Mystery of Vegreville RCMP Detachment Finally Uncovered

Arthur Beaudette News Advertiser

For years there have been rumors and much speculation about the construction of the new (and now current) Vegreville RCMP detachment. It all started when the location became known.

For those readers not familiar with Vegreville, the detachment is located on Highway 16A on the west end of town, just West of the intersection where Tim Horton’s and Boston Pizza sit. This also puts it across the highway from Walmart.

Once the location was public, there was a rash of jokes about the sky-bridge or overhead walkway that was to be built so the officers could walk over to Timmy’s for coffee. Clearly, that did not happen.

Another less popular theory was that there was a tunnel from the detachment to Tim Horton’s. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I know many people who depend on Tim Horton’s daily to keep their world in order. From a pure coffee angle, a tunnel is absurd. However, a tunnel for other reasons is not a new view.

In the US there has been speculation that Walmart was connecting to the US underground tunnel network. Some reports surfaced after Walmart’s shocking and abrupt decision to shut down 5 of its stores, each for 6 months, in 4 different states (Pico Rivera, CA; Midland, TX; Livingston, TX; Tulsa, OK; Brandon, FL). Apparently, employees were given only five hours’ notice. Truckers in the US have also reported driving in these tunnel systems.

This may sound like tall tales, but what we have revealed has proven that real life is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Many of our readers can connect the dots. You see my name on the Blotter every week. To write the Blotter I spend time at the detachment weekly and have the opportunity to speak to both RCMP members and civilian staff. I have asked repeatedly for a tour of the new detachment, but have never been granted this access. Even when on a ride-along, I was quickly collected from wandering the halls.

For years this left me very curious and passing it off as security just didn’t feel right.

Clearly, certain areas are offlimits but the truth finds its way to the surface eventually. A few months ago I was forwarded pictures and information outlining what really lies beneath the Vegreville detachment. The source is someone I had met over the years working inside the detachment and spoken to on many occasions. They also provided other contacts involved in the construction of the building who corroborated the information.

Hidden in plain sight is indeed the entrance to what appears to be a small room or broom closet. I was told that this, however, does lead to another door with a short passageway to a tunnel. When pressed, my source also indicated that there was a small elevator system deeper in the building for regular access and to move large objects.

When I met with the contacts who were involved in the construction, one showed me photos of blueprints which clearly showed an elevator shaft and the originally mentioned walkway. There was no indication of direction on that portion of prints, but I was told the tunnel started heading south (yes, towards Walmart). The construction crew only completed the work about 100’ and were told that space was for storage. Curiously, the end wall they finished was not reinforced concrete but rather block construction with a separate support structure.

Of the photos I was provided, one shows a finished tunnel likely taken with a cell phone. Details were hard to make out due to poor lighting but it seemed clear to me that the construction was professional and very long. My source indicated that the “storage” area was the entrance to the tunnel and later finished by other crews who may not have even known where they were working. They have seen these at more than one posting.

Unfortunately, this leaves more questions than answers. While we have definitive proof that there is, in fact, a tunnel from the RCMP detachment, we are left wondering if it ties into the rumored Walmart tunnel system or if it is something else entirely. Not long after gathering all of the information, my contact’s number was no longer in service and they stopped replying to emails before that also was no longer in existence.

Before we publish this story I will have been at the detachment for another Blotter meeting. Should you no longer see the Blotter or if my name is no longer on the credit, you can draw your own conclusions. I’m quite confident I will not vanish or anything crazy like that, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that it’s April Fools Day 2020! This story was a prank, totally made up and I hope you enjoyed the read. - AB