The Government of Alberta has announced a plan to add 500 rural RCMP positions over the next five years.

Justice Minister and Solicitor General Doug Schweitzer announced changes to the provincial police funding model Wednesday morning.

"We're marking the single largest overall investment in rural policing since the March West," says Schweitzer. "And we're forging a new partnership with the communities that rely on us to help keep them safe. This historic partnership between all three levels of government constitutes an additional investment of over $286 million over five years to go into policing. Every dollar goes right back into rural policing in the province."

Schweitzer says the province is replacing the current funding model with a new one that is equitable.

"Where every municipality contributes, and where we lay the foundation for sustainable policing for rural communities going forward," says Schweitzer. "This change in the funding model will not happen all at once. It will be phased in over a four year period of time. This will give our municipalities time to adjust."

According to a Government of Alberta news release, communities will contribute 10 per cent of policing costs in 2020, followed by 15 per cent in 2021, 20 per cent in 2022 and 30 per cent in 2023. Costs for each community will be determined by municipal tax base and population.

The news release states that under the cost-sharing terms in the Provincial Police Service Agreement (PPSA), Alberta pays 70 per cent of policing costs and the federal government covers the remaining 30 per cent. With the additional investment from municipalities, the federal share of the PPSA will increase as well.

Schweitzer explains what it means in terms of jobs.

"Right now we have approximately 1,600 RCMP members in rural Alberta. This will take us up to approximately 1,900 police officers," says Schweitzer. "It will also allow us to hire support staff to allow us to do tactical units, provide technical expertise, make sure we have the behind the scenes work that can be done to go after drug trafficking, organized crime, and other tactical areas. These will also include scrap metal units, auto theft units, as well as call centre management to ensure better call centre response times so the police have the proper support network so they can get to help Albertans in crisis."

Schweitzer says they will also integrate the 400-person RAPID Force announced last month.

Alberta RCMP Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki says the new funding model will mean more front line officers patrolling rural communities in the years ahead.

"It also means enhancing our visibility and response times, addressing those inherent challenges that we find in rural policing," says Zablocki. "And most importantly enhancing safety in your communities no matter where you live in the province. This funding will allow the RCMP to put additional resources where they're needed most immediately. On the front line in your detachments, protecting your back yards and your farm yards, pushing back crime in an evidence based and focused manner."

Zablocki says they will use a number of factors to determine the specific placement of the resources.

"Predominantly our police resources methodology, that's a number of formulas that take into account work loads, calls for service, crime trends, those kinds of things so we will have formulas. We will be evidence based in making those decisions as to specifically where those resources are going to go," says Zablocki.

NDP Justice Critic Kathleen Ganley says this plan does not include any additional funding from the provincial government and that it forces rural Albertans to pay.

“This is a historic tax grab being downloaded onto the people of Alberta today,” says Ganley. “The UCP is not putting a single dollar into this investment. Instead, they’re downloading $200 million dollars to the municipalities of this province, municipalities who are already looking at cuts.”

“Alberta’s NDP Caucus supports adding police. What we don’t support is massive hikes to property taxes for Albertans already struggling because the UCP hasn’t created jobs or spurred economic growth,” says Ganley. 

Earlier this year, Schweitzer spent several months touring the province, including a stop in Airdrie, to speak with Albertans about their concerns with rural crime. Following the Airdrie stop, RCMP Detachment Commander Kimberley Pasloske said she was glad the government was paying attention to rural crime.

Speaking after the AUMA Convention in Edmonton in the Fall, Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown said he was thrilled that the province was going to be taking a look at how policing is funded is funded in Alberta.

 

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