INNISFAIL – Town council received its first full presentation from the local RCMP last week since the October general municipal election and elected members were charmed with welcomed goodwill from the Mounties’ commanding officer.
Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk gave a 20-minute presentation at town council’s Agenda & Priorities meeting on Jan. 4. The presentation ended with a certificate of appreciation passed on to council and the town.
“We thrive on support we get from the community. It feeds into our annual performance plan and that is to build and maintain a positive relationship, and that was the reason and focus for it,” said Matechuk, who praised the contribution of the Innisfail Policing & Safe Community Committee, which was created in 2019 to function as a citizen-based advisory body on crime prevention issues. “They have the right people on the committee who do care about the community, and it’s going very well.
“It was a building process starting from scratch, so every year we kind of enhance it, and every year it is getting better and helping us a lot, especially in the area of communication with council and the community at large,” added Matechuk, noting the committee has a new chairperson in Joy Milne. Sue Haddow, the committee’s past chairperson, is remaining as a member.
“Sue Haddow did a wonderful job,” he said.
Mayor Jean Barclay, who accepted the certificate on behalf of council and the community, said it was a “nice” gesture, noting the town has had an “excellent relationship” with the RCMP.
“I think this (certificate) is just an appreciation from the RCMP of the relationship we do have and we hope that continues going forward,” said Barclay.
Matechuk began his 20-minute presentation by telling elected members he had more than 30 years of RCMP service, which included being the Innisfail detachment commander since June of 2012.
Council heard he had prior postings in Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House, and the police force’s emergency response team.
He told council his detachment now has 18 sworn police officers, including 10 who are paid for by the Town of Innisfail and eight who are provincially funded.
Matechuk said the detachment also has six administration support staff, with three being funded by the town and the others by the province.
He also noted his office is served by other grant-funded personnel and volunteers, including those supporting Innisfail and District Victim Services.
Matechuk said the detachment is also the home for the Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU), a team comprised of six police officers from the RCMP, four peace officers from the Alberta Sheriff Highway Patrol and one support staff member.
Council was told the local detachment’s coverage area is the Town of Innisfail and the surrounding area. This includes the Town of Penhold, Bowden Institution, Dickson, Spruce View, the Pine Lake and Gleniffer Lake areas, and other rural communities within Red Deer County.
Matechuk told council the detachment develops an annual performance plan, with the fiscal year running from April 1 to March 31. He said the goal is to mobilize community involvement to help identify the town’s crime prevention priorities.
Matechuk noted last year there were a trio of initiatives, including crime reduction, youth engagement and building positive relationships with the community itself.
He proudly told council the local detachment continues to co-host an annual barbecue with victim services. The detachment also recently hosted its 25th annual Charity Check Stop that raised a record-setting total of more than $18,000, along with truckloads of toys and food, for the town’s needy and vulnerable citizens during the holiday season.
“Comparatively speaking to other communities, Innisfail blew everyone else out of the water, doubled some of the other amounts raised in other communities,” said Matechuk, noting the event also supported four local charities.
“The generosity always amazes me, with people throwing in several one-hundred dollar bills, fifties and cheques and large amounts of money. It was very impressive.”
