Alberta backs Coaldale’s push to reduce RCMP costs

According to a provincial government release, Coaldale has been denied federal funding because it switched to using the RCMP after Public Safety Canada created the NEG in 1992. That provision ended the federal subsidy for communities that were never policed by the RCMP.

The debate lies in Coaldale’s varied policing history. The provincial government says Coaldale was, in fact, policed by the RCMP for several decades before forming its own police service in 1954. The Coaldale Police Service operated from 1954 to 2003. Then, from 2004 to 2015, the Lethbridge Police handled Coaldale’s policing needs. Since 2016, the RCMP has been contracted under a municipal policing agreement.

Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn says that since Coaldale has a history of RCMP enforcement, the NEG should not apply. The Town of Coaldale has been fighting to get rid of the NEG classification for several years now.

Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro says the federal government has “failed” Coaldale by forcing it to pay $4 million more than it should for RCMP services.

Shandro has written to federal Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino, explaining that Ottawa should cover 30% of the bill for RCMP as it does with every other municipality of its size.

Alternatively, Shandro believes Alberta should go ahead with implementing the proposed Alberta Provincial Police Service (APPS)

“This is yet another example of why Alberta needs to consider adopting a provincial police service,” says Shandro. “The federal government’s administration of policing is incompetent. That’s why British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick are all looking at an alternative.”

If the new APPS is created, the provincial government says the current cost-sharing agreements with all small towns will be honoured. They also pledged to cover the federal government’s portion of RCMP funding for Coaldale during the transition from RCMP to APPS.

Mayor Van Rijn says nobody from the federal government has been willing to meet with administration in Coaldale, so he is thankful that the Alberta government is stepping up.

“We appreciate the provincial government’s advocacy on our behalf, and it leads us to believe an Alberta provincial police service could be more responsive to our community’s needs,” says Van Rijn.

No decisions have been made at this time on a potential move from RCMP to APPS.

Read the letter regarding Coaldale RCMP costs that the Alberta Government has sent to the Canadian Government on Coaldale’s behalf.

by David Opinko

Alberta backs Coaldale’s push to reduce RCMP costs

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