In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday this year, the RCMP’s Westman Traffic Services Unit held a police car naming contest in eight schools within the Westman area.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police traces its history back to May of 1873 when the Parliament of Canada established the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) to police the vast North West, which encompassed today’s provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as the Northwest, Yukon, and Nunavut Territories.
The North West Mounted Police has a rich history in Manitoba. A Force of 150 Mounties was assembled over the winter of 1873/1874 at Fort Garry (now Winnipeg). After a hard cold winter of training, an additional 150 members joined the original contingent at Fort Dufferin near Emerson in the spring of 1874. From here, 275 Mounties departed on the famous March West to eliminate the illegal whiskey trading in the area around Fort Whoop Up (near today’s Lethbridge, AB) and to establishing detachments across the prairies.
The Force, as it’s called, has grown from those 150 members in 1873 to approximately 18,300 Regular Members (Police Officers) and 10,000 civilian employees today in 712 detachments across the country. In 1904, King Edward VII authorized the prefix “Royal”, and the Force became the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP). In 1920 the RNWMP joined with the Dominion Police to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and expanded to eastern Canada.
The Westman Traffic Services Unit, often better known by the former name of ‘Highway Patrol’, is located in Minnedosa, and supplements the local RCMP detachments providing traffic enforcement throughout the Westman area. The unit primarily focuses on patrolling the Trans-Canada Highway, the Yellowhead Highway and Highway 10 from the United States border to Riding Mountain National Park.
The unit is composed of one sergeant, one corporal, seven constables, and two support staff, with nine police vehicles. In the past, some members named their vehicles just for fun. The RCMP has a long history based on various traditions. Our forefathers of the North West Mounted Police rode horses, and of course named their mounts. In honour of this tradition, the Westman Traffic Services unit engaged elementary students across the Westman area to submit names for each police vehicle. The RCMP Musical Ride horses, and Police Dogs are named in similar national contests.
The Mountie responsible for each car chose his/her favourite name of those submitted. Each winning student was presented with a certificate of achievement signed by Assistant Commissioner Scott Kolody, Commanding Officer of the RCMP’s ‘D’ Division (Manitoba); Inspector Edward Moreland, the Officer in Command of ‘D’ Division Traffic Services; and the officer who drives the police vehicle. The student was also presented with a stuffed RCMP Musical Ride horse. All the students in the class were presented with RCMP stickers and tattoos, and were given a tour of the police car. The students quite enjoyed playing with the emergency lights and siren, and sitting in the back of the police vehicles. Hopefully, they don’t find themselves back their when they grow up.
Below are the winning students from Goulter School & Mary Montgomery School in Virden, the name of the cars they submitted and the responsible police officer(s).
• Myla Gabrielle, Goulter School (Virden); Police Vehicle – 2B45; Police Vehicle Name – Klondike Kate ; RCMP Member – Cpl. Derrick McDiarmid
• Hudson Davidson, Goulter School (Virden); Police Vehicle – 2B46; Police Vehicle Name – Dufferin ; RCMP Member – Cpl. Derrick McDiarmid
• Reed McGrath, Mary Montgomery School (Virden); Police Vehicle – 2B47; Police Vehicle; Name – Vortex ; RCMP Member – Cst. Chris Maier
Myla Gabrielle of Goulter School named police vehicle 2B45The name chosen was Klondike Kate, and the RCMP member was Corporal Derrick McDiarmid.(l-r) Constable Chris Maier, Myla Gabrielle, Corporal Derrick Macdiarmid.
(l-r) Corporal Derrick Macdiarmid, Myla Gabrielle, teacher Mr. Noseworthy
Hudson Davidson of Goulter School named police vehicle 2B46. The name chosen was Dufferin, and the RCMP member was Corporal Derrick McDiarmid.(l-r) Constable Chris Maier, Hudson Davidson, Corporal Derrick Macdiarmid.
(l-r)): Corporal Derrick Macdiarmid & Hudson Davidson
Reed McGrath of Mary Montgomery School named police vehicle 2B47. The name chosen was Vortex, and the RCMP member was Constable Chris Maier.(l-r) Reed Mcgrath and Constable Chris Maier.
(l-r) Reed Mcgrath and Constable Chris Maier.
