The regiment’s funeral was held in Richmond, where Young lived with his wife Simone, and was attended by thousands of first responders who traveled from across Canada and parts of the United States to pay their respects. Yang’s cousin Ash Tan delivered a eulogy on behalf of her family and described the constable, who worked in the Burnaby RCMP detachment’s mental health and homeless outreach team, as having a lifelong dedication to helping others. “Shaelyn Yang has always been a hero,” Tan said. “All her family and friends who loved her and were so proud of her, we always knew that.” Before becoming a Mountie, Yang volunteered with the Richmond RCMP victim services unit. She also volunteered with BC Cancer and Canadian Blood Services. “Everything she did was defined by her empathy, her compassion and her belief that she could change the world,” Tan said. “He helped anyone he could because he had faith in them. He had faith that we – each one of us – could make this world a better place.” She did so despite facing what her family described as “the kind of adversity that can really change a person”. “He faced so much adversity,” Tan said. “But as I got to know her, she only became warmer and kinder than before.” Family friend Jamie Simpson spoke on behalf of his partner Yang and described the loving home they built after they married in 2019 and adopted their dog, Barbara. When Young faced a tough RCMP training program in Regina, Simone visited her every two weeks for six months to support her dream of becoming an officer. “It’s an honor to know Shae,” Simpson said. “She was principled — in a way that helped the people around her to be better, to be better, to be more compassionate, to be less judgmental.” Simpson also described the deceased as someone with unorthodox tastes – she preferred rainy weather and her favorite color was black, he said. “At her wedding, she wore white trainers with little red hearts and a red tuxedo,” Simpson added. Yang was stabbed to death last month during an altercation in Burnaby’s Broadview Park, where she had been called to help city staff talk to a person living in a tent. The incident left many first responders shaken. More than 2,000 RCMP officers gathered to watch Yang laid to rest Wednesday, along with nearly as many municipal police officers, paramedics, firefighters and members of the Canadian Armed Forces. The event began with a funeral procession that ran along Russ Baker Way, crossed the Fraser River at Gilbert Road and continued to the Richmond Olympic Oval, the only indoor venue in the city with the capacity to accommodate such a huge crowd. Once inside, the service opened with an emotional rendition of O Canada by RCMP Const. Destiny Symonds and remarks by Chaplain Patrick Tracy of the Burnaby RCMP Detachment. “Shae showed a kind appreciation for those she met on both sides of the mark,” Tracy said. “She was loved during her journey by those too many to name – you know who you are.” In lieu of flowers, the statement said donations can be made in Young’s name to a number of causes that were close to her heart, including the BC SPCA and Honor House. An online book of condolence is also available and can be signed via email or by visiting the Burnaby RCMP detachment. Despite the huge turnout of officers at Wednesday’s service, Peter German, former deputy commissioner of the RCMP, said the police force would have remained well-staffed during the event, with some bringing in help from neighboring detachments as needed. “The public can be assured that all calls for service are being answered, all 911 calls are being answered. There are personnel in all of the municipal police departments and offices as you would normally see,” Germanos told CTV News. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Regan Hasegawa and Lisa Steacy
