'Keep Alberta RCMP' community engagement tour comes to Lethbridge
Debate continues over a proposed provincial police force in Alberta.
On Wednesday, a group opposed to the idea held a town hall meeting in Lethbridge as part of their part of a province wide tour.
The National Police Federation (NPF) has been touring the province and speaking with Albertans since Jan.6 with the common goal of keeping the RCMP in Alberta.
"The reason behind our community engagement sessions are to inform the public of some of the risks and costs that are associated with a potential move to a provincial police service," said Kevin Halwa, regional director for the NPF.
The 'Keep Alberta RCMP' tour is in response to the UCP government's proposal of replacing the force with a provincial police service.
The idea was floated back in the fall following recommendations from a fair deal panel report -- suggesting it would improve rural policing issues and improve relationships with First Nations people.
"Alberta’s government is studying the feasibility of establishing a provincial police service because we have a responsibility to explore whether a new policing model can improve public safety and find innovative ways of providing effective policing for everyone in Alberta, no matter where they live," said Jason van Rassel, a representative from the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General's office.
"We believe the independent feasibility study conducted by PwC Canada provided compelling evidence for continuing to study this concept and for taking these ideas to Albertans for further discussion. As part of this process, we’re conducting an extensive stakeholder agreement and will be launching a public survey soon."
Van Rassel went on to say that the entire process has been aimed at answering the question of whether or not this is a worthwhile investment for Alberta to make.
"We believe PwC Canada has 'shown its work' with innovative proposals and detailed cost estimates that make a realistic case for operating a provincial police service at the same overall cost, or lower, than the cost of RCMP provincial and municipal contract policing in Alberta," he told CTV News.
ALBERTANS DON'T SUPPORT IDEA
However according to surveys done by the NPF, most Albertans don't support the change.
However according to surveys done by the NPF, most Albertans don't support the change.
"Each one of those surveys, not surprisingly, produced very similar results," said Halwa.
"Depending on which corner of the province we're talking about, support for the RCMP and keeping the RCMP is around the 80 per cent range, which is an incredible number."
Despite the province saying that making the move would save money, the NPF says bringing in a provincial police force would leave taxpayers on the hook for over $550 million and the province would lose $170 million in federal funds annually.
Halwa says there's also concern for the training of these officers, and how many we'd get.
"Bringing in a brand new provincial police service, with who knows what training, it is a concern," he said.
"The two proposals that have been put out by the PwC, the first one actually calls for about half of the number of fully trained police officers across the province. That should concern all of us."
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
Communities and residents that came out for the town hall are also very concerned about the potential change.
Lethbridge County's reeve, Tory Campbell, says they aren't in support of the move and want to see more consultation.
"For something that could really change the look of this province quite substantially, I think it's important that we start having a broader conversation, not just municipalities being engaged, but obviously the greater public as well," he told CTV News.
Campbell went on to say that the potential price tag that a new policing force would have on Lethbridge County is also very concerning.
"That cost to us as a municipality has risen substantially and we obviously have concerns about how sustainable that is moving forward and the potential implications that transitioning to a different service could have on our municipality."
The 'Keep Alberta RCMP' community engagement tour continues Thursday in Medicine Hat and Brooks and will continue throughout the province, spreading their message and gathering feedback until March 4.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
Investigators have finally revealed the identity of an unknown victim nicknamed 'Midtown Jane Doe,' who was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City two decades ago.