In 1920, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police became the stewards of a large Tudor Revival-style building sitting on several hectares of land in what is now known as the Cambie corridor. Built in 1914 on the ancestral lands of the Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, and Squamish First Nations, among others, the building began its life as a private boy’s school and later became a military hospital before the Mounties built their barracks and took up residence there.

In the past century, Fairmont Barracks has been our home, our training facility, our post garage, our stables, and much more. In the NCOs’ and Officers’ messes, our police officers have swapped stories and kept our traditions alive. Over the years, thousands of our employees have worked in the building’s offices, solving complex crimes—sometimes highly publicized, but often not—in a communal effort to keep all Canadians safe.

Donna Morse joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1974, becoming a member of Troop 17 1974/75, the first troop of women accepted into the Force as regular members. Now actively involved with the RCMP Veterans’ Association, Vancouver Division, Donna was acknowledged as a Life Member of the RCMP Heritage Centre in 2020, having become involved in supporting the Historical Collections Unit and the Pillars of the Force. Donna has authored three stories about her policing career, published in Red Coat Diaries: True Stories from the Women of the RCMP.

Ric Hall joined the Force in 1965, and became a member of the Emergency Response Teams, trained in counter-terrorist tactics by the British SAS, after which he served as Team Commander of the Special Emergency Response Team, Canada’s first full-time counter-terrorist unit. Having retired with the rank of Superintendent, he is now on the executive of the Vancouver Division of the RCMP Veterans’ Association and serves as their historian.

Donna Morse's profile page

Ric Hall's profile page