Albertans can learn what the future of provincial policing and what it may look like through a new website launched by the UCP government..On Wednesday, the futureofABpolicing.ca site was launched. According to the provincial government the site provides the public with information about the opportunities a new provincial police service could bring, including improved civilian oversight, more front-line police officers and better service levels across the province..Alberta hired PwC Canada in October 2020 to study the feasibility of transitioning to a provincial police service. The report found many opportunities associated with this transition and offered options at how a provincial police service would look..“Albertans have told us they want more details about the potential benefits of a provincial police service," Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Tyler Shandro said.."As all levels of governments across the country review their policing models, Albertans need to have all the information available to ensure they lead this national discussion and make sure the future of policing in the province meets their needs.”.According to the UCP, while no decisions have been made on proceeding with an Alberta police service, the provincial government says it is doing the "due diligence it promised" by going directly to Albertans to talk about the public safety topic..Municipal and First Nations police services.Currently, a number of municipalities and First Nations have their own police services and others are exploring the possibility of setting up their own..Alberta’s government said it supports this work and established a grant to support municipalities and First Nations as they explore the possibility of forming their own police service..According to the UCP, in addition to increasing the number of officers in rural areas, transitioning to a provincial police service would "improve governance" and "give municipalities more say" in setting their own policing priorities..The provincial government stated the model would also provide greater coverage, reduce response times and lower case loads per officer..Under the current RCMP contract, policing is the same for all eight provinces, three territories and several municipalities that use the services and provides little opportunity for local input to meet their needs..The federal government has indicated that there are sustainability issues across the whole of the RCMP. The prime minister recently directed Public Safety Canada to conduct a review of RCMP contract policing..Several provinces and municipalities that currently use RCMP contract policing are considering alternative policing models..Alberta NDP says Shandro is pretending to consult with rural communities.Alberta's NDP fired back at the UCP for the launching of a new a government website on Wednesday which they say commits to replacing the RCMP with a new provincial police force, even while Justice Minister Tyler Shandro is "pretending to consult with rural communities.".“Alberta's government firmly believes that establishing an Alberta provincial police service is not a question of if, but when,” states the new website, in the Frequently Asked Questions section..“It’s incredibly disrespectful for the UCP to pretend to ‘consult’ with Albertans in rural communities when clearly the decision is already made,” NDP Critic for Justice Irfan Sabir said..“Tyler Shandro is travelling around the province lying to Albertans.”.According to the Alberta NDP, both Alberta Municipalities and Rural Municipalities of Alberta formally passed resolutions calling on the government to scrap plans for a provincial police service.."More recently, 72 communities and organizations co-signed a letter to the UCP echoing those calls," the Alberta NDP stated.."The government’s own study concedes that the scheme would mean the loss of $200 million in federal funding and impose up to $386 million in new up-front costs. Despite the UCP’s repeated denials that a provincial police force would lead to higher property taxes, former Finance Minister Travis Toews recently admitted the idea would cost Albertans more.".“Nobody wants this,” Sabir said..“It means more property taxes for Albertans who are already struggling to meet their monthly bills. The UCP is already forcing Albertans to pay more property taxes, more income taxes, more school fees, more tuition, more interest on student loans, more for utilities and more for car insurance.".“The UCP should drop this terrible idea and focus on addressing the causes of crime, not on these expensive political games," Sabir said.
