MFNPS leaving residential school behind

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service is undergoing a symbolic change this year at the time of Truth and Reconciliation Day.

The police service is preparing to move out of a former residential school, at 5000 Crescent Rd. near Portage la Prairie. The Indigenous-focused police service is moving into a newly constructed, urban build in Brandon at the Waywayseecappo Conference Centre.

The move may be timely and symbolic, but changes run deeper than a relocation. The MFNPS is having better dialogue with governments, which are providing more funding, MFNPS Chief Jason Colon said in an interview this week.

“They have been working with us at a rate we haven’t seen,” said Colon from the construction site of the new headquarters. “We’re moving in the right direction, which I think is a real positive.”

The empowerment of the MFNPS has meant a few things, Colon said. There’s a growing staff roll, new communities signing up to be policed by the MFNPS and increasing efforts to honour customs.

The MFNPS sets out to respect traditions and customs as it polices, and so the growing support for the police service means growing integration of customs and traditions into Indigenous policing across Manitoba.

Fishing trips, baseball games, and archery events have become one example in the last year of MFNPS’s strategies to connect police with communities.

Now that mission is growing as the MFNPS gains funding and a growing voice in the future of its operations, Insp. Darryl Hunter told the Sun.

“Coming up in my career, those were the things I tried to do,” Hunter said.

“Stuff like that sits with me because I remember those things growing up.”

When Hunter was a child, a former Dakota Ojibway Police Service officer visited his home from time to time. The experience can be transformational for youth when they see an officer in their community sharing their interests and setting a good example, he said.

The MFNPS is also setting up a new educational program for its staff members and continues to make new relationships with elders from each community for parts of its training, said Colon.

The biggest result in the last two years, however, has been physical growth. Better funding from provincial and federal governments has helped the MFNPS increase the number of sworn officers from 56 to 106, and the number of communities that signed on to use the MFNPS service will have grown to 12 by the end of next month.

The newest community, Fisher River Cree Nation, is slated to have its policing services transferred from RCMP to MFNPS at the end of October.

David Crate, the chief of Fisher River, told the Sun this week that safety and security were top priorities. The community wanted to have police residing on the First Nation, which he is happy to see will be a focus of the MFNPS.

“We are looking forward to the members that will be living in our community,” he said. “Just having that presence makes everybody feel a lot more relaxed.”

One officer is expected to be from Fisher River, he said. The person is currently undergoing training and is expected to graduate from the MFNPS internal program and come back to the area.

“I understand the police service is going to be placing them here in the community, which is really, really good,” Crate said.

Familiarity will increase trust in the community, he said. The detachment leader will also come from a well-known family in a neighbouring community, he said.

Crate gave credit to the province and the federal government for throwing support behind the upcoming MFNPS detachment. He said the community had been advocating for more police presence for more than 10 years.

As chief of the police service, Colon said community relationships are part of the model. The focus on having detachments inside communities means that the MFNPS can police more sensitively to the needs, cultures and traditions of the area.

Fisher River is the most recent community to join MFNPS, but chances are it won’t be the last. Growth is expected to continue, with more recruits coming out of the MFNPS training program and more support from a variety of groups in Manitoba.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe describes the MFNPS as “role models for youth in their communities, working hard every day to keep people safe.” Describing the provincial government’s recent investment in the police service, Wiebe said the 2025 budget brings $11.9 million in new funding for the MFNPS and First Nation Safety Officer program, in accordance with promises to back the service, which he sees as crucial.

“I will continue to support the MFNPS and ensure that more First Nations can benefit from their skill, professionalism and dedication to public safety,” Wiebe said in a written statement Friday.

The Southern Chiefs Organization said it supports the ongoing growth of the MFNPS and welcomes future detachments in new communities.

The SCO sees the MFNPS as the best policing model for First Nation communities based on cultural approaches and strategies, a spokesperson said in a statement.

The MFNPS currently serves 11 First Nation communities in Manitoba, including Birdtail Sioux, Canupawakpa, Long Plain, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Roseau River, Sandy Bay, Swan Lake, Waywayseecappo, Brokenhead, Dakota Plains First Nation and Gambler First Nation.

The MFNPS will graduate its newest and biggest class in October, currently expected to be 21 sworn members. The members will disperse into communities in Manitoba, as another class of 21 members begins its training.

As the service grows, so does Manitoba see a commitment towards protecting and promoting Indigenous identity, Hunter said. The improving relationships are at the centre of this, and as they prepare to move into their new headquarters in Brandon, the future has a lot of opportunity.

“Very exciting times for us,” he said.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com