Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Resolution (July 18/05) - Sylvain Lemoyne will say good-bye to Fort Resolution this week.

After three years in the community, the RCMP corporal is credited with making a positive difference, particularly as the driving force in reviving hockey.

RCMP Cpl. Sylvain Lemoyne - pictured with a recent donation of hockey equipment from B.C. - helped revive minor hockey in Fort Resolution, leading to a lower crime rate in the community.

The sport helped lower crime and improve relations between the community and police.

"Sylvain has done pretty good in our community, especially for the young people," says Chief Robert Sayine of Deninu Ku'e First Nation.

Sayine says the community is grateful for Lemoyne's work organizing hockey, noting the arena was largely unused when he arrived.

Helping the kids

Lemoyne says he believed hockey would be a way to assist the community, especially youth. "I wanted to help the kids."

When he arrived, there were a handful of young people involved in hockey. Last year, there were 60 people registered, including adults.

"It was really a community effort, and I just helped put it together," he says.

Lemoyne notes working together for the hockey program has also improved relations between the police and the community.

"There were really cold relations between the police and the community and kids," he recalls, noting not many people would wave at police driving by and would not want to be seen talking with officers.

For his volunteer work, Lemoyne was one of four officers from across Canada honoured in June with an award from the Mounted Police Foundation.

Lemoyne notes, when he arrived in Fort Resolution, there was more drinking and violence among youth.

He says there is still some fighting, but youth crime is now mostly minor things like egging houses. "It's a different type of crime."

For the community overall, violent crimes, such as assaults and threats, dropped from 111 incidents in 2003 to 94 incidents in 2004.

"I think this year it's going to be lower from what I can see right now," Lemoyne says.

Donation of equipment

The hockey revival depended on getting enough equipment.

Lemoyne and Const. Kyle Koharski, now in Rae-Edzo, arranged two donations of equipment from the National Hockey League Players' Association. In all, 30 sets of equipment were delivered by retired and active NHLers.

Lemoyne also recently received 11 bags of hockey equipment from B.C.

He plans to help continue collecting hockey equipment for NWT communities from his new detachment in Valleyfield, Quebec.

Customs and excise

Lemoyne, 38, will work with the RCMP customs and excise division.

His wife Donna Munro, an RCMP constable who took a leave of absence while in Fort Resolution, will serve in nearby Cornwall, Ont.

They and their young daughter will live in Valleyfield.

"I'll miss the hockey program and the kids here," Lemoyne says. "We have made some very good friends here."

Const. Devon Gammie is taking over the detachment's volunteer efforts to help the hockey program.

Lemoyne's replacement, Cpl. Neil Flett, will arrive in August. Flett is currently serving in Fort Smith.