A pair of days honoring those who put their lives on the line everyday were passed at this week's Town Council Meeting.

Council has officially proclaimed Feb. 1 as Royal Canadian Mounted Police Day in Okotoks.

Bill Robertson, Mayor of Okotoks, says it's important for the town to recognize the commitment from the RCMP in keeping the community safe.

"The RCMP are the traditional police force for Canada and have all kinds of history and we're so pleased they do a great job of policing Okotoks. We are of course, according to a recent Maclean's magazine survey, the least dangerous place in all of Alberta and we're only at number 16 out of 237 in all of Canada for being the least dangerous place."

A group of leadership students from St. Mary's School brought up the importance of recognizing the day locally to Robertson when they learned it was being observed in other Canadian towns.

Robertson then brought the idea forward to council who passed the motions on Jan. 27.

A resolution was made at an AUMA meeting to have the Alberta government proclaim Feb. 1 as RCMP Day annually across the province but Robertson says there's been no word from the government on putting that in place.

Robertson explains that the second day passed at the meeting encompasses all first responders.

"The First Responders Day of course is for our other Municipal Enforcement, our great protective services personnel, the fire fighters, and our ambulance workers and medical technicians who work to create safety in our community. That's going to be on May 1."

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the amalgamation of the Canadian Dominion Police Force and the Northwest Mounted Police to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

A ceremony will be taking place Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. at the Okotoks RCMP Detachment where Robertson will recognize local officers for their hard work and dedication.

 

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