INNISFAIL – On June 27, Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk appeared before town council to present his detachment’s multi-year financial plan.
While the document between the town and local RCMP is important to ensure adequate future funding for resources and equipment to support public and police officer safety, Matechuk’s presentation ended on a more sombre note.
It was his last time to appear before council in a Mountie uniform, a fact mayor Jean Barclay had fully known, and accepted with sadness.
“On behalf of council and administration we wish you the very best for your next career. You've done a fantastic job here in the community. I know everyone is going to miss you very much,” said Barclay.
Matechuk told Barclay and council it was “really tough leaving” but for him it was time to “move on.”
“Every four and a half years I've always moved on but I've stayed here for 10 and I kind of put down roots here and it really feels like home,” said Matechuk. “The support I got from the town and council over the years has been really been immense. It’s a really tough decision but I think it was time to move on and hopefully try something different but it’s tough leaving.”
The following week Matechuk was at his Innisfail detachment office for his last shifts. In a few weeks, he is will have his first working day in the private sector in almost 35 years. Newly arrived Innisfail RCMP Sgt. Ian Ihme will now lead the detachment.
Matechuk is now preparing to work in the Alberta oil sands. He accepted a position as regional security lead for ConocoPhillips at its Surmount bitumen recovery facility, located 63 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray. His first shift is July 17. Matechuk and his family’s primary residence will still be in Central Alberta.
“It is bittersweet,” said Matechuk of his RCMP retirement. “All good things come to an end. I have been with the mounted police for 34 years and they say change is good.”
Matechuk began his RCMP career in 1988. His first posting was with the Red Deer city RCMP detachment. It was a posting that offered a wide range of policing opportunities, including riding a motorcycle, and three years doing mountain bike duty.
He then joined the Emergency Response Team (ERT) for the next 20 years.
“It was great because a big part of that role is the concern for safety. When the Emergency Response Team gets called out there's potential for police officers to be in danger, and the community in danger,” said Matechuk. “So, safety was of utmost importance. We trained immensely and safety was a big part of it.
“In that role you are there to make sure you don’t get hurt, your teammates don’t get hurt and the public doesn’t get hurt,” he said, adding the lengthy ERT stint helped to create a beneficial transition to detachment commander.
“I'm responsible for all the members that work out of this building and the last thing I want to see is one of them getting hurt. My goal was to ensure everybody goes home and sees their family and doesn't get hurt at all.”
Matechuk left the ERT team three months after arriving in Innisfail in 2012. His previous posting had been at the Rocky Mountain House detachment but soon after arriving in Innisfail, he realized it was a community he wanted to serve for longer than the usual four to five-year Mountie rotation.
“The people make the community. They made me feel welcomed here, and everybody that comes into our community and leaves say the same thing,” said Matechuk, noting many detachment members choose to live in town and remain after their police service is completed.
“And then there is the Charity Check Stop - just the giving of this community has always surprised me, and how much volunteership and how much money is donated by the community. It has always amazed me.”
