Peel Police Officers Travel to Northern Indigenous Communities to Make a Difference

Posted On Wednesday May 14, 2025
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Cst. Bell-Morena loading the Air Bravo aircraft with bags of toys and other products

Please see video featuring Operation Northern Exposure.

For a third year in a row, officers from Peel Regional Police have participated in Operation Northern Exposure, partnering with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) over two-week periods to serve in the remote Indigenous communities of Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat. Northern Exposure is an incredible opportunity for officers to immerse themselves in Indigenous culture and learn firsthand about the history, traditions and the daily lives and challenges faced by these communities.

Among the twelve participating officers from Peel Regional Police is Constable Tyler Bell-Morena, who was deployed at the beginning of March 2025. Ahead of his deployment, Cst. Bell-Morena alongside Peel Regional Police Charity Coordinator Cst. Jenn Bissell, participated in stocking the Air Bravo aircraft with donations from PRP’s Miracle on Main toy drive campaign and other initiatives.

More than 55 bags with toys, stuffed animals, board games, sports gear, as well as feminine hygiene products, diapers, clothes and shoes were shipped and hand-delivered by the officers to individuals and families in these Northern communities.

“This has been the most humbling experience of mycareer thus far, it was great to be exposed to the culture, history and resilience of these communities and to have a front row view of the struggles they’ve faced and still face,” said Cst. Bell-Morena. “It was great to be doing frontline policing again and this experienced really opened my eyes to the challenges of remote policing and how fortunate we are to have the resources we do in the city.”

Beyond their regular duties, officers also engaged with the community, including the students from Attawapiskat Elementary School during a friendly game of dodgeball.

“Let’s just say, we better not quit our day jobs! They gave us a run for our money,” Bell-Morena continued. “You could tell they were timid and didn’t know if they could trust us, but after about 20 minutes, they were our biggest fans,” he said. “So much so, that a few days later, one of the children flagged us down on patrol and asked for a ride to school which we happily obliged.” 

Near the end of their deployment, in an unexpected and heartwarming turn of events, officers were called to dispatch a puppy who was said to be rabid and ill. Cst. Danika Gagnon found the frail puppy frozen stuck to a porch, shaking and suffering. “She wasn’t ill, she just needed some love,” she said. Cst. Gagnon took the puppy back to the station and got her cleaned up and fed.

“We took shifts taking care of her, ensuring she was well looked after. She quickly took to people, and we just knew she was coming home with us,” Bell-Morena said. “We named her Atta for Attawapiskat, and before you knew it, the entire team was trying to adopt her,” he shared. Atta was adopted by Cst. Richelle El-Aloul’s family and is thriving in her new home in Woodstock, Ontario.

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