SHESHEGWANING— Work has now begun towards opening a new satellite station of the UCCM Anishinaabe Police Service in Sheshegwaning First Nation, which will serve the community and neighbouring Zhiibaahaasing First Nation.
“The machinery came in on Monday and has pretty much cleared the land for the new satellite office location, driveway and parking lot,” said Brad Mack, UCCM APS staff sergeant and detachment director of operations, last week. He pointed out the foundation work for the new building will take place after Christmas.
As was reported in the December 4 edition of The Expositor, the office in Sheshegwaning is being developed first with a second satellite station for Whitefish River First Nation to be carried out later in 2025.
The facility will be a prefabricated commercial/residential building designed to serve as a permanent satellite office for both Sheshegwaning and Zhiibaahaasing. The building will include office space, washroom, a meeting area and quarters for officers, greatly enhancing their capability to respond to service calls on the west end of Manitoulin. This permanent presence will not only assist officers in their duties but also foster stronger community relations.
The Sheshegwaning site is located on Sheshegwaning road just as you enter the community, while the WRFN site, which will be developed in the new year will be housed in the new subdivision area in the community.
“The foundations for the new modular building (in Sheshegwaning) will be in place by around mid-December, and since it is a modular building it will not take long to construct, and will include finishing touches like a garage that can handle 2.5 vehicles,” said Staff Sergeant Mack. “It is hoped that the new satellite office will be open late spring or early summer, in the May/June range.”
The WRFN location work will begin in earnest next summer, said Staff Sergeant Mack. He explained the satellite office for WRFN will be located in the new subdivision area, close to the highway. The UCCM APS is using its own funding sources for the new offices with the land being allocated by the First Nation communities.
Currently, the UCCM APS office headquarters is located in M’Chigeeng, which is basically an hour drive from Sheshegwaning and Zhiibaahaasing, “resulting in a huge lack of police presence in the West End communities,” continued Staff Sergeant Mack. He explained the UCCM APS will not be housing officers permanently in the satellite offices but will have five to six officers on a platoon at one time, and will provide zone type policing, depending on where the calls are coming from in their detachment area.
“We held a smudging ceremony for the land that the new office will be located on, last week,” said Staff Sergeant Mack, who along with Joe Laford took part in the ceremony.
