RCMP Cst. Jordan Tost and his wife Karmalee met in Flin Flon, got married in Flin Flon, and started their family in Flin Flon.
Now, after nearly two years spent living in The Pas, the family has moved back to the community they consider home.
Jordan has rejoined the RCMP detachment as a general duty constable, the same post he held in The Pas and Flin Flon previously. Before moving south, the Stonewall native served with the Flin Flon detachment for almost eight years and had been in the community longer than any other serving officer.
“I’m doing the exact same thing. It’s not a promotion or nothing like that, I’m just going back to doing everyday police stuff,” he said.
The couple will also welcome their second son in the fall.
“That will be new in our life, just getting settled in our house and taking part in what Flin Flon has to offer,” she said.
Comparing the two communities, Jordan said he found a difference in law enforcement needs between Flin Flon and The Pas.
“I think it’s a lot of the same issues. I always said that The Pas was Flin Flon, cranked up to 10. It was a lot of the same stuff; it was just a lot more of it. The Pas was a much busier spot,” he said.
“I find that Flin Flon, it hasn’t changed a whole lot since when I first left. I think a lot of people online seem to think Flin Flon’s gone to hell in a hand basket, but I don’t see it talking to the guys at work. All that stuff gets blown so out of proportion. Flin Flon is not a bad place at all.”
The detachment hasn’t changed much since the Tosts left. Jordan said there were only two people he hadn’t worked with before moving to The Pas. He even knew Cpl. Ray Hamilton before he moved to the north, adding Hamilton worked with Jordan’s father and step-mom, both of whom work with the RCMP.
With their three-year-old son Nicholas and eight-year-old daughter Sophia, the Tosts plan to make Flin Flon their home for the foreseeable future and have no plans to leave.
“I think we’d like to be here for the long haul, for sure,” said Karmalee.
“We don’t see any change in our future. We’re just happy to be where we are.”
Both said the homecoming for the family has been warm.
“We’re just really happy to be back. The reception that we’ve got so far has been great,” said Jordan.
“This really feels like home and we feel like a part of the community here.”
Karmalee concurred, adding that residents have gone out of their way to make them feel at home.
“I feel it might be cheesy to say, but this is where you want to raise kids. It’s a small town, but there’s still lots going on. There’s a lot of options for them, they can go outside and play and go for a bike ride, walk to the park, and they can still feel safe,” she said.
“People know you, people are looking out for your kid. If you walk down the street, people will know him or Sophia, sometimes they don’t know who we are, but they wave and we wave back. We’re lucky. I liked The Pas too, but we didn’t have the connections that we have here. Even going to a store here, I know faces and people are happy to see you, even if you don’t know their names. It’s friendly. Flin Flon is a friendly town.”
The well wishes also come from some unexpected sources. During the recent Trout Festival, Jordan said he bumped into some familiar faces.
“I found myself, walking down Main Street, running into people I’ve arrested. A lot of times, they’re coming up and shaking my hand, going, ‘Hey! It’s so good to have you back!’ People that I didn’t think would be happy to see me were just all excited,” he said.
“There were a couple that surprised me, hugs and handshakes from all kinds of people.”
