Loren Schinkel is in his third term as the Reeve of the Rural Municipality Lac du Bonnet, first being elected in the 2016 by-election and re-elected in 2018 and 2022. Born and raised in Lac du Bonnet, he has strong ties to the region, a long history in leadership roles, and a passion to improve and serve the place he grew up.
Prior to being Reeve, Loren had a long career between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Winnipeg Police Service that spanned 30 years.
Inspired by a high school career day during his senior year and his time as an Air Cadet, Loren began as an RCMP Constable in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, after graduating from the RCMP academy in 1978.
In 1981, he joined the Winnipeg Police Service as a Constable and served as a general patrol officer until 1987.
Loren spent most of the 1990s as a Detective Sergeant, first in Crimes Against Property and then in the Homicide Unit, where he investigated many high-profile cases. After that, he served as Sergeant of Uniformed Operations and Sergeant of the Major Crimes Unit and the Co-ordinator of the Emergency Response Tactical Unit.
In 2001, Loren was elected the President and CAO of the Winnipeg Police Association, holding that position for three terms through 2008.
In the role, he represented 1600 police and staff members and was responsible for the management of the overall budget and long-term financial planning, negotiating contracts, dealing with human resource issues, and was the Chairperson reporting directly to the board of directors. He calls it the highlight of his policing career, as it gave him the chance to understand the administrative side of policing in addition to the operational and investigative sides. He was also awarded the Police Exemplary Service Medal during this time.
In 2008, Loren was pegged by the Province of Manitoba to become the Coordinator of Aboriginal and Municipal Law Enforcement. Acting as the senior program coordinator, he led policing programs and policy changes related to Aboriginal and Municipal police agencies in Manitoba.
Those roles — in addition to the many boards he sat on and committees he was a member of after leaving Justice in 2011 — made a role in Municipal politics a natural fit for Loren.
In 2016, Loren made a successful run for Reeve as he wanted to use his experience to lead the administration and help it function in a better way. His main goal is to work with Council and the community to find solutions that make lives better for residents and improves the region.
Loren and his wife Deb have been married for 47 years and they have an adult son, Luke. Deb owns and operates Dance Plus in Winnipeg while Luke and his wife Chrissy both live and work in the community, operating Copper Connection Electric, LDB 4 Season Yard Works and Lake Life Farms Greenhouse and Garden Market. Loren and Deb are proud grandparents to Luke and Chrissy’s son, Mason, who Loren calls “simply priceless.”
In his time off from serving the community, you can find Loren enjoying the outdoor activities in Lac du Bonnet and the surrounding area, hunting, fishing, and spending time at his family and many friends.