Sask. Mounties suit up in ceremonial uniforms to mourn 'unlikely, beloved' friend
Richard Montgrand called them "the Queen's cowboys" and many RCMP officers who worked in La Loche considered him a friend.
That's according to a social media post from Saskatchewan RCMP remembering Montgrand, who recently died.
The post describes him as an "unlikely, beloved friend" to many of the officers who have cycled through the detachment over the years.
While RCMP officers typically only don the traditional red serge for Mounties’ funerals, "there was no question about what to wear" to Montrgrand's funeral in La Loche.
At the request of his family, attending officers helped carry his casket to the service.
Montgrand, who RCMP say suffered from addiction and other health concerns, often interacted with the officers stationed at the La Loche detachment.
“Everyone has a soft spot for him,” Cst. Trisha Miller was quoted saying in the post.
Miller worked in La Loche nearly a decade ago.
“He is just such a good memory, he always had a smile and a story. He’d teach me Dene words. He’d flag me down when it was cold and I’d drive him home," Miller said.
Montgrand found ways to keep in touch with Miller, despite not having a phone.
He recently had the La Loche Detachment Services Assistant text her a picture of him, smiling.
While Montgrand "didn’t always sing the police’s praises," the post said — towards the end of his life he came to view them more as "protectors from the vulnerabilities he unfortunately faced."
Officers provided him "with basic needs he often lacked access to" such as meals, showers, rides and clean, warm clothes, the post said.
With few options the "detachment cells were sometimes the safest place for him to sleep," the post said.
"When that happened, officers report he was friendly and cooperative when he arrived — even folding and organizing his personal effects for safekeeping — and cheerful and joking as he was released."
Staff Sgt. Conrad Logan, part of the North District management team, says every officer who was stationed in La Loche has a positive story about Montgrand.
“He was one of those people that when you leave that community, several years down the road and you sort of reflecting back on the places you’ve been, the people you’ve encountered, he’s one of those people that you go ‘ah, I remember Richard Montgrand,’” Logan told CTV News.
Montgrand says the RCMP members who attended the funeral were “more than happy” to step up and wear their uniforms and pay their respects for him.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'