Rick Lemieux looks forward to being a part of the annual winter carnival in the community.
Lemieux is a member of Centre Culturel La Ronde and one of the three candidates for Bonhomme Carnaval mascot. The annual event runs until Feb. 19
The other two candidates are Cameron Grant and Jonathan St-Pierre.
If Lemieux gets to wear the Bonhomme Carnaval costume, he looks forward to visiting schools and doing all the fun activities with the children, just like Bonhomme used to do when Lemieux was a kid.
"I really can't wait to do that, to be a part of that," he says.
As a child growing up in a French environment, Lemieux attended the carnival every year. He remembers it taking place at school, doing activities and having Bonhomme show up. Although it was a long time ago, he still has recollections of it, Lemieux says. He also went to the old St-Charles school where La Ronde is currently located.
“It was such an exciting time,” he says.
His two children also attended the same schools Lemieux did. For Lemieux and his wife Manon, who comes from a French family, it’s always been important to pass the French language and culture down to their children.
“I love being a part of both the French community and the English community,” he says. “And it really served me well because, in my career as a police officer teaching DARE, I was able to go to the French schools and the English schools, so it gave me an advantage.”
Lemieux, who has always wanted to be a police officer, was a constable for almost 20 years and worked part-time at Northern College before becoming the full-time Police Foundations co-ordinator at the college.
He says he enjoyed his tenure working with the Timmins Police Services. Although he misses some parts of his job, such as his “platoon mates”, going to schools, investigating and helping victims, he loves his new job at the college.
When he sees his students applying what they've learned in class, it gives him satisfaction and a great feeling of accomplishment.
“I was able to teach them something and hopefully it’s something they can use in their lives to make good choices,” he says. “When my students succeed, it’s like I succeed.”
Twice a week, he also teaches the DARE program in French at La Ronde and in English at the Timmins Learning Centre.
Almost a decade ago, Lemieux released a series of videos on YouTube titled SMART Tips with Constable Rick. He also wrote two self-published children’s books called A Good Circle of Friends and The Bully and the Bystander.
He also likes drawing, especially superheroes. He ends every DARE class with a drawing of Daren the Lion.
“The following week I draw SpongeBob or Spider-Man. Sometimes, I ask the kids, ‘What would you like me to draw?'" he says.
Lemieux is proud of his ability to do anything he sets his mind to. There are many people who say they will do something and don’t do it but Lemieux is not one of them. For example, when he decided to write a book, he did it.
“They are not huge successes but I still did it. That’s what makes me proud. When I want to do something, I go and I do it,” he says.
Lemieux looks forward to bringing back the Timmins Comedy Festival with some partners from Sudbury, Cochrane and Iroquois Falls.
It will be on a smaller scale this year, Lemieux says. He hopes next year the show will return larger in scope with a kid's show, a French show, a bar show, a DARE show and a big theatre show.
“It’s a large undertaking but this year it’ll be smaller. This is what I’m looking forward to in the future,” he says.
In his life, Lemieux says he values his family the most.
“Anything I do is for them, basically. I want to be a good role model for my kids, that’s why I do stuff like my book. I want to be a good example to them,” he says.
