Three serving RCMP officers stand with the family of Cst Derek Pineo at Pineo Point on the north shore of Tobin Lake. (submitted photo/Nipawin Legion)

By Susan McNeil

RCMP officer memorial

Pineo Point named on Tobin Lake

Sep 15, 2022 | 3:00 PM

The north shore of Tobin Lake now boasts a newly renamed site that serves to honour Derek Pineo, an RCMP officer who died shortly after being transferred out of Nipawin in mid-2012.

He made an impact in his time in the Northeast and that is why the local Legion wanted to do something to honour him, said president Shauna Grassing.

“He was killed while on duty and so that became important to us that we could acknowledge him here in our area in some way,” said Grassing.

Pineo was driving on a highway near Wilkie in a police cruiser when he collided with a moose. He was responding to a call at the time.

RCMP officers are de facto members of the Legion, said Grassing. Following Pineo’s death, past-president Verda Hoppe suggested naming a geological point after him.

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It was an idea the rest of the Legion could get behind.

“He was very active in the community. People that speak of him speak very highly of him,” Grassing said.

Another former officer and active Legion member, Norman Thomson, took charge of organizing some of the project, such as making the application to the province to have the point of land re-named.

In order to make sure Pineo’s family could see and be part of the event, the Legion also fundraised the money to fly his widow and two of children back to Nipawin.

Money was also raised to have a bronze plaque made to place on the site.

The pandemic slowed everything down but this last spring, Thomson went to local business Kevin’s Custom Ag and ordered a stand for the bronze plaque that was created several years ago.

“They designed this wonderful piece with a saluting Mountie and a ribbon,” Grassing explained. Brittany Cook of the plasma division created the design for the memorial and Tom Shultz created the plaque.

The location of the land that was chosen to be renamed is a recreation site, although it is only accessible by ATV or boat.

In order to go by land, visitors would have to go to the end of Highway 35 past the end of the gravel and then go another eight kilometres by ATV.

“It turns out the point of land used to be Pilsner Point but it was also a picnic site,” Thomson said.

There is a picnic table, plastic chairs and a fire pit. And now a memorial to Constable Pineo.

The Pineo family was taken to the site on August 26 by boat and was part of a dedication ceremony that included Thomson and three serving members of the Nipawin detachment.

Some of the family’s travel funds came from the RCMP veterans’ associations in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

Donations also came from Nova Scotia, the Pineo’s home province, along with local businesses in Nipawin.

When the Pineo’s went to the Point, they left part of Derek behind.

“Natasha and her son Caleb and her daughter Ocean were there, and they also brought with them a small bag of Derek’s ashes,” Thomson said. The ashes were buried under the memorial.

During his five years in Nipawin, Pineo served as the RCMP School Liaison Officer for Central Park Elementary School, served on the P.A.R.T.Y Program committee, and was instrumental in organizing the Father’s Day Car Show and Shine in June.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com