A total of 73 Alberta cities, towns, villages, summer villages, counties, municipalities, and organizations have signed, what they say is a a "Call to Action to the Government of Alberta" addressed to the Premier to have the province remain being policed by the RCMP.  One local community is among their ranks.

Crossfield was one of 32 Alberta towns to sign the letter,  along with the City of Wetaskiwin, 22 villages, three summer villages, two municipalities, six counties, and seven organizations.   

The letter, which was spearheaded by the National Police Federation, says that a new Alberta police force to replace the Mounties would cost taxpayers $366 million just to transition then an additional $139 million every year thereafter.  

The letter says, in part:

"The Government of Alberta has lost the trust of its constituents in its pursuit of an Alberta Provincial Police Service (APPS) by not undertaking fulsome, open, and transparent consultations with all those affected. Albertans have stated loud and clear that they do not want a costly new police service, with an overwhelming 84 percent of Albertans wanting to keep and improve the Alberta RCMP."

The 73 signees call on the province to fund more RCMP officers, improve social services to help prevent crime, as well as increase the capacity of Alberta's justice system by hiring more prosecutors and judges.

The letter was sent to the Premier only days after a United Conservative Party leadership debate, where not a single candidate that was running for the party's leadership, and the job of Premier of Alberta, said they would call off the effort to establish a new provincial police force. 

Along with Crossfield, some of the other groups signing the letter include the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association, the Alberta Union of Public Employees, the towns of Camore, Edson, High River, and Ponoka, the County of Wetaskiwin and the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass.  

Premier Jason Kenney asked rural leaders to get on board the idea of a provincial police force last November.  At the time he promised that any additional costs wouldn't be downloaded to municipalities.   

A survey which was released by Alberta's Fair Deal Panel in 2020 said that two-thirds of Albertans didn't want the RCMP done away with in the province.  

The Alberta NDP don't support exploring a provincial police force.  Last week, Leader Rachel Notley tweeted:

"For the record, an Alberta NDP Government will not pursue the Provincial Police Force because it solves nothing, is a massive waste of money and isn’t supported by Albertans." 

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