Manitoba invests $3.3 million to expand RCMP Emergency Response Team in rural, northern communities

Manitoba government is investing $3.3 million to strengthen the RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) tasked with addressing violent crimes in rural and northern Manitoba, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced on Tuesday.

“Our government won’t stand by as crime disrupts the lives of rural and northern Manitobans,” