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The Edmonton Corn Maze was awash in RCMP red Saturday as hundreds of families turned out to try the Mountie-themed labyrinth — with almost no hint of the controversy the design attracted earlier this year.
The RCMP Day at the Maze was a chance for the public to meet RCMP officers, get close to police vehicles and equipment, and explore the maze, shaped like a saluting Mountie in honour of the force’s 150th anniversary.
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Organizers earlier issued an apology, however, after apparent backlash online over the RCMP’s colonial history and complicated place in Canadian society.
“It was a bit more than we were expecting,” maze owner and operator Jesse Kraay said Saturday. “We’re here to celebrate the work the RCMP is doing now. It’s the history that they’ve had, but we like the good work they’re doing and the people and the future that policing is going to be in Canada.”
The corn maze — located in Spruce Grove — is known for its creative designs, paying homage to the local sports teams, businesses and charity groups over its 23-year history.
Kraay and his team start work when the corn is six inches tall, plotting out the 10-acre maze and tilling away the kilometres of paths that form the design.
In July, after its 2023 design was made public, organizers apparently encountered criticism for the RCMP design.
The maze acknowledged the “hurt and harm that the RCMP’s history has caused in different communities,” and “that such a portrayal may be perceived as insensitive and dismissive of these valid issues. We are sorry.”
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It was not clear who raised an issue with the design or where, but the post was later deleted. Kraay later said the initial message failed to acknowledge his organization’s support for law enforcement.
“We posted a statement on Friday in response to some of the initial feedback that we received from our maze design,” he said at the time. “We thought it was important to acknowledge the sometimes problematic history of the RCMP and the impact it has had on different communities over the past 150 years.”
He added: “We in no way wanted to diminish or devalue the good work that they do. The maze design recognizes this 150-year milestone. We thank them for their service.”
The maze opened July 26 this year and will continue until Oct. 22 or possibly later depending on weather.
Saturday’s event included RCMP members from tactical, canine, drone and water rescue teams, as well as recruiters and former members.
RCMP Sgt. Maj. Leilani Collins said the maze approached them about the design, and that reaction in the community has been positive.
“It is a very historic organization over many years, but really what we are now is a modern police force,” she said. “So that’s what we’re here about today, to showcase those things.”
jwakefield@postmedia.com
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