Capt. Dave Femiak spent most of this past week in Rankin Inlet in an attempt to revive the once-proud 3019 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps in Rankin.
Femiak, Yellowknife 2 zone training officer, has been working full-time in that role since starting in Trenton, Ont., in July 2021.
Initially, he oversaw 37 cadet corps/squadrons in southeastern Ontario but, as other staff came on strength, he was responsible for 13 units in his zone.
He said his duties include reviewing training for the cadet corps/squadrons with his zone, ensuring that they are covering the program properly and helping to allocate resources so that approved activities can be supported.
“Out of Yellowknife, my zone includes all of Nunavut,” said Femiak. “There are only five cadet corps/squadrons, but the work is different.
“There are fewer staff in the Arctic, so my role and the support that I provide is expanded. I am a former air cadet from the 1980s and have been in uniform as an officer since May of 1990.
“I believe in the program, all my kids have been through the program, and I’ve seen the value and good that it can do for our youth. It’s the best youth program in Canada.”
Femiak said the program has changed over the years but it remains relevant for the times.
Rankin Inlet had an army cadet program that was thriving and doing exceptionally well for its size, he acknowledged.
“They were well-equipped and well-stocked and then, coming into Covid, it all just kind of fell apart,” said Femiak. “So, there’s a bunch of equipment at one of the FOL hangars and a crew of us cleaned it all up.
“Now my job is to start finding adult volunteers or part-time paid staff to start working with the cadet corps and get them trained if they haven’t been in the program before.
“And, of course, I’m trying to attract young people as cadets, as well.”
Femiak said he was wearing a few different hats while in Rankin Inlet.
He said he was also trying to get back in touch with the local Legion to help sponsor the cadet program and help with with the financing of anything that’s not currently covered by the military.
“I held drop-in activities this past Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, inviting young people to come in with their parents and talk about the program.
“When I was here before, we did a lot of sports to engage them but this time I’m trying to include a little bit more of what the program is. It’s not always going to be games or sports. We’re trying to give them a balanced look at what the cadet program is.
“Because we don’t have staff here who are screened – police records check, vulnerable sector search to show that they’re safe to be with the kids – we’ll have people who will be flown in to conduct activities with the kids we’re able to sign into the program.
“It’s an important program that offers kids in the North something different and an opportunity to get out of town and travel a bit, like an event we have coming up in Whitehorse that the cadets can go to at no cost. It gives them a genuine opportunity to expand their horizons a bit.”