Province freezing policing cost increase in rural Alberta for 1 year

The Alberta authorities is capping the outgo of policing services successful agrarian Alberta — for 1 year.

Rural leaders accidental portion the impermanent alleviation is large news, it doesn’t code the wide deficiency of policing resources successful their communities.

While mayors and reeves of respective municipalities were discussing a scope of societal issues astatine the Rural Municipalities of Alberta normal successful Edmonton connected Wednesday, galore were learning astir the province’s adjacent steps successful addressing policing and however to wage for it.

The state says it volition temporarily frost the outgo summation that agrarian municipalities were liable for paying for policing.

The state is liable for providing policing services to municipal districts, counties and municipality municipalities with populations nether 5,000 people.

In effect to rising agrarian crime, the Alberta authorities announced accrued backing for RCMP services successful 2019. Then successful 2020, the state introduced the Police Funding Regulation model, wherever municipalities contributed to policing costs.

Each year, municipalities would wage an expanding share: 10 per cent starting April 1, 2020, past accrued to 15 per cent 1 twelvemonth later, 20 per cent the pursuing twelvemonth and yet 30 per cent starting April 1, 2023.

“It was immense connected our budget,” said Jim Wood, the politician of Red Deer County. “And the happening is, it was a download, we feel, from the state of Alberta successful the archetypal place.”

The Alberta authorities said by splitting the costs, they were capable to spend to enlistee caller RCMP constabulary officers and heighten different services.

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But immoderate RMA members don’t deliberation so, explaining they haven’t seen immoderate benefits successful their communities since the backing exemplary was introduced.

“We judge policing is important. Rural transgression is simply a large deal. But we privation to marque definite that if we’re paying for something, we’re getting the work that we’re asking for,” said Paul McLauchlin, the president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta.

McLaughlin believes agrarian leaders should beryllium much progressive successful however funds for policing are used.

“Money was leaving municipalities but determination was nary show measurement oregon immoderate different argumentation portion tied to that. We privation to marque definite that if we are paying for that, we’re really seeing boots-on-the-ground results.”

Now, the state said owed to higher expenses owed to caller RCMP corporate agreements, the outgo for policing successful these smaller communities volition summation to 39 per cent, with nary corresponding summation successful the services provided.

So for the adjacent year, the state said it’s freezing the backing exemplary it tin instrumentality clip to reappraisal things and marque improvements.

“The provincial authorities is going to beryllium picking up the tab of astir $27 million,” said Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis.

The frost connected municipal costs volition beryllium successful effect until March of 2026, during which clip the state said it’ll springiness municipalities clip to find however to screen the increases connected a guardant ground and what the champion exemplary of policing is for their community.