From lobster to perogies, Athabascaís new RCMP constable Mark Tyler, 27, will notice some differences in culture.
Tyler is from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
ìI am from the east coast,î he said. ìI am a typical east coaster; if you make eye contact with me on the street, I am going to say hello.î
Tyler said the layout of the town reminds him of home.
ìI am pretty happy to be here,î he said. ìI am just excited to get my feet wet and get going with the career.î
Tyler grew up in a neighborhood that was rich in the number of police officers.
ìMy best friendís dad was a member and I always got an outside look on it, and wanted to get on the inside,î he said. ìI wanted to see if I could do it, because it was always something I was interested in.î
Tyler said he started looking at being an RCMP officer seriously four or five years ago.
ìI have pretty much read every book, every possible information on the website,î he said. ìThere is nothing that is catching me by surprise. Itís just kind of cool to actually be doing it, and not reading about it.î
Tyler graduated from the academy in February, and Athabasca is his first posting.
As for living in Alberta, Tyler has a few things to get used to.
ìOnce you leave the town, it is a lot of plains,î he said. ìEverything is forests back east, here you have to go looking for it. It is a whole different kind of scenery.î
Tyler described the Athabasca scenery as a typical Canadian landscape.
ìIt is fairly similar to other places in Canada,î he said. ìIt is what I have experienced back east.î
Besides being a typical easterner, Tyler said he is also a typical Canadian.
ìHockey was pretty much the staple growing up. Sports is all I ever really want to do.î
Tyler said he wants to get out and be active in his spare time.
ìIím just looking forward to being here and meeting everyone I can.î
