The program is expected to
launch in Fort Chipewyan
within the next couple
of months with the goal
of getting the program
into the schools in Fort
McMurray in the upcoming
school year.
IS YOUR CHILD BUCKLED IN…CORRECTLY?
On March 23rd, Alberta Sheriffs along
with RCMP members from both the
Municipal and Integrated Traffic Units
teamed up with Safe Community
Wood Buffalo and held a child seat
safety check stop. The purpose of
the event was to remind motorists
about the importance of child safety
restraints and how to properly install
them in vehicles.
All child passengers are safest when
secured in proper restraints based
on their age, height and weight.
Restraints are also most effective
when used according to
the restraint and vehicle
manufacturer’s instructions.
The following fines may be applied;
With a record number of babies being
born in the Regional Municipality
of Wood Buffalo each year, there
is a need to continuously educate
residents on car seat safety and this
is exactly what the team from Safe
Community Wood Buffalo hopes
to do.
1.Drive/operate MV w/child weighing
18 kg or less as passenger if MV not
equipped w/child restraint system $155.00
2.Drive/operate MV w/passenger
who is a child weighing 18 kg or less
if child restraint system not properly
installed - $155.00
www.woodbuffalorcmp.ca
3.Child weighing 18 kg or less not
properly secured in child restraint
system - $155.00
4.Drive/operate MV if a passenger
who is a child between 6 and 16 years
of age/weighing < 18 kg not wearing
seat belt - $155.00
Furthermore, to meet the needs of
our every growing community, Safe
Community Wood Buffalo has been
offering free monthly information
sessions, facilitated by a certified
Child Seat Technician. These sessions
are offered to parents and caregivers
and provide information on how
to ensure your child safety seat is
installed correctly and that your child
is properly secured in that seat. These
sessions also provide information
about the law in Alberta as it pertains
to the use of child safety seats. For
more information or to register for an
information session, please contact
St. John Ambulance at 780-743-0991.
3
A RACE AGAINST DISCRIMINATION
On March 21st the Multicultural
Association of Wood Buffalo hosted the
International Day for the Elimination
of Racial Discrimination Gala. Over the
past few months, the youth of Wood
Buffalo were given the opportunity to
tackle RACISM through art in the annual
interschool competition; the Gala was
held to showcase the beautiful artwork
created by the students in their fight
against racism.
Superintendent Rob McCloy and Cst.
Annie-Claude Napoleon of the Wood
Buffalo RCMP along with Mayor Melissa
Blake and other distinguished guests
were invited to attend the gala to
present awards to the creators of the
amazing pieces. The interest in the
fight against racism could be felt in the
packed art room at MacDonald Island
Park’s Art Gallery. It was a beautiful, well
attended event that demonstrated the
commitment of our local youth towards
an important social problem. Anyone can
make a difference!
‘SPORTING’ THE RED SERGE AT SPORTING EVENTS
Members of the Wood Buffalo
Detachment have been busy
over the past few weeks
participating in opening and
closing ceremonies for sporting
events in Fort McMurray
and Edmonton.
Cst. Brock and Cst. Scott were
invited to attend the closing
ceremony of the 2016 CCAA
Men’s basketball Canadian
Championships at Keyano
College on March 19th to present
the winners, NAIT Ooks, with the
National Championship plaque
at the end of the ceremony.
Later in the month, Cst. Brock
attended the International U18
Curling Championships held
in Edmonton at the Jasper
Place Curling Club. The U18
championships hosted teams
from across Canada, the United
States, and Japan. Cst. Brock,
along with Cst. Whittington from
Sherwood Park Detachment,
were honored to attend such
an event as flag bearers for the
opening ceremonies.
Photo: Optimist U18 International Curling Championships
WELCOME CST. BRITTON
The Wood Buffalo Community Policing
Unit would like to welcome its newest
member, Cst. Paul Britton, to the
team. Cst. Britton joined the unit to fill
the ‘Youth Officer’ position alongside
Cst. Brock.
Cst. Britton has been a regular member of
the RCMP for almost seven years. Prior to
joining the RCMP he worked as a Border
Services Officer in Emerson, Manitoba
for five years. Cst. Britton has been with
the Wood Buffalo Detachment for two
and a half years and has done Municipal
Traffic Enforcement and General Duty
policing. Before transferring to the Wood
Buffalo Detachment he was posted to
St. Paul, AB where he also did general
4
duty policing. The highlights of his career
here in Wood Buffalo so far have been
successfully investigating several motor
vehicle collisions, assisting the Wood
Buffalo Drug Unit with several significant
drug seizures and assisting with the
training and mentoring of a new member.
When not on duty. Cst. Britton likes to
keep fit by attending the local Crossfit
Gym and running.
Cst. Britton is looking forward to his
new role in Community Policing and will
be focusing on engaging youth of the
community in a positive manor through
education and empowerment; he will also
liaise with the schools to promote crime
prevention initiatives.
www.woodbuffalorcmp.ca
MUNICIPAL LAW ENFORCEMENT VISITS CONKLIN
February 29th Municipal Law Enforcement’s
Peace Officers, Brittany Boutilier and Verity
Dace, visited Conklin Community School to
educate kindergarten to grade nine students
on how to properly care for their companion
animals. Students interacted with stories about
their pets and learned about why it’s beneficial
to always have a collar and tag on their animal
at all times. The staff and students look forward
to Municipal Law Enforcement’s Animal Control
Officers attending again in the future.
