True and Fascinating Canadian History
Mrs. M. Joy MacLaren
Philanthropist Extraordinaire
Some years ago, I received a mysterious phone call at our Ottawa home. It was a woman's voice, and she said that she would like to meet me. The woman identified herself as Mrs Joy MacLaren, and she asked, "Why not visit me for tea and wear your Red Serge." At the time, I did not know Mrs MacLaren's name nor the fact that she was counted among the wealthiest woman in Canada. She was known for years for her generous Canada wide philanthrophy gifts. I accepted Mrs McLaren's date for tea.
Mrs MacLaren never said how my name came to her attention, but it was wonderful for me to meet her for an afternoon visit. Our chat centered on her early life while growing up with her parents in Calgary, AB. I was especially delighted that she shared clear recollections of the RCMP’s first Police Service Dog 'Dale’.
Mrs. MacLaren’s school days began in Calgary, AB during the late 1920’s. Beginning about 1939, she attended McGill University in Montreal, QC and undertook a specialty as a Health Science Dietician. Her studies continued through the early to mid 1940’s. Interestingly, after so many years have passed, she continued to belong to the Society of Canadian Dieticians.
Her father, Mr. Eric Lafferty Harvie (1892-1975), a lawyer and petroleum entrepreneur, was born in Orillia, ON. He moved west and settled in Calgary. He specialized in Corporate Law, and was especially noted as being an insightful man who was also very generous with his time and energy for the sake of his children. In 1947, Leduc's No. 1 exploration oil well had hit a gusher on land owned by Mr. Harvie. Overnight, he was more wealthy than he ever imagined. He decided to give the money back by investing in Canada's history. His website stated, "By the time of his death Eric Harvie had donated about half a billion dollars (in current value) to Canada."
Mrs. MacLaren described her father as forward thinking in respect to preserving Canadian history. He realized that if he, among others, did not take action to preserve the history of the Canadian west then it would likely be lost. Mr. Harvie put his hopes into action. In 1966, he built the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. Over the years, many other Canadian cultural and social landmarks were also built through the generosity of Mr. Harvie’s endowments. The Harvie Foundations include: The Glenbow Museum, the Banff School of Fine Arts, the Luxton Museum, the Calgary Zoo, Heritage Park, and Confederation Square and Arts Complex in Charlottetown, PEI.
As a young school girl, Mrs. MacLaren recalled that she owned a horse. Her father loved the country life and the two of them spent hours riding together at their Glenbow Ranch, located near Cochrane about 22 miles outside Calgary. Originally, Glenbow was a railway station but over the years it evolved into the Glenbow Provincial Park and today consists of about 5 miles along the Bow River. The property remains in the extended Harvie family to this day.
Mrs. MacLaren recalled her early years at her Dad’s Glenbow Ranch. One component of the Ranch was the Glenbow Dog Kennels operated by Colonel Ernest Harwick of Cochrane, AB. About 1935, the RCMP was looking for land suitable to train dogs and dog handlers. The RCMP turned to Mr. Harvie and the ideal geography of the Glenbow Ranch. It was here that the first RCMP dogs including ‘Dale’, his son ‘Black Lux’ and ‘Sultan’ were housed along with other dogs managed by Colonel Harwick.
To this day, Mrs. MacLaren can fondly recall the Glenbow Kennels and the RCMP dogs. The RCMP’s first and most famous dog, Reg.#470, ‘Dale’ was purchased from another owner by the RCMP for $200. ‘Dale’ was first trained for police work by Colonel Hardwick, and he was also responsible for the training of Reg.#11462, Sergeant John Nicholson Cawsey, one of the RCMP’s first Dog Handlers.
Up until the mid 1930’s, RCMP members occasionally used privately owned dogs to assist them in criminal investigations such as; tracking criminals, searching illicit alcohol and stills, and finding lost persons or property. The offer to train dogs on the Glenbow property owned by Mrs. MacLaren’s father, Mr. Harvie, was a huge initial step which marked the earliest chapter in the development of the RCMP Police Service Dog Program.
Although the dogs were chained, one day Mrs. MacLaren wandered too closely and was bitten. Her leg wound was serious enough that it required medical treatment. Her scar is evident on her leg today.
As a matter of interest, ‘Dale’ fathered an RCMP pup named ‘Pilot’. ‘Pilot’ also distinguished himself by finding a $10,000 brooch lost in an Ottawa park by Princess Juliana of the Netherlands who lived in Ottawa during World War II.
The RCMP will always be appreciative for the kindness of Mr. Harvie and for his outlook to preserve Canadian history. His Ranch, on which the Glenbow Kennels sat, was the first training site for RCMP dogs. In 2013, almost 80 years after 'Dale', 'Black Lux' and 'Sultan' became official four legged members, the RCMP Police Service Dog Section is reputed to be world class. The dog’s first steps were taken at the Harvie Glenbow Ranch.
I am very appreciative to have met Mr. Harvie’s daughter, Mrs. M. Joy MacLaren, and for the opportunity to listen as she recalled fond memories of her childhood years and especially of ‘Dale’ of the Mounted Police.
How Mrs MacLaren ever thought to call me remains a bit of a mystery. And, the reasons for her decision to relate this short story to me about her childhood and the RCMP's famous 'Dale' is also part of the mystery. One could speculate that she realized that the end of her life was approaching and she might have been reflecting on positive aspects of her long life including her memorable childhood. In any case, I am deeply appreciative that Mrs MacLaren's life and mine intersected in her home over a cup of tea.
Mrs. MacLaren may have left all police officers with a little reminder about life and the police officer's career. And, it has everything to do with trust. Mrs. MacLaren did not want publicity for reasons to do with her immense wealth. She trusted that I would not betray her. She wanted to tell her story of the days when she was a little girl, but she also wanted privacy. So, it would have been a terrible transgression on my part to betray her trust. Mrs. MacLaren would have been very hurt. An abuse of any person's trust by a police officer also reflects poorly on the entire profession. In the world of law enforcement, it is crucial that all police officers work to build positive and long lasting relationships within the community.
Mrs. M. Joy MacLaren was a Member of the Order of Canada. Today, the generous philanthropy work of the Harvie Foundation will be continued in her name and in the name of her father.
Mrs. MacLaren died in November, 2014. I was sad on the day when I read her obituary.
