A day out with the Mounties

Whilst in Antigonish I had arranged a day out

with Staff Sergeant Paddy McNeil from the local RCMP station.

What a welcome he gave me !! I met everybody at the station before dashing off with him to the Dr John Hugh Gillis High School to watch a mock fatal traffic accident.

All Grade 12 students and staff of the witness a mock car crash in the parking lot of the school.
The mock crash was presented by MADD (Mothers Against Drink Drivers) Canada, the Antigonish Detachment of the RCMP, the Antigonish Fire Department and Emergency Health Officials to show the consequences of drunk driving. I met with lots of local people including the school vicar.

Later we visited Paddy's house and he showed me lots of First Nation art that he had collected whilst serving in more northerly climates in Newfoundland and Labrador. He had a Timber Wolf Fur on one wall which was very impressive. Paddy also gave me some of wine to taste later that evening !!

The very low numbers of crimes recorded and the even lower number of prisoners arrested was very reassuring to see.

All in all it was a great day out with some nice people. I left with the wine and a carrier bag of Royal Canadian Mounted Police memorabilia.

Whilst up that end of Nova Scotia we popped up to the Canso Causeway and dipped our toes into Cape Breton, although in actual fact we didn't go too far and we only stopped for a coffee in Port Hawkesbury before returning to Antigonish.

Before heading home we caught up with Rob and Claire again in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia - alongside the Bluenose II a replica of the famous ship that appears of coins in Canada.