APS breaks ground at site of future detachment

Throughout the past decade the Fort William detachment of the Anishinabek Police Service has slowly outgrown its office on Mission Road.

On Monday, ground was broken on an Anemki Place property – the site of the future facility.
"It’s going to be quite a bit larger than the old building," said APS Insp. Rick Saarinen. "It’s going to house seven officers and civilian support staff, including regional command staff. It’s going to be about three times larger than the existing building."

Not only will the new building offer more in space, but it will also be more user-friendly and feature more state-of-the-art technology, said Saarinen.

The building of the new detachment office is a partnership between APS, Anemki Mountain Corporation and Fort William First Nation. With construction beginning Monday, a grand opening ceremony is expected to take place in the spring.

Fort William First Nation chief Peter Collins said the project is a new beginning for his community.

"It’s a new beginning for the partnership that we have with APS. As our community grows, the detachment grows and they’ve outgrown the facility they’re in today," he said, adding the facility is a step in the right direction for Fort William First Nation.

"Infrastructure is important for us so this is another piece of infrastructure we will build here," Collins said. "It’s a positive feature for our community members and the safety of our members as it’s an important aspect of policing in our community."

While sod was turned at the groundbreaking, a cleansing ceremony was also performed by a community elder.

The ceremony was performed to cleanse the ground and bless the area for new beginnings and a new era for APS and their detachment, said Collins.