New provincial legislation is being celebrated by the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service.
Bill 175 received royal assent recently and paves the way for NAPS to become a fully mandated police force.
Officials say they have fought for years for lesiglators to mandate NAPS under the Police Services Act, and the days of First Nations policing being run as a program may soon be over.
The new legislation will allow First Nation police to have the same legal status and be subject to the same rules as all other Ontario police.