BULLYING – BE SMART, DON’T START
This year’s Pink Shirt Day was held on February 24th,
but due to school being out for winter break, several
local schools celebrated the National Anti-Bullying day in
March. Members of the Wood Buffalo Community Policing
Unit along with some Auxiliary members attended
some of these schools and spoke with students about
the harmful effects of bullying and more specifically,
cyberbullying, while also providing tools to prevent and
deal with this common issue.
Myth: Children grow out of bullying
Bullying is defined as a pattern of aggressive behavior
meant to hurt or cause discomfort to another person.
There are 4 main types of Bullying which include:
Fact: Maybe it will make things worse for the bully, but
not for you. If you are being bullied, report it to a trusted
adult. You can help yourself and someone else who is
a victim.
1.Physical: a person is harmed or their property damaged
2.Verbal: a person’s feelings are hurt through insults and
name-calling
3.Social: a person is shunned or excluded from groups
and events
4.Cyber: using the internet or text messaging to
intimidate, put-down, spread rumors or make fun
of someone
Myth: Bullying does not cause any serious harm
Fact: Bullying is associated with a range of physical and
mental health problems, as well as suicide, educational
problems, antisocial problems and relationship problems.
Fact: Without intervention, a significant proportion
of youth who bully others in childhood will continue
to use their power negatively throughout adolescence
and into adulthood. The nature of bullying changes as
children mature.
Myth: Reporting bullying will only make the
problem worse
Myth: People are born bullies
Fact: Bullying is a learned behavior and behaviors can
be changed.
Myth: Bullying isn’t a big deal; it’s just kids being kids
Fact: Contrary to popular belief, bullying is not a normal
part of growing up. And it’s a big deal. Bullying can have
serious consequences. Aside from affecting the target’s
academic performance, mental health and physical wellbeing, bullying also can lead to suicide. What’s more,
some of the emotional scars from bullying can last a
lifetime. Studies have shown that adults who were
bullied as kids often have lower self-esteem and struggle
with depression.
Myth: My children would tell me if they were
being bullied
Fact: Unfortunately, research shows that kids often keep
silent about bullying. While there are a number of reasons
why kids don’t tell, most of the time they are either too
embarrassed to talk about it or too worried that the
situation will get worse.
Be aware, be a part of the solution, stand-up to bullying
and put an end to the cycle!
www.woodbuffalorcmp.ca
JANVIER CADETS FIELD TRIP
The cadets from the Janvier Dene Cadet program took a
break from drill this week and traveled to Fort McMurray
for a day of fun at MacDonald Island Park. Cst. Brock and
Cst. Britton hung up their duty belts for the day and took
advantage of some fun with the cadets. The cadets spent
the morning swimming, enjoyed lunch, and then spent the
afternoon rock climbing. Most of the cadets had never been
rock climbing before and had a blast doing it with some of
them climbing for 2 hours straight. Even Cst. Brock and Cst.
Britton got in on the rock climbing fun with the cadets. The
group spent the last hour of their visit to MacDonald Island
in the library hearing the history of the Dene people from
one of Wood Buffalo’s local elders.
MONTY CURLS FOR KIDS!
Wood Buffalo Community
Policing members along with
Auxiliary Constables Priala and
Sokoloski attended the Big
Brothers/Big Sisters Curl for
Kids Sake at MacDonald Island
Park on March 13th.
While at the event, Monty the
Safety Bear met up with a few
of his fellow mascot friends. He
spent the day interacting with
attendees, handing out some
goodies and posing for lots
of photos. The members and
Monty took advantage of the
ice time and threw a few rocks
themselves, some for the very
first time. It was obvious that the
members were not pros at the
sport but the friendly folks from
the Fort McMurray Oil Sands
Curling Club took some time to
teach the members some good
beginner tips.
As always, Curl for Kids Sake is
a great event for the community
with funds going to support
a worthwhile cause. The
Community Policing unit looks
forward to attending again
next year.
CST. HILLARD RECEIVES AWARD
Recently Cst. Sam Hillard of
Wood Buffalo RCMP Municipal
Traffic Services received the ‘Cpl.
Cumming’s Watch’ award. The
award, presented by MADD Canada,
in partnership with the RCMP and
Alberta Transportation, recognizes
and honours police officers for their
6
work in detecting and removing
impaired drivers from Alberta’s
roadways. The award was presented
to Cst. Hillard by Cpl. Ian Campbell,
Wood Buffalo RCMP Municipal Traffic
Unit Commander.
Cpl. Graeme Cumming of the
Lethbridge RCMP Detachment, was
killed on August 12, 1998 by an
impaired driver while attending a
traffic incident. In 2015, the RCMP
and Alberta Transportation launched
the ‘Cpl. Cumming’s Watch’ to
www.woodbuffalorcmp.ca
honour his memory and to support
and recognize front-line RCMP and
municipal officers in their efforts to
reduce deaths and injuries caused by
impaired drivers.
Cst. Hilliard received a certificate of
recognition and a Silver Challenge
Coin for charging between 15 and 24
impaired drivers in 2015.
Congratulations to Cst. Hillard for
your dedication and commitment in
keeping our roadways safer.