RCMP Appreciation Day has special meaning in Vernon

Feb 1, 2022 | 12:45 PM Pete McIntyre

Today is RCMP Appreciation Day in B.C., an event that got its start in Vernon.

The day was officially proclaimed by the province on Feb. 1, 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Canada.

L-R: MP Mel Arnold, MLA Eric Foster, RCMP Insp. Kevin Keane and Vernon councillor Kari Gares as RCMP Day on Feb. 1 is proclaimed at the Greater Vernon Museum in December, 2019. (Pete McIntyre/Vernon Matters file photo)

“Their efforts and committment to the safety and security of all Canadians are part of the fabric of the nation,” said a statement from the B.C. government.

The RCMP Appreciation Day committee in Vernon said it was able to get a new proclamation from the province for the third annual event this year.

“Please take the time to be thankful on this day for our RCMP men and women serving and having served who protect our communities everyday. God bless you all and thank you for your service,” the committee said on its Facebook page.

Local organizers, including Martin von Holst and Guy Bailey, spearheaded a petition that generated more than 1,000 names in support of an appreciation event for the Mounties. The petition was handed over to the MLA for Vernon-Monashee at that time, Eric Foster, in 2019, and Foster championed the cause with his colleagues in Victoria.

Happy RCMP Appreciation Day! We’d like to take a moment to recognize our hard-working Members across Canada. Our Members do so much within our communities from coast to coast to coast and continue to be a great Canadian symbol of heroism! pic.twitter.com/FJ3NgqZTD4

— NPF-FPN (@npffpn) February 1, 2022

(NPF-FPN/Twitter)

Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming issued a statement, offering sincere gratitude to all the members and staff of the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP Detachment for their “selfless dedication to duty and service in our region.”

“Thank you for your steadfast commitment to public safety. We know this commitment often means putting yourselves in harm’s way to protect others. We have seen you do this time and again, in some of the most difficult circumstances. Thank you for this sacrifice to help keep the rest of us safe each and every day,” said Cumming.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was established on Feb. 1, 1920 when the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, founded in 1873, and the Dominion Police, founded in 1868, merged.