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.

鈥淥ut of Yellowknife, my zone includes all of Nunavut,鈥� said Femiak. 鈥淭here are only five cadet corps/squadrons, but the work is different.

鈥淭here 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.

鈥淚 believe in the program, all my kids have been through the program, and I鈥檝e seen the value and good that it can do for our youth. It鈥檚 the best youth program in Canada.鈥�

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.

鈥淭hey were well-equipped and well-stocked and then, coming into Covid, it all just kind of fell apart,鈥� said Femiak. 鈥淪o, there鈥檚 a bunch of equipment at one of the FOL hangars and a crew of us cleaned it all up.

鈥淣ow 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鈥檛 been in the program before.

鈥淎nd, of course, I鈥檓 trying to attract young people as cadets, as well.鈥�

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鈥檚 not currently covered by the military.

鈥淚 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.

鈥淲hen I was here before, we did a lot of sports to engage them but this time I鈥檓 trying to include a little bit more of what the program is. It鈥檚 not always going to be games or sports. We鈥檙e trying to give them a balanced look at what the cadet program is.

鈥淏ecause we don鈥檛 have staff here who are screened 鈥� police records check, vulnerable sector search to show that they鈥檙e safe to be with the kids 鈥� we鈥檒l have people who will be flown in to conduct activities with the kids we鈥檙e able to sign into the program.

鈥淚t鈥檚 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.鈥