Upcoming public consultations aimed at keeping RCMP in Alberta

   By Alan Kausy

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have officially served Alberta rural communities for 90 years. Still, the current UCP government is investigating the possibility of replacing all members with a new Provincial Police Force (PPF).

There are 117 detachments within Alberta, and the RCMP employs approximately 3500 members who serve 21 First Nations communities and over 300 municipalities. RCMP members engage with rural communities by maintaining relationships with schools and rural crime watch organizations while keeping citizens informed of various criminal activities and strategies.

The ‘Fair Deal Panel’ was a UCP initiative that consulted with Albertans to develop strategies to increase the level of fairness relative to their economic relationship with the federal government. Replacing the RCMP with a PPF was very low on the priority list.

The federal government contributes $160 million towards nearly $600 million it costs to maintain policing in Alberta. If a PPF replaced the RCMP, municipalities would be expected to absorb the federal government’s $160 million currently allocated.

Curtis Zablocki is Alberta’s Commanding Officer of the RCMP’s ‘K’ Division, and he has publicly stated that Alberta municipalities would be unable to bear these additional costs. However, Premier Jason Kenney and Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kaycee Madu said that municipalities would not be financially responsible for other policing expenses.

Initiating a PPF is estimated to have a start-up fee of over $350 million and could potentially cost $200 million more than Alberta’s current policing budget. It has been mentioned the amount of PPF officers in Alberta would number 1600 which is about half as many officers employed by the RCMP. This proposed change aims to increase the government’s control of policing, thusly increasing the quality of service and response times.

The RCMP, in partnership with the Alberta government, initiated an Alberta RCMP Crime Reduction Strategy, which resulted in 14,000 fewer property crimes, a 22% decrease in thefts under $5000 and a 17% decrease in the break and enters in the year 2020. A strategic plan to reduce crime and improve service has been successfully studied and implemented.

In May 2021, Smoky Lake County sent a detailed letter to Premier Kenney and Minister Madu that clearly stated their wholehearted support of the RCMP and succinctly rejected the government’s proposal of a new PPF.

Within the letter, signed by past Reeve Craig Lukinuk, Council stated, “Minister, I am pleased to say that our community enjoys democratic, community-based policing. Our local RCMP detachment meets with us regularly as a part of their commitment to optimal, two-way communication that invites, welcomes and listens to our input. Our detachment also works with our municipality and our citizens as community partners.”

“Our council supports the programs, initiatives and progress of the RCMP in meeting our community’s policing demands. We certainly have not seen compelling evidence that replacing the RCMP would result in better outcomes, particularly considering potentially increased operational (and transitional) costs.”

“Smoky Lake County enjoys a positive and collaborative relationship with our local RCMP detachment, and we hope that the province will heed the concerns of many communities, rescind the ongoing study, and instead focus on other more productive options moving forward.”

Smoky Lake County’s viewpoint represents the majority of other municipalities and First Nation community leaders within the province who also feel the current policing model is functioning very effectively and efficiently.

The Towns of Two Hills, Morinville, Valleyview and the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass also submitted similar letters of support for the RCMP to the Premier and Justice Minister.

 Town of Redwater Mayor, Dave McRae, mentioned within his January 18 Town Council report, “This is a costly consideration being undertaken by the province, and it will impact all Albertans and most municipalities over the foreseeable future. I strongly encourage elected officials and citizens alike to review available materials and let your elected provincial officials know of your concerns or supports.”

 ‘PricewaterhouseCoopers’ completed an extensive study named the ‘Alberta Provincial Police Transition Study’ and published a 162-page report. This is available at www.open.alberta.ca.

The ‘National Police Federation’ is the certified bargaining agent for the RCMP. They have spearheaded a campaign entitled ‘KeepAlbertaRCMP.’ Representatives of this organization are touring across Alberta to inform communities about this critical issue.

Smoky Lake Mayor, Amy Cherniwchan, plans on attending a March 4 ‘Government of Alberta Engagement Session: Alberta Provincial Police Service Model, in Westlock, AB. She will also be attending the ‘KeepAlbertaRCMP’ session on February 17. 

The community engagement tour has scheduled a February 17 session within the Town of Smoky Lake. Individuals can register for the event at www.keepalbertarcmp.ca. The venue location has not been decided yet.