Saskatchewan RCMP has a new Commanding Officer.
Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore comes to Saskatchewan after being District Commander for Western Alberta RCMP.
Blackmore says she has a fair amount of experience in Saskatchewan.
“My first posting was Assiniboia in the southern part of the province and I was there for just over two years,” Blackmore said. “(I) was transferred to what was then known as Regina detachment — it’s now White Butte — but came to Regina and was posted there for three years, and then I went up north to Buffalo Narrows.”
Blackmore says while she’s from mid-western Ontario, coming back to Saskatchewan is a lot like coming home.
“There’s lots of familiarity even though the faces and names have changed in a lot of cases,” Blackmore said. “It’s coming back to that familiarity and the one thing that in the short time I’ve been here I’ve noticed that hasn’t changed is the hospitality of people within Saskatchewan.”
When it comes to enforcement, Blackmore says communication is a key part of the RCMP’s response as they identify the needs of the communities they serve.
“It is a diverse area, and that’s going to mean that there’s diverse needs or priorities from different communities throughout the province,” Blackmore said. “We need to be responsive to those needs, we need to have great communication with our communities, with our community leaders, and with the people within our communities, and make sure we’re engaging them on what their priorities are.”
Blackmore’s appointment was made in collaboration with the Saskatchewan government. She officially started April 12.