Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Oct 11/02) - Inuvik's Royal Canadian Mounted Police turned out in their red serge and civilians donned their finest last Saturday for the RCMP Regimental Ball.

Edmonton TV and radio personality Bob Layton was the guest speaker for the ball. Here he wears a Doctor Seuss-esque hat for a poem he read comparing Canadian North to Southern airlines. - Terry Halifax/NNSL photo

The ball used to be a bi-annual event hosted by the RCMP one year and the fire department the next.

Staff Sgt. Mark Wharton said judging by the response to this ball, they hope to rekindle the old tradition for future years.

"It's very encouraging to see all the public support and how much the public enjoyed it," Wharton said. "We certainly don't want to wait this long for the next one."

Mayor Peter Clarkson made the toast to the force, followed by the reply from commanding officer for "G" Division, Supt. Everett Summerfield, who recalled that 100 years ago RCMP first settled on Herschel Island.

"It was then, the force made a commitment to the people of the North; a commitment we keep today," Summerfield said. "The members who have come to serve in the North are dedicated to serving the peoples in the communities they police."

"The call of the North is not something to answer, but for those who so answer, they are filled with a sense of adventure and a thirst for knowledge," he said.

The new members are quick to take advantage of travelling the routes of the original Mounties to Herschel Island, the route of the lost Patrol, and the path of the Mad Trapper, he said.

After 100 years of Northern policing, Summerfield said, the methods have changed, but the commitment is the same. With the focus now on prevention through drug and alcohol programs in schools, restorative and community-based justice, programs through partnering with communities are revolutionizing justice in the North, he said.

"We have come to respect and understand the culture and the way of life of the aboriginal people," he said.

"By gaining an insight into the peoples of the North, we are able to offer new and innovative ways of policing."

Guest speaker Bob Layton got some laughs from the crowd comparing Canadian North to Southern airlines.

"You people don't know what you have here," Layton mused. "On this airline they actually feed you."

"My wife just flew from Edmonton to Seattle and all she got was a bag of peanuts."

Layton also paid tribute to the auxiliary members.

"This is the most wonderful, selfless form of community service there is," Layton said.

"In Edmonton, we depend greatly on the volunteers and there are, quite literally, hundreds of them."

Wharton said the ball nearly sold out and over $5,000 was raised for equipment at the new hospital.