Vessels, led by the RCMP's Mackenzie, pass under the Deh Cho Bridge as they near Fort Providence on July 7 and the end of the first leg of Operation Gateway and Operation Nunakput. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo |
Patrolling the big river
RCMP and Armed Forces join together for concurrent operations on the Mackenzie
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, July 13, 2015
HAY RIVER/FORT PROVIDENCE
An annual police and military patrol - actually two patrols at the same time - has begun on the Mackenzie River.
Greg Kinsman, a fisheries officer with DFO in Yellowknife, is rescued from Great Slave Lake by Sgt. Jay Buckner, left, and Const. Andrew Boyde, while Insp. Michael Babineau watches from the stern of the
vessel, on July 7. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo |
Operation Gateway and Operation Nunakput were launched in Hay River on July 7, and will conclude in Tuktoyaktuk after 17 days and almost 2,000 km.
"It is operations like this which work to ensure that we are up to the task in protecting Canadians," said RCMP Insp. Michael Babineau, south district manager with G Division, at a launch ceremony in Hay River before a half-dozen boats left for Fort Providence.
The vessels were led by the RCMP's Mackenzie, a Zodiac vessel, which will be going all the way to Tuktoyaktuk on the patrol.
The first training exercise of the patrols - an overboard scenario - occurred just after the boats left Hay River.
Greg Kinsman, a fisheries officer with DFO in Yellowknife, volunteered to jump off a vessel into Great Slave Lake, while wearing a survival suit, and then let officers aboard the Mackenzie rescue him.
"It's not too bad when you're wearing the proper gear," he said of the experience. "But without it, you definitely may be in a little bit of trouble."
Another training scenario involved the Canadian Rangers hooking a towline to an adrift and inoperable boat.
As the boats reached the mouth of the Mackenzie River, they were joined by a group of Canadian Rangers from Fort Providence.
Among them was Sgt. Clifford Vandell of the Fort Providence Canadian Ranger Patrol.
Vandell, who was participating in his third Operation Nunakput, said Canadian Rangers learn a lot from the annual river patrol, including how to read maps and navigate the river.
"It's good for all of us, because we all get training," he said.
This year, the Fort Providence Canadian Rangers will accompany Operation Nunakput as far as Fort Simpson.
The vessels arrived in Fort Providence in the mid-afternoon and were greeted by dozens of people lining the riverbank.
There was a brief event at a community centre where officers talked to community members about the purpose of the patrol and water safety.
Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge of Deh Gah Gotie First Nation said Operation Gateway and Operation Nunakput gave Fort Providence residents a special opportunity to welcome people arriving by river.
"Seeing the boats come in today to the community was quite a show for the local people," the chief said on July 7.
"It created a lot of excitement."
Operation Gateway will cover the Mackenzie River, its delta and the coastal waters of the Beaufort Sea, and will run concurrently with operations by the Canadian Armed Forces. Environment Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) also take part.
"Throughout the patrol, the RCMP will be participating in co-operative training exercises with our partner agencies," Babineau said.
"These exercises we will be conducting will enhance the RCMP's operational readiness in a marine environment, improving and strengthening our capacity to respond to emergencies."
The first Operation Gateway, which is also designed to assert Canadian sovereignty, was held in 2003. Operation Nunakput, which began in 2007, follows the same route as Operation Gateway.
The separate but concurrent patrol is made up of Canadian Armed Forces members primarily from the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group and Joint Task Force (North).
"Nunakput helps ensure that the North remains secure within a strong and sovereign Canada," said Capt. (Navy) Bradley Peats, deputy commander of Joint Task Force (North).
About 100 personnel will be deployed at various times on Operation Gateway and Operation Nunakput, including members of the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces, along with Environment Canada and DFO.
