A member of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation was honoured by the RCMP earlier this week.

Jarod Nelson received a commendation from Saskatchewan RCMP’s commanding officer at the Woodland Cree Gathering in Montreal Lake on Monday.

According to the RCMP, Jarod received the commendation after he helped assist the RCMP in a successful search and rescue near the community in March.

“Jarod tracked the fellow for approximately nine kilometres at night in around three feet of snow,” said Saskatchewan’s RCMP Awards Manager, Richard Dolinski. “We felt that if it wasn’t for the tenacity of Jarod the individual would have perished out there in the bush.”

With the transient nature of several RCMP officer postings, Dolinski says having community members willing to help out is very beneficial.

“The RCMP truly appreciate the partnerships within the communities and in this case it truly turned out to be a lifesaving endeavor.”

Jarod is the first civilian to receive this award in Saskatchewan in several years.