Yukon RCMP continues to support self-determination, and safe and healthy First Nations communities in the Yukon, within and beyond our policing role. In several communities, police have worked with local First Nations governments and communities to create visual symbols of this commitment around the detachment buildings.
The fifth annual planting of the Heart Garden at Whitehorse RCMP Detachment took place on June 7, 2023, after the Garden was first created in 2019 to honour residential school survivors and their families. All categories of police officers and employees worked with representatives of Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta'an Kwäch'än Council to plant flowers in the heart-shaped garden at the front of the headquarters building on Fourth Avenue. It is particularly meaningful to have the opportunity to work together on the garden each year and watch the flowers grow through summer.
A similar initiative in Old Crow has a unique northern twist. As it can be difficult to plant and maintain flowers, police with Old Crow RCMP worked with local residents and school students to create a rock and antler garden at the Detachment. Last year, the community was invited to paint stones to contribute to the garden as a long-lasting symbol of the relationship between the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and RCMP, and the RCMP commitment to reconciliation.
On National Indigenous Peoples Day and throughout the year, Yukon RCMP acknowledges the role that the RCMP played in many programs that impacted First Nations, including the role in the Yukon with respect to delivering children to residential schools. Despite this history, RCMP officers at detachment across the Yukon have been honoured to be welcomed into First Nation communities, programs, and events, and are grateful for opportunities such as the creations of these gardens that allow for learning and understanding history while working together towards a strong future.