SANIRAJAK/HALL BEACH - For one month, Louise Lafleur became a Mountie in Nunavut.

Det. Lafleur, who is a recently promoted 11-year veteran of the Ottawa Police Service, served a special term as a temporary Mountie in Hall Beach this March.

Det. Louise Lafleur, left, instructor Jack Kruger, and Sgt. Brad Hampson share a moment while participating in Arctic training in Hay River, NWT. Lafleur and Hampson, both members of the Ottawa Police Service, spent four weeks in the Nunavut communities of Hall Beach and Clyde River, respectively, to promote diversity and community relationships. - photo courtesy of Louise Lafleur

Her colleague, Sgt. Brad Hampson, with whom she completed Arctic survival training in Hay River in preparation for their time in Nunavut, did a stint in Clyde River.

"I was temporary in terms of having been sworn in for a month there as an RCMP officer," said Lafleur. "I wore the Ottawa police uniform."

To many in Hall Beach, Lafleur's foreign uniform was a conversational ice breaker.

She noticed a difference in her interactions with the community in Hall Beach compared to Ottawa.

"Out in a community of 600, there was certainly more opportunities to get to know almost everyone," said Lafleur. "There was also the culture aspect of it, which I engaged in as much as I could and learned as much as I could."

For Lafleur, the most rewarding part of her experience was having a chance to participate with the community in the Easter games on the sea ice.

"I happened to win at the harpoon throwing contest. On my second shot I hit the bull's eye," she said.

Lafleur said her competitors, mainly young men, were a little surprised by her harpoon throwing skills.

She was also impressed by how members of the community helped one another out and the sense of ease that residents had with the winter weather, which, at -60 C, was a bit of a shock to Lafleur.

For the most part, Lafleur said, she adjusted well to the North. She was dressed for the weather, was comfortable with her Ski-Doo and managed to communicate with the community, including children and elders. Although she isn't fluent in Inuktitut, she could always rely on a youngster to help her out or use her Inuktitut-English phrase sheets.

Lafleur was active in the community and together with the hamlet's recreation director Paul Haulli, she co-ordinated a poster contest among the children at Arnaqjuaq school. Many children wrote about drug and alcohol problems, and one of the winners was Donovan Irqittuq.

Irqittuq's mother, Reena, said Donovan loved his participation in the project. She said he wrote about guns and the importance of using them safely since an accident could lead to death.

For his efforts, Donovan won a knapsack, a cap, small souvenir hockey jersey and a puck.

The goal of the program with the Ottawa Police Service is to provide diversity training and build trust and understanding among the community.

Lafleur considers it an absolute success. She said she has held an interest in the Inuit culture for some time. In 2001, she worked with the Inuit youth initiative that was involved with youth from Rankin Inlet. Before heading up to Hall Beach, Lafleur began spending time at the patient boarding home, Larga Baffin.

"Since coming back I've spent a lot of time at Larga, helping with various issues as well as being a link between the Inuit and the police department," said Lafleur.

Lafleur has even been invited back by a family to join them on a walrus hunt and said if the opportunity presented itself, she would return to the North.