Aamjiwnaang chief encouraged by Sarnia police since officer assigned to First Nation

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

It's been astir 2 years since Tyler Callander has been connected the occupation successful Aamjiwnaang First Nation.

He's a Sarnia Police Service constable who's been with the unit 16 years — serving successful roles specified arsenic wide patrol, detective and situation negotiator. Most recently, successful 2023, Callander was hired arsenic its first-ever dedicated assemblage liaison serviceman for the neighbouring First Nation.

Unlike astir Indigenous communities successful Ontario, Sarnia's municipal constabulary handles instrumentality enforcement connected the reserve.

The First Nation is an Anishinaabe set astatine the southbound extremity of the southwestern Ontario borderline metropolis of Sarnia by the St. Clair River. It consists of astir 2,500 set members with astir 1,000 radical surviving there.

Aamjiwnaang Chief Janelle Nahmabin says seeing a acquainted "friendly face" has helped interruption down walls astir policing wrong her community.

"It's been a challenging narration going backmost a fewer years starring up to wherever we are now," she said. "To enactment connected that relationship, it does instrumentality spot and clip and dedication."

Nahmabin says Callander is gathering a bully rapport with radical who consciousness harmless going to him with questions and concerns.

The serviceman has his ain bureau successful the assemblage centre and often attends events.

"All successful all, similar the past fewer years has perfectly been an betterment with our narration with the Sarnia constabulary and we're blessed that he's here."

Response times, postulation concerns

According to Nahmabin, who's been successful enactment roles wrong the assemblage for the past respective years, she says the biggest anterior complaints to the dedicated serviceman were constabulary effect times, and postulation concerns similar speeding.

"Irresponsible oregon unsafe driving, but the effect clip oregon … nary constabulary being capable to amusement up. I've heard that respective times. But present we are moving retired of a amended spot present and we'll conscionable proceed to physique that narration and physique that spot with the Sarnia police."

Callander says he's noticed a large quality successful however he's received implicit the past 2 years connected the job.

"I evidently came to Aamjiwnaang [before] for a batch of constabulary calls and things similar that. And determination were times erstwhile the constabulary — not each time, but sometimes — they weren't truly welcomed and you weren't getting a batch of practice and things similar that," helium said.

Calling it intimidating astatine first, Callander, who's not Indigenous, says helium has been good received from the precise archetypal set assembly gathering helium attended.

"They were each precise positive. To perceive that from the start, I'm like, 'OK … This is truly going to work.'"

Callander says he applauds the community for showing patience with him arsenic helium continues to larn much astir Aamjiwnaang culture.

"I don't privation to accidental it was surprising, but it was conscionable much of my ignorance of not knowing."

Callander says helium often brings his 2 simple school-aged children to events connected the reserve to effort and exemplify his committedness to gathering relationships and breaking down immoderate barriers.

"A batch of radical subordinate the constabulary with the government, right? And there's evidently been a batch of friction … passim the years … I support that benignant of worldly successful mind."

Recently, Callander says helium was summoned to the Aamjiwnaang daycare due to the fact that a young lad had drawn a representation of him and his unsocial constabulary conveyance — which is decorated with Indigenous artwork from a section artist. 

"It benignant of validates what I'm doing. Not to accidental that that wouldn't person happened before, but … to spot that that's taking spot — and having a beforehand enactment spot to it again — would beryllium a bully illustration [of a affirmative impression]."