RCMP change in command

The Change of Command ceremony was held at the Regina Armoury on Nov. 6 when outgoing Commanding Officer, Assistant Commissioner Russ Mirasty, welcomed the incoming Commanding Officer, Chief Superintendent Brenda Butterworth-Carr. Butterworth-Carr is from Dawson City, Yukon, and a member of the Tr’ondeck Hwech’in Han Nation and becomes the first Aboriginal women to lead an RCMP division. Mirasty, a member of the LaRonge First Nation, also made history in 2010 when he became Canada’s first Aboriginal person to head a division. Butterworth-Carr presented him with a gift of an eagle feather. Kimberly Jonathan, first vice-chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, and her young daughter Karyss presented Butterworth-Carr with a starblanket and moccasins — “to help you on your journey.” Jonathan, praising her determination and hard work, also sees the top cop as a role model for Aboriginal girls. “Success just never happens to anybody.”