75 years of RCMP service came to an end on April 1st.

The First Cloverdale RCMP Force in May 1951

The former RCMP in Cloverdale with the officer in front holding a picture of the original force in May 1951.😢

After more than seven decades of service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is preparing to say goodbye to policing in Cloverdale. While policing in Surrey is entering a new chapter, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the long and meaningful history the RCMP has shared with this community and to express our sincere gratitude for the trust and support you have shown our members over the years.  The RCMP first began policing Cloverdale in May of 1951, when eighteen members left the RCMP Headquarters in Vancouver to take up their new post. At that time, the Detachment was led by Corporal Bill Turner, and 17 RCMP Constables. The first RCMP members worked out of Surrey City Hall at 5900 Main Street in Cloverdale – known today as 177b Street, Surrey – laying the foundation for policing in what would become one of Surrey’s most historic and vibrant communities.

Over the years, the Cloverdale District Police suboffice became the cornerstone of neighbourhood policing. RCMP members built lasting relationships with residents, local businesses and the agricultural community and were a familiar presence at community events, including the beloved Cloverdale Rodeo and many other gatherings that celebrate the spirit of Cloverdale, Surrey.  In 1974, Constable Roger Pierlet of the Surrey RCMP, gave his life in the line of duty in Cloverdale, B.C. He stood for courage, service, and an enduring commitment to public safety – values that have guided generations of members who followed in his footsteps. The Const. Roger Pierlet overpass is now proudly located on Highway 15 near Highway 10 in Surrey, B.C., where dedication plaques remain to honour his sacrifice.  The work carried out here reflected the commitment of the RCMP. The commitment to service, community, and the people we were privileged to protect.

It has been an absolute privilege to police in Cloverdale and to call this community home for the past 75 years. On November 29, 2024, the Surrey Police Service became the police of jurisdiction of Surrey, marking the beginning of a historic new chapter for policing in the city. As the police transition continues, the RCMP remains committed to serving the District 2 – the Guildford/Fleetwood area of Surrey.  On April 1, 2026, the RCMP will depart from the Cloverdale District 4 policing area to make way for the Surrey Police Service as they continue to expand their operations. To the residents of Cloverdale – thank you for welcoming our members into your neighbourhoods, businesses, and your community traditions. Thank you for the trust you placed in the RCMP for generations. Our photos taken represent Surrey RCMP in 1951 to a recent complement of RCMP members to replicate our history.  As we say farewell to the Cloverdale District, we do so with pride in the legacy built here and with deep appreciation for every employee and community member in this city. The history of this Cloverdale community, and the service given by those who wore the Red Serge here, will always remain an important part of the story of policing in Surrey.

It's April!

 

Tuesday laughs

It works for me.  How about you?

 

Goodbye Global TV News

On Saturday night at 6:40 PM four blocks from where we live, there was another gang shooting.  We didn't hear the shots but heard about all the police that were in attendance.  One person was shot and killed.  At 11:00 PM, I put on Global BC News.  No reporting of this event hours before.

I've seen the changes in Global News.  They replay the 6:00 PM news at 11:00 PM!  No new news.  If you've seen the news at 6, you've seen it all for the rest of the day.  

The traffic helicopter is gone.  They pick up clips from Drive BC!  Journalists out on the field are fewer.  I googled it and this is what I found:

In September 2025, they laid off 45-46 employees, primarily in B.C. and Alberta, including 26 journalists. These cuts, part of a "restructuring" due to falling ad revenues and high debt, follow multiple rounds of layoffs in 2023 and 2024, including the closure of some local stations.

We started watching BBC news at 10 PM or 11 PM.  We see what happened overnight in the middle east.  The news from the US is not filtered as it is on Fox, CNN, and MS Now.  We get our US news from this network.  There was a very interesting interview today from some of the Epstein survivors.  They will never appear on US TV.

Good-bye Global, we've enjoyed your news for years.  Hello City TV, CBC or CTV.  We will check them all and see which one we like best.  I'm leaning toward Ian Hanomansing as he's a great news anchor.

Sunday funnies

  

The old days of photography

Selfies. It seems like everywhere you look these days someone is holding their phone up taking a photo of themselves or of the group they’re with. It didn’t used to be like that. It wasn’t a thing to do way back when. Sure, people tried to hold the camera up and guess that the shot was framed properly. It was just a guess. Plus, you had to be carrying a camera with you. That was something you would mainly do if you were on holiday. And you had better be packing extra rolls of film.

It was always a bit of a guessing game, especially if you were sporting a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye. Push the button and hope for the best was all you could do back then. And you couldn’t enjoy the photo right on the spot as you can these days; you had to take the roll to the drug store or camera store and wait for them to develop the film, which in some cases could take a couple of days. And of course, once you got the photos back, you’d discover how many were out of focus, or just a bad shot.

