LAKELAND - The Alberta government appears to not be moving forward with a proposal to replace the RCMP in the province with a provincial police force. Recently, Premier Danielle Smith delivered a mandate letter to Justice Minister Mickey Amery, outlining what his priorities are as the province’s new justice minister.
This was a day after she sent another mandate letter to the Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis. The creation of a provincial police force was not a direction in either of the letters.
While this comes as welcome news to municipalities across the Lakeland region, the idea of an Alberta Provincial Police Service has not been taken permanently off the table, according to Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul MLA Scott Cyr.
The decision to keep the Mounties in Alberta was based primarily on the need to protect public safety, said Cyr. In a statement provided to Lakeland This Week, Cyr clarified that while a provincial police force has been put on the shelf for now, the UCP government has made it clear that the notion hasn’t been entirely abandoned.
“Ensuring the safety of Albertans has always been our top priority, so we are committed to exploring all policing options available to us, including retaining the RCMP or exploring the possibility of creating a provincial police force,” Cyr explained.
Initially, the provincial government strongly considered turfing the RCMP in favour of a provincial police force due to the federal police forces’ current recruitment and staffing issues, which are having a substantial impact on policing services right across Canada, not only in Alberta, says Cyr.
“Some municipalities in Alberta have explored transitioning away from the RCMP. Presently, the province is 13 per cent understaffed by the RCMP compared to the full-time equivalents we are paying them for,” he continued. “This is in no way a criticism of the RCMP, whose members continue to provide excellent service to Albertans, but rather an acknowledgement of realities.”
On the topic of forming, funding and a provincial police force, Cyr said it’s far too early in the process to formulate any kind of timeline or outline the steps required to do so.
“We wouldn’t even think of moving forward without first obtaining a consensus from Albertans,” he said. “Should the people of this province choose to move forward with a provincial police service, we would make sure that adequate funding is provided for such a transition.”
Regarding the concerns municipalities across the province had about the loss of the RCMP affecting policing in their communities, Cyr affirmed that the provincial government kept this in mind all along and is hiring more sheriffs to combat issues.
“The UCP government is currently engaged with municipalities, local employers, law enforcement agencies, and citizens to make informed decisions that meet the unique safety needs of each community,” said the MLA. “We’re bringing in more sheriffs not only to Edmonton and Calgary to address increasing addiction issues, but also to communities in rural areas.”
With the idea of a provincial police force still in the background, Cyr says the government remains open to communities choosing alternatives to the RCMP. This is the reason for the province investing $6 million over two years for Indigenous and Municipal Police Transition Study Grants.
“These grants enable communities to conduct research on the public safety needs, identify gaps, access capital requirements, and explore transition considerations,” Cyr explained. “We are committed to empowering local communities through this process.”
Town of St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller says she is also pleased that the provincial government is keeping RCMP in rural municipalities. She says the Town of St. Paul has a strong relationship with the local detachment.
“We are thankful that the province has shifted its priorities to addressing crime reduction and dealing with the underlying issues surrounding mental health and addictions instead of a provincial police service,” Miller stated.
Mayor Craig Copeland of the City of Cold Lake, said although City council has maintained a neutral position on the issue, he too is glad the Mounties will continue to provide policing services to the citizens of the municipality.
“We can keep going in a stable direction now that the RCMP are staying,” Copeland stated. “About a year ago, when the province was seriously considering forming a provincial police service, there was also talk about a police service for the Lakeland region, which is something we were not interested in pursuing.”
Copeland stated that the policing and public safety budget for the municipality - whose RCMP detachment includes over 30 members – is roughly $3 million annually. Copeland continued by saying that if the Mounties had left town, and Cold Lake was forced to explore an alternative policing option, the costs would have been roughly about the same.
“Generally, the people of Cold Lake are very supportive of the RCMP and there has been little public appetite for changing the status quo,” he affirmed. “There would be many challenges in forming a provincial or regional police service, one of the most pressing being how to find the right candidates to fill the ranks.”
Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov said members of the local council never discussed putting a contingency plan together for policing in the County.
“We felt it was something that was to be dealt with by the province and since the idea of implementing a provincial police force wasn’t gaining much traction anyway, at the time, discussing the matter in council seemed very pointless,” Reutov said. “We are very fortunate to have an RCMP detachment in our County that provides good service.”
In her mandate letter addressed to Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Ellis, Premier Smith directed Ellis to implement a provincewide strategy to tackle crime, one that includes the hiring of an additional 100 police officers for Edmonton and Calgary, the creation of a specialized sheriff-led anti-fentanyl and illegal gun trafficking teams (including at the Canada-U.S. border) more Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team Gang Suppression Units, and increased monitoring of scrap metal dealers and gang connections to reduce catalytic converter theft.
Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki, commanding officer of K Division, said he looks forward to the RCMP’s continued work with the Ministry of Public Safety.
“As the provincial police service, the Alberta RCMP remains committed to protecting all citizens and keeping our communities safe, and it is reassuring to see this commitment reflected in the minister’s mandate letter,” Zablocki said. “An emphasis on providing communities with a voice in their policing services continues to remain a priority for the Alberta RCMP.”
The RCMP has been Alberta’s provincial police service since 1874. The federal police force has roughly 4,200 employees (including 3,500 sworn members) working out of 113 detachments throughout the province’s four policing districts. The RCMP’s headquarters for Alberta is K Division in Edmonton.
