The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
After six years on the beat in Creighton and Denare Beach, Creighton RCMP Sgt. Mark LeMaistre is leaving his second home for his first. With his lateral transfer to Winnipeg having been accepted, he will leave in August to police the streets of his home city. "It was just, I guess, time to move on. The timing seemed right," said the 27-year veteran of the RCMP, who has spent his entire career in Saskatchewan. Sgt. LeMaistre looks forward to the new challenges that await in Winnipeg, a drastic change of scenery for an officer used to serving in small towns like Creighton. "I don't find the crime rate very high here," he said. "I find the young people quite respectful. Impaired driving is always going to be an issue, but it's not a big issue here. And I think Creighton and Flin Flon are quite closely knit. I find it almost like a family here." Asked about career highlights from his Creighton stint, Sgt. LeMaistre was quick to single out the new RCMP station, which opened in 2002 on Creighton Avenue. "We have improved entrances and public parking space at the new station," he commented. "We also have a higher profile. There were times when people drove by our old facility on Main Street and not realized that it was a police station." If Sgt. LeMaistre was going to be posted in a northern community, he was glad it was a place like Creighton. "We can handle the community with the resources we have here, but some of the northern communities are very much over-tasked, and I don't sense that here," he said. The Winnipeg transfer will admittedly be difficult for Sgt. LeMaistre, who immediately fell in love with the local area after his 1998 transfer to the Creighton detachment. "I love the outdoors here, as does my family," said the avid hunter, fisherman, snowmobiler, and camper. "We also like how friendly the people are in both Creighton and Flin Flon. They make you feel quite welcome." Sgt. LeMaistre graduated from the RCMP Training Academy in 1977, having left his studies at the University of Manitoba to pursue the dream of wearing a badge. Not one to leave unfinished business, he later completed his B.A. in Political Science at the University of Regina. See 'Plans' P.# Con't from P.# His motivation for joining the force was simple: "I enjoy working with people and helping solve problems." Sgt. LeMaistre plans to remain with the RCMP for another eight years, hoping to be promoted to staff sergeant or inspector before handing in his badge. Sgt. LeMaistre promises not to be a stranger to Flin Flon when he leaves. In fact, he is leaving his camper in town and plans to come back for summertime visits. While Sgt. LeMaistre leaves for his home town, his successor in Creighton, coincidentally, is also coming home. Sgt. Kevin Webber, a Creighton native, will transfer from Biggar, Saskatchewan, to become the new sergeant.
