Flying North – Final of a 3-part series

October 13, 2021

Part One: Policing the Frontier
Part Two: Bootleggers, Car Chases and Safecrackers

This article was done in partnership with the Lac du Bonnet & District Historical Society. It appeared in the October 14, 2021 edition of the Lac du Bonnet Clipper. 

By the 1980s, the duties of the Lac du Bonnet RCMP were as vast and varied as the territory they covered. Having outgrown their space on Lake Avenue ten years earlier, new detachment quarters were built on the corner of Minnewawa Street and Leslie Avenue. The fourteen officers based out of this “nondescript office” patrolled the village and its surrounding areas, and conducted routine northern patrols in a “large area north of Bissett,” only accessible by air, summer water routes or winter road, which included the communities of Berens River, Bloodvein, Poplar River and Little Grand Rapids, with day trips made into Pauingassi.

Each week, for two to three days at a time, six officers flew out of the Lac du Bonnet airport to these northern communities. The RCMP Twin Otter hauled passengers and detachment supplies to the short gravel runways. At times, they chartered Whiteshell Air Service’s twin-engine Beechcraft and the Otter or Beaver, on floats or skis.

The officers were often met at the airstrip by band constables “hired to assist the RCMP with the policing of the community.” They opened files and took complaints. The Lac du Bonnet detachment was contacted immediately for serious incidents, like assault or murder, otherwise the investigation began when officers were on regular patrol. Crimes relating to bootleg liquor were common. In the north, the police were viewed as helpers, often “asked to carry information and news from one place to another, to do favours and assist people with day to day problems.”

The quiet of the north, comforting to some and frightening for others, was filled with “work, visiting and television via satellite dish.” The officers were also responsible for the maintenance of their residence and office trailers, doing everything from general housekeeping to fixing frozen pipes or broken hinges and small carpentry or electrical jobs. They even built their own dock at Little Grand Rapids for easier summer boat access.

During the winter, the workload for the Lac du Bonnet detachment was “60 percent north, 40 percent south.” With increased traffic on winter roads, officers regularly drove the “long and arduous” routes from the south and between communities checking for stranded motorists, drunken drivers and speeding. In summer, those numbers were reversed, with time spent on welfare checks of adventurers and search and rescue in the north.

While in Lac du Bonnet, officers worked day or night shifts, patrolling the village and surrounding areas and investigating complaints ranging from traffic violations to assault and theft.

In August 1984, a new detachment opened on Fifth Street, located just off highway 11. The building was designed to meet the specific needs of the officers and the community. It remains in use today.

By 2000, as part of a province-wide consolidation, the Whitemouth and Pinawa detachments merged with Lac du Bonnet. The seven members who “served as fly-in officers” to northern communities were moved to Selkirk. The remaining officers were left to patrol a large area containing Gem Lake in the north, St. Rita in the south and as far east as the Ontario border.

The RCMP have a 102 year history in Lac du Bonnet. They uphold the legacy of the early MPP and RNWMP officers who worked to bring law and order to this village on the fringes of civilization, while continuing to keep our community safe.

References:

Patrick Madden, Sgt. (RCMP Retired), FRCGS

Mark Gaillard, RCMP Historian with the RCMP Heritage Branch

Town of Lac du Bonnet Archives, Plan 8012

“A Brief History of the RCMP in LdB.” Springfield Leader (Lac du Bonnet, MB), March 27, 1973.

Noreen Ostash. “Why do we need 14 policemen?” The Leader (Lac du Bonnet, MB), April 19, 1983.

Noreen Ostash. “The personnel.” The Leader, April 26, 1983.

Noreen Ostash. “RCMP northern patrol different from the south” The Leader, May 3, 1983.

Noreen Ostash. “The police dog plays a vital role.” The Leader, May 10, 1983.  

Noreen Ostash. “LdB detachment covers vast area.” The Leader, May 17, 1983.  

Noreen Ostash. “300 attend RCMP open house.” The Leader, July 3, 1984.

“Opening Ceremonies this Wednesday for RCMP buildings.” The Leader, August 28, 1984.

Donna Delaurier. “Public Concern No. 1.” Lac du Bonnet Leader, October 18, 2004.