ALVIN COTE
A portrait of a man that city police befriended hangs in their new headquarters.
Alvin Cote didn’t live to see the new Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) headquarters, but his memory will be present thanks to a painting donated by the Saskatoon Tribal Council.
Felix Thomas, chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), presented the painting during the ceremony celebrating the new building Tuesday.
Cote, a homeless man, gained notoriety in 2012 when a StarPhoenix feature highlighted him as the most incarcerated man in the city, with hundreds of nights spent in the drunk tank. In particular, the relationship between Cote and the police working the downtown beat were featured.
He died in April 2013. Soon after Const. Derek Chesney, who was very familiar with Cote from his work on the late-night beat, wrote a heartfelt blog about Cote. The piece won Chesney an award from American Online magazine Slate.
Some time later, Chief Thomas attended a breakfast put on by SPS and got a chance to speak with Chesney about Cote.
“One of the things that really stuck with me was the fact that Alvin wasn’t just a number. He wasn’t a statistic,” he said.
“Alvin had a story. Derek, as well as many other police officers, listened to his story and they understood why Alvin lived his life the way he did. That’s the most impressive part of the whole experience.”
The painting of Cote was produced in 2012 as part of a Truth and Reconciliation event put on by STC.
At the event, elders told their personal stories about residential schools to thousands of attendants. Some artists were asked to do paintings inspired by the stories.
“We gave no instructions. We just said, ‘what you hear, we want you to make a visual work of art,’” said Thomas.
The artwork of Cote was painted by Corrina Wollf, who could not be reached for comment as she was out of the country, according to an STC spokesperson.
The donation of the painting to the SPS was a natural choice, according to Thomas. On top of commemorating Cote, it serves as a reminder of how the history of residential schools resonates to this day.
“Alvin is a microcosm for a lot of the things that happened with residential schools. A lot of the things the police have to deal with now have some roots in the residential schools,” he said.
Thomas said SPS has done a lot in recent years to foster a positive relationship with the First Na- tions community.
“I think they’ve certainly come a long way. They certainly had a reputation, and some events that left a black mark, and that history will always be there. What I think we need to do is acknowledge that history and make sure it doesn’t happen again. How do we make sure we’re a better police force and a better society because of it?” he said.
“I certainly know the police chief and a lot of the senior officers are committed to that from a lot of my dealings with them.”