When you ask someone how they got started in their career, you will often hear that they had a strong desire to take on their chosen path – 'I've always loved cooking so I became a chef' or you might hear, 'I always wanted to help the ill and injured so I became a doctor.' Ruby Burns always thought she wanted to be a teacher. Her early career at Annapolis Royal Regional Academy was exactly what Ruby had hoped for, but everything changed the day Ruby came home to find her house had been broken into.
Ruby, and a fellow teacher, were renting a home in Annapolis Royal that was a beautiful older farm house, filled with antiques of all descriptions. "We were so worried about what would happen us, what the landlord would think, because of the house being broken into," recalls Ruby. "But the RCMP officer who was put in charge of our case was very helpful, and it's because of him that I eventually joined the RCMP," she adds. It seems this officer recognized something in Ruby that would make her a great fit, and he talked with her about joining, even getting her the application forms to start her enlistment.
Of course, with a full-time job as a teacher already, Ruby was cautious in her approach to signing up. "I remember driving to the Bridgewater Detachment, and circling the block to make sure people didn't see that I was going in; it was a pretty small town," says Ruby with a laugh. "I even remember telling one person who saw me, that I was going to the dentist and started off in that direction before finally going into the detachment!" Ruby also remembers the reaction she got when she showed up with the proper application forms. "The officer behind the counter was really gruff with me asking how I got those papers and saying not just any Tom, Dick or Harry could get them. I just told him, I'm not any Tom, Dick or Harry, I'm Ruby Burns and I'm here to apply to the RCMP," she says.
It turns out Ruby's interest in joining the RCMP was a bit contagious as another of her fellow teachers also applied at the same time. "She and I were really concerned about what our school principal would think of us signing up, we both thought for sure he'd make us choose right then and there when we told him," says Ruby. To their surprise, he completely encouraged their applications to the Force, telling both women he was so proud of them and wished them luck with their upcoming interviews.
In the time between her initial application and interview, Ruby read everything she could het her hands on about the RCMP. "The more I learned about the Force, the more I liked the idea of joining," she says. "I saw opportunities to see other parts of Canada, to have lots of different experiences, and I knew this was what I truly was meant to do." And then one day after teaching, Ruby came home and her roommate was excitedly telling her that everyone was looking for her, there'd been someone at their house to drop of a letter, which was a pretty big deal in those days. That's when she found out she'd been accepted and would be heading to RCMP Depot for training as part of only the third all female troop.
At Depot, one of Ruby's bunk mates was Line Carbonneau, who would eventually go on to become a Deputy Commissioner with the RCMP. "We were a great pair," says Ruby fondly. "Line and I ran together almost every night, and she helped me in so many ways. I helped her with her English and you know what comes around goes around," says Ruby, "Line remains a good friend of mine to this day." One of Ruby's best memories about rooming with Line was that as they got closer to graduation, each night before going to bed Line would count down the days they had left. "Hey Ruby, she would say, only 20 days to go, or however many we had left," remembers Ruby fondly about each of those nights.
Life was full of learning during her time at Depot, and it was also the same for many of the Instructors. "It was pretty obvious, many of them didn't know what to do with us women," recalls Ruby. But there were some who left a lasting impression. During her law classes for instance, the instructor would always teach using Peter Rabbit characters in his examples. Ruby recalls this instructor knew the law inside and out, and he really was able to make his teachings stick, thanks to making complex concepts easy to understand…at least when Peter Rabbit was involved!
Ruby remembers that teamwork was key to getting through Depot. "We did everything together as a troop, and new troops were arriving about every 4 months," she recalls. "Our troop gelled quickly and I remember on a Friday night we had to do a stand to in the Drill Hall. Well, we had to all agree on what we'd wear so we decided we'd run over there in our heeled shoes, with knee highs, our short skirts, silk shirt and brown serge jackets," says Ruby. "When the Drill Sergeant arrived, he almost couldn't keep it together," she laughs. Ruby's experience at Depot was filled with all the things she had hoped for – challenges and exciting learning, building great friendships, and getting a start on learning more about Canada from those who came from across the country, just like she had.
Graduating from Depot, Ruby's first posting was to Selkirk, Manitoba where she would be the very first woman RCMP member in the rural detachment. Summers during her time in Manitoba, she'd get posted up to Grand Marais, staying in barracks at the detachment, right across from the cells. There were also opportunities to come to Ottawa, to get an orientation to the Force, and Ruby was keen to take up on that. "I remember my first few days in Ottawa, I was saluting everyone I saw, until a senior member finally told me, 'Burns, cut out that damn saluting. You're gonna wear out that arm!'" While Ruby enjoyed her time in Ottawa, and getting a broader perspective on the Force, she wanted to get back to Manitoba. She enjoyed shift work, and the balance it allowed between work and life. Ruby would head to Winnipeg and join the General Investigation Section. Along the way, she'd also spend time in Australia for additional learning, and so, everything Ruby had hoped for, about seeing Canada and the world, was coming true.
Ruby's career would see her accepting a promotion to Corporal and heading to Depot, a further promotion to Sergeant while there, and then heading back to Ottawa to lead a team looking at new video training practices. Promotions to Staff Sergeant would also come and see Ruby working at the Canadian Police College, being asked to support the Calgary Olympics, and then being added to the Commissioner's Audit Team. Ruby's connection to PEI would finally be made while she was a Staff Sergeant, with her Officer Candidate Development Program application underway. Turns out a move to PEI not only got Ruby to yet another part of Canada, but would see her wearing an officer's white shirt as she was promoted to Inspector with the Regional Audit Unit. A year later came another promotion to Superintendent and Ruby assumed the duties of Criminal Operations Officer. One last move for Ruby, and a promotion to boot, would see her heading off to Newfoundland taking on the position of Chief Superintendent In-Charge for Human Resources Atlantic Region. Ruby loved her time there, but at the end of her career, she'd come back to PEI.
When asked what she would tell young women today thinking of joining the RCMP, Ruby's answer is emphatic. "Go for it, be open minded, it's a great organization with great opportunities for anyone," she says. "You know, life can give us a bag of apples, and there might be a bad one in the bag," she adds, "but it's how you choose to react that can make all the difference. Be mature, be professional, stand for your principles, and you'll have an amazing career," she says. To this day, Ruby says many of the male counterparts she met through her career are like the brothers she never had, and she learned so much from all of them.
Ruby's final thoughts are this, "My 35 years in the force flew by and there it was retirement day. When retirement is looming, there is so much to do in deciding where to live, to build, or rent, cleaning out an office, discarding uniforms and completing forms for health and insurance purposes. I wish I had carved out some time to have contacted all the many people I crossed paths with during my service who helped me in my training, growth and development. Some I only knew for short periods but their time and advice was still valuable to me while others have become and remained lifelong friends."