SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Bringing experience and a touch of Labrador with him, Supt. Wade Blake was sworn in as the commanding officer of the RCMP's G division last week.

Supt. Wade Blake was sworn in as the territories' top police officer on March 11. - Jeanne Gagnon/NNSL photo

The 29-year veteran of the force said he jumped at the chance to come to Yellowknife as he was looking for opportunities to work in the North, which are "few and far between" higher up the ranks.

"It wasn't a huge leap for me to come to Yellowknife. As a matter of fact, Yellowknife has way more amenities than Goose Bay did," said Blake.

"I like Yellowknife. I have kind of a comfort level already. Coming out of Edmonton, it's frantic there … Here, it's just a bit of a slower pace. People cross the road wherever they feel like it. Traffic doesn't move very fast. When you talk to people, they're friendly. I just like what I see so far."

Originally from Goose Bay, N.L., Blake first worked in British Columbia, where he spent nine years, after becoming a Mountie in 1980. He then worked three years in Fort Smith before heading back to Newfoundland. During those nine years in the province, Blake started moving up the ranks of the RCMP. He then transferred to Nova Scotia.

Promoted to inspector in 2004, Blake headed the Spruce Grove-Stony Plain, Alta. RCMP detachment for four years before spending 18 months in the division's headquarters in Edmonton where he was promoted to superintendant. He then took the position in Yellowknife. This May, Blake will celebrate 30 years with the RCMP.

He said he doesn't plan any changes in his first couple of months as he wants to first see how things are working.

"I don't want to change anything that's working well but if I see things that need a little fixing or tweaking, that's when I'll make my move to change a few things," he said.

He added ensuring the RCMP works well with the territorial government and community partners is very important as community safety is his main priority.

"I want to insure that we're working well with the territorial government. I want to make sure that we have the right resources within our communities to provide that safety for the community and safety for our members as well," he said.

The RCMP's G division covers the Northwest Territories with 20 detachments, including Yellowknife.