When Gord Stewart arrived in Creston from Nova Scotia less than three years ago he assumed he would have a long stay in his job as commander of the local RCMP detachment. The offer of a different position has changed all that.
“My intent was to be here for a long period of time,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for anything else, but the offer of a job in Kelowna was too tempting to pass up.”
While Stewart will continue to be a staff sergeant, his role will be to act as a resource person for detachment commanders throughout the Southeast District, which extends from the Okanagan to the Alberta border. He will provide additional resources, including training, and oversee some projects for the entire district. Twenty detachments and 28 sub-detachments will benefit from his extensive experience.
“This position is one of the few that I would leave Creston for,” he said.
Stewart and his wife, Maureen, who works for Canadian Border Services, are parents of two boys, 13 and 15, so they won’t be making the move to Kelowna until the school year ends.
He expects his replacement could arrive before then, at which point he will surrender his local duties and begin his new job while working out of Creston.
“Creston has been a great community for myself and my family and I think the community has been well served by a great detachment,” he said.
Stewart cites the genuine sense of community spirit he has encountered in the Creston Valley.
“The RCMP and partner agencies really work together to solve problems — everyone believes we can take care of our own issues,” he said. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better group of elected officials. We have agreed on most things, but when we haven’t there has been a willingness on all sides to consider other points of view.”