Those were the days when nobody was packing a phone that doubles as a camera! Your phone was attached to the wall of your house. Camera and phone were two different animals. Phone and watch was a thing, but only if your name was Dick Tracy!

But there was one way of getting a selfie, well, sort of a selfie, and that was to get captured walking down the street, usually Granville Street, by a man with a metal box on wheels and a camera mounted on top. A Vancouver legend, Foncie Pulice was his name and he became famous in Vancouver as the man on the street with a camera who took millions of pictures of ordinary people just walking along.

Foncie started out shooting for other companies but decided to start his own business in 1946 and kept snapping shots until his retirement in 1979. Most of his pictures are those taken on the east side of the 700-block of Granville, and that’s where I remember seeing him on my trips downtown.

The photos were usually a full-length shot of you, or you and your friends just walking down the street. He would try to make eye contact to make sure the person wanted to be photographed. He didn’t need to worry about adjusting the focus; when the subject stepped on a certain spot on the sidewalk, Foncie would snap the shot. Some were candid shots, or if you saw he was aiming at you, you could put on your best smile. Either way, Foncie had captured you, being you!

After a full day snapping shots on the street, Foncie and his wife, Anne, would develop the film at home. Then, the next day, he would take the proofs to his store downtown. Anne would handle the store while Foncie went back on the street to shoot more photos. Customers could redeem the coupon he had given them and purchase their photo. How much did he charge? Well, back in the 1940s you could get three photos for 50 cents!

Foncie was snapping photos on the streets of Vancouver for 45 years. He would work long hours, sometimes into the evenings, six days a week. The business of street photography started to die out in the early to mid-70s as more and more people owned their own cameras, and of course these days, with the camera in your phone, it wouldn’t stand a chance of survival.

Foncie retired and hung up his camera on September 27, 1979. He and his wife Anne, moved to the Okanagan. Foncie passed away in 2003 at the age of 88. His wife, Anne, lived to be 97 and passed away in 2011.

He was so much a part of the old days of Vancouver, and a lot has been written about him and his photos. 

Are your affairs in order?

I saw this post online.  I don't know if everything applies to where I live, but I thought it was great advice.  I've been executrix for three people.  The best advice to give people is put someone you trust as a signatory on your bank accounts.  It makes everything so much easier.  

Our affairs are all in order.  It's detailed and easy for anyone to find.   

When my husband's mother passed away, she prepaid her funeral expenses in 1950!  The funeral director was stunned at how much the price increased.  After she was buried, we prepaid our funerals too!  

This information is for those of you who don’t have your affairs in order. Make sure all bank accounts have direct beneficiaries. The beneficiary need only go to the bank with your death certificate and an ID of their own.  

We opted to put a beneficiary on our bank accounts.

**You cannot "TOD" Transfer On Death in British Columbia.  However, you can add someone to your title so when you pass, it is theirs with no taxes.

- TOD = Transfer On Death deed if you own a home. Completing this document and filing it with the court saves your heirs thousands. This document allows you to transfer ownership of your home to your designee. All they need to do is take their ID and your Death Certificate and they will then have the deed signed over. Doing this will avoid the home having to go through probate. 

- Living Will: Allows one to put in writing exactly what you want done in the event you cannot speak for yourself when it comes to healthcare decisions. 

- Durable Power of Attorney: Allows one to designate a person to make legal decisions if one is no longer competent to do so. 

- Power of Attorney for Healthcare: This document allows one to designate someone to make healthcare decisions for their person. 

- Last Will and Testament: Designates to whom personal belongings will go too.

- Funeral Planning Declaration: States one’s wishes as far as disposition of the body and the service/s. 

- If the above documents are completed, you can AVOID probate. If all the above is not done, you have to open an estate account at the bank. All money that doesn’t have direct beneficiaries goes into this account. You have to have your executor to open the estate account. The executor also has to publicize your death in the newspaper or post publication at the courthouse, to allow anyone to make a claim on your property. - It’s a complete nuisance. 

- Make a list of all banks and account numbers, all investment institutions with account numbers, lists of credit cards, utility accounts, etc. Leave clear instructions as to how and when these things are paid. Make sure heirs knows where life insurance policies are located. 

- Make 100% sure SOMEONE knows your Apple ID, bank ID account logins and passwords!

- Make sure you have titles for all automobiles, campers, motorcycles etc

- MOST IMPORTANTLY!- Talk with those closest to you and make all your wishes KNOWN. Talk to those whom you’ve designated, as well as those close to you whom you did not designate. - Do this to explain why your decisions were made and to avoid any lingering questions or hurt feelings. 

Hope this lights a spark to encourage all your friends and family to take care of these things and to make it easier for those we all leave behind. There is no template for these documents. these are quite simply, written documents, in your own words, and an exercise in just instructing your wishes to be carried out in detail in plain English. 

The above list at least helps you start an important conversation with your loved ones.

If any of my legal friends finds something wrong, please let me know.  My legal knowledge is from Judge Judy!