The Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) has issued a formal call for proposals to recruit Indigenous knowledge keepers, cultural experts and Elders to help develop a new, community-specific training curriculum for officers serving Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation in Manitoba. The initiative, announced in early February 2026, aims to teach officers about the specific traditions, history and language of the Sandy Bay community.
Chief of Police Jason Colon said the goal is to have a police force that understands the local culture and the spirit of the people it protects. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all Indigenous awareness training, the program will focus on the unique rules, customs and protocols of Sandy Bay.
The MFNPS has grown in recent years and has taken over policing responsibilities from the RCMP in several communities — for example, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation in October 2024. MFNPS briefings note that this expansion in 2024–25 contributed to staffing pressures and to the recruitment of officers from outside some host communities; organizers say the Sandy Bay-specific training is intended to help those officers build stronger relationships with local residents.
The training is being designed as a “living curriculum” that will include land-based learning, workshops on traditional law and community-led immersion sessions rather than only classroom instruction. MFNPS expects the new modules to be ready for use by summer 2026.
