Editor:
I would like to thank the communities along the Sunshine Coast for their outpouring of support for our police officers. It sure was evident at our community barbecue last Thursday. We were blown away by the huge crowds. The number of people who came up to me personally to thank us for our service was overwhelming. We handed out over 500 hot dogs and smokies and everyone thanked us and went out of their way to let us know how much we are appreciated. We are only as strong as our supporters and we cannot do it without the help of our community.
I also want to thank our families, our support staff, our detention guards, janitors, groundskeepers, our community volunteers and policing partners. Behind every uniform are dozens of support persons keeping us going. We had several community partners with us at the barbecue demonstrating their commitment to the safety and security of our residents and a good time was had by all. We look forward to the next barbecue in August 2021.
This is the sixth community I have resided in as a police officer, and it is one of, if not the prettiest places to live. We have beautiful ocean shorelines, warm clean lakes, green trees, sunshine and amenities galore. There is no shortage of things to do.
For the first few months of my new post, I would walk around the office and lean over my coworkers and say, “You know we get to live here, right?” I think people thought I was crazy, but it’s easy to get used to living here and forget how lucky we are. When you have worked in other places, you have a different perspective and you appreciate what each community brings to your life.
Policing always has its challenges, but I never once thought my biggest challenge as a commander would be staffing this heaven on earth; I thought I would be turning people away in droves.
Police officers come and go from the Coast and every one of us makes the Sunshine Coast our home while we are here. Some stay forever, some move on for different opportunities or the next move toward being closer to family. We have to agree to be posted anywhere in Canada and a lot of officers end up hundreds of miles away from family and support networks and yearn to go home. Speaking from experience, it takes a lot to uproot your family and your life to move across Canada to a new community. Those moves can either make or break your retirement goals. Having to sell in a slow or downturn market can devastate a financial plan and limit options. Not all officers who make a decent salary are in a financial position to make a purchase. The Sunshine Coast definitely is a great place to come and raise a family and we were lucky that our family situation allowed for us to purchase.
I was candid during the Gibsons council meeting when asked about the challenges recruiting RCMP officers to the Coast. Recently we had three experienced officers who crunched the numbers, and despite their desire to move here, they could not make it work. I’m glad they were honest because once you’re posted, the RCMP policy around transfers is very strict and you cannot just change your mind or pick up and move right away. With the new mortgage rules, some of my officers do not qualify for a mortgage period, or what is available in their price range does not work for their personal situation and their only option is to rent. In this market, finding affordable rentals can be challenging – especially when you’re a newcomer, and you don’t have the friends and family network to help hook you up.
After the article in the newspaper, I received a flood of emails, phone calls and letters offering rental properties to my officers. I cannot tell you how many people came out of the woodwork and expressed a desire to help our staff feel welcomed to the Coast and housed in safe, affordable homes. I cannot thank you all enough.
I have shared this information with my officers and I am expecting a wave of new officers arriving to the Coast in the coming months and to those who offered housing, please know you may start to receive calls soon.
On behalf of my detachment officers and staff, I want to say again, thank you to the Sunshine Coast for making us all feel welcomed and supported.
Staff Sergeant Poppy Hallam, Detachment Commander, Sunshine Coast RCMP
