Municipalities continue to bash provincial police force proposal
More municipalities are speaking out against the government's plan to eventually replace the RCMP with a provincial police force.
The idea has been drawing criticism since it was first proposed, but recent talk of further changing the policing model is attracting even more ire across Alberta Saturday.
"I just have a lot of worry that it's going to be much more expensive than they believe themselves," Strathmore mayor Pat Fule said. "We've worked really hard with our detachment, and we have a really solid group of officers. Why would we want a change?"
The province proposed a plan this week that would add more officers to rural and remote communities. It also revealed a new report showing the potential advantages of a shift, pointing to successes in both Quebec and Ontario.
The government is convinced it can increase service levels and personalize policing by moving to an Alberta-only force.
Experts still have their doubts.
"The assumption that most of these officers would stay if they were given the opportunity, I think has to be tested out," said Doug King, Mount Royal University justice studies professor. "Retaining these people for a (supposed) lower salary will be a tall task."
While staffing levels have been talked about at length, the cost is still the focus of most pundits.
A move away from the RCMP would jeopardize roughly $170 million annually in federal funding.
Kickstarting the project would also carry a hefty fee. A report released in October by PricewaterhouseCoopers suggests the price tag to transition away from the RCMP would be about $366 million initially, with annual costs of around $734 million.
Justice Minister Tyler Shandro called funding a "red herring" on Tuesday while pitching the idea.
King sees it differently.
"They've said to municipalities that they won't pay anything more," he told CTV News. "So either (officer) salaries will be lower, or big cities will have to pay. There's a lot of wishful thinking going on."
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta have previously opposed the proposal to move away from the RCMP.
"Based on the arguments provided by the province so far, there's simply no evidence that a switch to a provincial police service will be worth the cost and disruption," reads a letter sent by the group to Shandro in April.
And the mayor of Nanton also threw her hat in the RCMP ring this week, tweeting that rural leaders do not want an Alberta police force.
No final decisions have been made.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.