Alumni Spotlight: Jeremy Hookimaw
Jun 16, 2025 | Vanessa Tignanelli, Storyteller & Content Creator
Jeremy Hookimaw (44) arrived in North Bay in 2011 with a young family and a drive to accomplish something meaningful. He enrolled at Canadore College to explore his options, beginning a journey that would shape a career built around service, safety, and community care.
Over the next several years, Jeremy earned three diplomas from Canadore: General Arts and Science, Police Foundations, and Social Service Worker. His studies led him into placements with the North Bay Crisis Centre and into policing with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, serving in remote northern communities. With every step, Jeremy built not just a résumé, but a skillset grounded in real-life experience—exactly what was needed when Moose Cree First Nation began forming a Drug Task Force in 2023.
Today, Jeremy leads that initiative as Coordinator, working closely with the legal department, enforcement agencies, and local services to shut down trafficking networks and rebuild a safer community from the ground up. The task force has already shut down nearly 20 illegal operations—measurable change that is saving lives.
This fall, Jeremy’s son will begin the Social Service Worker program at Canadore. For Jeremy, there’s no greater pride—less about a shared legacy, and more about walking a shared path.
“This job comes with a lot of challenges and stress. But when I think about everything I pushed through at Canadore, I remind myself: I’ve already done hard things. I can do this too.”
“College taught me that I’m more than capable of doing hard things.”
“When you're far from home, missing the land or your people, the First Peoples’ Centre grounded us.”
“I didn’t know where I was going, but I never stopped moving forward. I always knew I could do more.”
“I feel like I was made for this. Like there was always something important I was meant to do. I tried a lot of paths, but once I started this job, I finally saw the big picture.”
Jeremy Hookimaw
Drug Task Force Coordinator, Moose Cree First Nation
General Arts and Science (Class of 2012), Police Foundations (Class of 2014), and Social Service Worker (Class of 2019)
#Alumni #Canadore College #First Peoples' Centre #Indigenous