Enoch RCMP member, Edmonton school resource officer nominated for Juno award
An Edmonton school on Friday hosted a concert celebrating a school resource officer and his partner before they head to the Juno Awards this year.
Where I'm Meant to Be by Stirling John was nominated for contemporary Christian/gospel album of the year.
John is a 17-year RCMP member working at the detachment on Enoch Cree Nation west of Edmonton.
He met Edmonton Police Service Const. David Pedersen in 2017 via Kijiji.
Both were looking for fellow musicians to play with. John posted an ad; Pedersen responded, despite his wife's fears he was going to come across "a bunch of weirdos."
The night they met, it turned out they were both on the night shift in adjacent districts.
"We ended up meeting at the Tim Hortons by the River Cree (Resort and Casino) and we've been great friends ever since," Pedersen recalled.
John noted, "It's hard to find the right people who you connect with musically. Not just with music but with your values and morals."
The first song John ever wrote, called Never Meant to Be, was a sort of record of what he was going through in that chapter of life.
In an effort to grow and heal, he asked Pedersen to help write a follow-up song, Where I'm Meant to Be.
That tune turned into the 12-song, Junos-nominated album.
"That's what I really love about music. It's helped me get through tough times and I know it's going to help others and that's the power of music," John said after performing at H.E. Beriault Catholic Junior High School in Edmonton on Friday.
"These are songs that Dave wrote years back… and they speak to mental health and struggles that maybe some of our kids are going through in this auditorium today."
A school resource officer at H.E. Beriault for six of his 10 years in policing, Pedersen keeps a guitar in his office and occasionally helps the choir, so his musical background was no secret.
However, he had never performed for the entire school. He also provides back-up vocals for John.
"On the journey of a musician, everyone has those times that you play at a pub and there's, like, four people and your mom there. So playing to hundreds of people who are standing and cheering and clapping and singing, it's really fun," he said.
The auditorium was packed, with many of the students singing along or dancing.
John and Pedersen's band also shared the stage with student performers, including Grade 9 student Nathalie Salas.
"I was cheering really loud," she told CTV News Edmonton. "I was just excited for them to do all this."
The musicians are open to but not counting on opportunities to follow the Junos.
"We do it because we love it, we do it because it gives meaning to our lives, we do it because it's friendship, it's art, it's things that get us up in the morning. So we're going to keep doing it regardless," Pedersen said of making music.
John added, "This is a journey that we started years ago and just the growth over the last couple years, we've been working hard to release music. Music that benefits communities and really uplifts and inspires.
"To be given a platform like on the Junos stage as a nominee is just absolutely incredible."
Halifax is hosting the awards show on Sunday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.