Over the past three years, the Prince Albert Grand Council has been undertaking a policing feasibility study.
The goal of the study is to determine what PAGC communities will need to do to establish their own police force.
Throughout the process, the Grand Council has been holding engagement sessions with communities to hear ideas from members and to communicate information already gathered.
This week in Saskatoon is the final of those engagement sessions.
PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte called the feasibility study a “road map” and says there is a lot of work to do moving forward.
“This roadmap, leaders, chiefs, counsellors, community members, it’s not to scare you,” said Hardlotte in his opening address. “It is a lot of work. It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s absolutely doable. We can do it.”
Grand Chief Hardlotte believes the number one challenge in launching any First Nations police service is funding. He says they would need financial support from all levels of government for any police service to be viable.
Hardlotte also made reference to the File Hills First Nations Police Service as the only Indigenous police force in the province. He says many of that police service’s officers are people who grew up on their communities. The grand chief encouraged teachers and guidance counsellors in PAGC schools to foster interest in law enforcement careers among young Indigenous people.
PAGC Vice-Chief Joseph Tsannie says the mandate for a possible PAGC police service goes back nearly a decade as PAGC chiefs mandated the organization on the matter in 2017. Tsannie says it was clear something needed to be done.
“We had to change the story in our communities because it wasn’t changing, things were only getting more challenging,” said Tsannie. “So 2017, we got the mandate from our chiefs, from all of our First Nations, we got the okay to do this. So this is yours.”
“The vision we have is so huge,” he added.
The final study will be presented to PAGC chiefs in March, at which point, chiefs will decide on the proper path forward.
(TOP PHOTO – PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte speaks at a policing feasibility study engagement session in Saskatoon. Photo by Joel Willick)