RCMP set up command post in Richmound

Richmound holds peaceful rally to protest presence of Qanon “Queen of Canada” on Saturday.

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On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the RCMP held a Town Hall at Richmound Community Centre to discuss the role of the RCMP in the town’s current situation with Romana Didulo and her followers.

Chief Superintendent Tyler Bates, district commander of the south district, Inspector Kirk Badger, operations officer for the south district, and Staff Sergeant Gary Hodges, district manager for Swift Current conducted a Town Hall in the Richmound Community Centre on Tuesday about the concerns that have arisen from the presence of Romana Didulo and followers at the former school in Richmound. PHOTO SUBMITTED

Around 100 people gathered to hear the RCMP update and to ask questions. Chief Superintendent Tyler Bates, district commander of South District, Inspector Kirk Badger, operations officer for South District, and Staff Sergeant Garry Hodges, district manager for Swift Current, were there to address the community’s concerns. Chief Superintendent Bates began with introductions and an update. A mobile detachment was set up in Richmound on Oct. 6 for ease of response and efficiency. It is staffed 24/7 to allow for proactive patrols which are ongoing day and night. CS Bates acknowledged that the situation is emotionally charged, and that with different perspectives and opinions, conflicts could develop. He expressed hope that the RCMP can act as an intermediary to provide the support needed for the community to go about their lives in peace and security.

Questions such as whether charges would be laid for the threats made, if the police had questioned Didulo or her followers, whether there were firearms, how many people will be coming to join Didulo on Oct. 14, and if the RCMP know the names of the people at the school, could not be answered because doing so would compromise the integrity of the investigation. However they do know about Oct. 14 and will have the resources to deal with whatever may happen. People were reminded of the charter rights of freedom of speech and of association.

Some questions were speculative such as, “What is her end game?”; “Is this her last stop?”; What is the stance of the provincial and federal governments?” These were unanswerable by the officers as the answer would only be an opinion.

Other questions pertained to different levels of government. Sean Checkley, constituent assistant to Doug Steele, said that the Cypress Hills MLA has met with the Village, RM of Enterprise, RCMP, EMS, and the Fire Department. Concerns went back to the Minister of Public Safety and Corrections, Mr. Paul Merriman, as well as the Minister of Health regarding the concerns of the first responders, and the Minister of Education regarding the concerns of Fox Valley School. Checkley and Mayor Brad Miller encouraged everyone to keep sending letters via the village administrator, Stacey Jansma to Doug Steele. Pressure needs to be put on Premier Scott Moe.

Questions regarding utilities and water service to the school building were directed to Mayor Miller.

There are plans being worked on in that regard. Nothing is as easy as it seems.

The main concern, which the police were able to discuss, is the feeling of fear, intimidation, and lack of freedom of the people in the community. People are being followed, photographed, and videoed as they try to go about their every day lives, the playground has been roped off, strangers have been observed in the back alleys at night, elderly people are afraid to go out, etc. One person asked if the police could guarantee the safety of the children. CS Bates replied that people are encouraged to report all incidents that might be construed as criminal harassment directly to the RCMP. Something that is reported “could be the piece of information that tips the scales and provides us with what is necessary to establish criminality and to have a way forward with respect to those concerns,” he said The difficulty of proving where a cyber threat comes from and how long the investigation takes compared to that of a direct threat was explained as well.

A question was asked about the possibility of a mental health intervention. The reply was that the RCMP have a team exploring all avenues and are consulting with Justice, the Crown Attorney’s office, doctors, and other specialists.

One man was applauded when he stood up and said that he was not going to give the unwanted guests the power to intimidate him or take his freedom away. He encouraged others to do likewise.

To summarize, Chief Inspector Bates said, “If I was sitting in your chair, I would be just as frustrated. I can appreciate the emotion... I am empathetic to the situation and again, all I ask for is patience and really just a little bit of restraint to allow us the time to do our work and the space to do our work because it is happening behind the scenes, and all avenues that we can lawfully explore are being explored to bring peace and security to the town of Richmound. So we’re here. We’ve got the ball on this, and I know there’s a lot of responsibility with that.”

He also acknowledged that there is “a lot of frustration with the pace of what’s transpiring, but at the end of the day, there’s a certain process that we have to follow as well, in terms of meeting that judicial standard and making sure all the steps that we take are lawful and appropriate.” He reiterated that nothing has surfaced that would point to any immediate threat, but they are not going to put anyone at risk if something does surface.

There was a little levity when someone asked if the situation ranked pretty high on the RCMP to do list.

Inspector Badger stated,” This IS my to do list.” He arrived in Richmound on Friday. The Chief Superintendent added that the situation with Didulo is the number one priority in Saskatchewan.