The Alberta Rural Municipalities (RMA) recently submitted a report to the Department of Justice and the Attorney General, saying the government did not justify the move. He says the province has not shown how the transition will improve policing, increase local inflows or be cost-neutral for all municipalities. It follows a proposal last month at the organization’s spring conference in support of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta. The province made commitments to stakeholders this fall with the public commitment scheduled for early this year. “Our members wanted to remain curious; we wanted to see if this would address the issues we had with agricultural crime,” said RMA President Paul McLauchlin. “We do not see this as a solution to our concerns about rural policing.” The government proposed replacing the RCMP with a provincial service based on the establishment of the Fair Agreement Committee several years ago. A report commissioned by the government commits the transfer fee to between $ 366 million and $ 371 million. The county would also lose about $ 170 million that the federal government is giving to Alberta for the RCMP. The report states that the new provincial force will have four percent more officers. A 79-page report from the Department of Justice last fall set the annual cost sharing between the RCMP and sheriffs at about $ 780 million, claiming savings of up to $ 50 million a year.
Cost for the taxpayer
McLauchlin said those numbers were not realistic given the conversations he had, especially about the additional costs for buildings, uniforms and vehicles. The RMA said in a press release that the cost of travel represents a “significant unnecessary burden” for taxpayers. He added that while the proposed model recognizes the need for local input, it is not clear why municipalities simply cannot work with the RCMP. The RMA also criticizes a narrative that the RCMP is not accountable to the Albertans, citing the contract between the provincial government and the RCMP. “Let’s work with the existing system,” McLauchlin said. “Let’s improve the existing system.” The RMA report also noted that it was unclear how a police committee appointed by the provincial government could remain politically neutral. A spokesman for the judiciary said the stakeholder engagements were completed less than a week ago, a process that included 50 in-person and face-to-face meetings with people representing 371 municipalities, First Nations and Métis Settlements overseen by the RCMP. The municipalities of RMA and Alberta were also consulted. The ministry is now analyzing these discussions before deciding on its next steps.
title: “Alberta Rural Municipalities Formally Declare Opposition To Provincial Police Force " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-11” author: “Allison Ross”
The Alberta Rural Municipalities (RMA) recently submitted a report to the Department of Justice and the Attorney General, saying the government did not justify the move. He says the province has not shown how the transition will improve policing, increase local inflows or be cost-neutral for all municipalities. It follows a proposal last month at the organization’s spring conference in support of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta. The province made commitments to stakeholders this fall with the public commitment scheduled for early this year. “Our members wanted to remain curious; we wanted to see if this would address the issues we had with agricultural crime,” said RMA President Paul McLauchlin. “We do not see this as a solution to our concerns about rural policing.” The government proposed replacing the RCMP with a provincial service based on the establishment of the Fair Agreement Committee several years ago. A report commissioned by the government commits the transfer fee to between $ 366 million and $ 371 million. The county would also lose about $ 170 million that the federal government is giving to Alberta for the RCMP. The report states that the new provincial force will have four percent more officers. A 79-page report from the Department of Justice last fall set the annual cost sharing between the RCMP and sheriffs at about $ 780 million, claiming savings of up to $ 50 million a year.
Cost for the taxpayer
McLauchlin said those numbers were not realistic given the conversations he had, especially about the additional costs for buildings, uniforms and vehicles. The RMA said in a press release that the cost of travel represents a “significant unnecessary burden” for taxpayers. He added that while the proposed model recognizes the need for local input, it is not clear why municipalities simply cannot work with the RCMP. The RMA also criticizes a narrative that the RCMP is not accountable to the Albertans, citing the contract between the provincial government and the RCMP. “Let’s work with the existing system,” McLauchlin said. “Let’s improve the existing system.” The RMA report also noted that it was unclear how a police committee appointed by the provincial government could remain politically neutral. A spokesman for the judiciary said the stakeholder engagements were completed less than a week ago, a process that included 50 in-person and face-to-face meetings with people representing 371 municipalities, First Nations and Métis Settlements overseen by the RCMP. The municipalities of RMA and Alberta were also consulted. The ministry is now analyzing these discussions before deciding on its next steps.
