Treaty 3 Police force building new headquarters in Kenora
From http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/story.php?id=248362
Treaty 3 Police turn sod on new headquarters
By Mike Aiken, Miner and News
Tuesday August 15, 2006
Treaty 3 Grand Chief Arnold Gardner called it a great day for nation building, as he helped break ground on a new police headquarters Monday.
Joined by the chief of police, Brian Rupert, Gardner said it would be good for the morale of the service.
“We’re going ahead with something that’s really needed,” he said Monday.
At present, about 40 officers are sharing the Kenora OPP detachment with their provincial colleagues, which measures only 54 square metres (600 sq. ft.) .
“They’ve been patient, and so have the OPP,” Rupert said, referring to his officers.
The 75-member force was created just over three years ago, and its membership is roughly three-quarters aboriginal. It was designed to fulfill the recommendations of numerous reports calling for an increased presence of First Nations officers in law enforcement.
Police board chairman Joe Red Thunderboy said financing for the project had already been approved by the banks. He estimated the total cost would be about $5.5 million for the 1,400 sq. ft. (126 square metre) building, and he hoped it would be completed within a year.
Located on Homestake Road, across Round Lake from the Treaty 3 administrative offices, the new headquarters will include holding cells and briefing rooms, which will make it easier for officers on patrol to do their work, Rupert said. It will also help senior officers stay in touch with their rank and file, he added.
According to the federal government, there are now 319 aboriginal communities in Canada with dedicated police services, and they employ close to 1,000 police officers, most of whom are of aboriginal descent.
Records kept by Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada say there are single community services, such as at Six Nations where there is a population of 10,000, as well as multi-community agreements, such as in Nishnawbe-Aski, which serves 44 communities.