Today, we commemorate the 150^th Anniversary of the RCMP.

The RCMP has a longstanding and complex history in our country and in our region.

On May 23, 1873, Canadian Parliament passed an act that allowed for the creation of the North-West Mounted Police. By the following summer, 300 recruits set out on the infamous “March West” to set up posts across the country.

By the 1890s, the Peace Country saw regular patrols of the North-West Mounted Police and in 1909, Staff Sergeant K. F. Anderson was the first “Mountie” of the re-named “Royal” North-West Mounted Police to arrive in Grande Prairie.

The following year, Corporal S. G. Clay established a one-man detachment and built a barracks on the Clifford Homestead at Flying Shot Lake.

Between 1918 and 1932, the newly named “Royal Canadian Mounted Police” opened and closed their Grande Prairie detachment four times as the Alberta Provincial Police and town constables were responsible for most of Grande Prairie’s policing during this period.

In 1932, the Alberta Provincial Police were disbanded and the RCMP again established a detachment in Grande Prairie at the old Post Office on 100 Street downtown.

On July 1, 1943, the RCMP took over all policing responsibilities in the Town as the civilian constables were disbanded.

Since that time, the RCMP has served Grande Prairie as its police of jurisdiction.

The City is truly grateful for the dedication of the officers who have served our community throughout our history.

As we commemorate 150 years of RCMP service, we want to recognize RCMP for their efforts to modernize and use trauma-informed approaches as a step to reconcile with Indigenous and other marginalized communities. We appreciate the work the RCMP is undertaking in this regard.

While a new chapter in Grande Prairie’s history book is about to be written, with the creation of the Grande Prairie Police Service, the City extends our gratitude for the commitment of the hundreds of RCMP members who have served for over 120 years.

We look forward to continuing working with the RCMP in many ways as we serve our city together.

To symbolize the positive relationship that will exist between the RCMP and the Grande Prairie Police Service, I’m excited to announce today that the City and RCMP are developing a challenge coin that will feature both police services’ logos on either side of the coin. We look forward to sharing more information in the future.

On behalf of City Council, I recognize and commemorate 150 years of RCMP serving Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

- Jackie Clayton, Grande Prairie Mayor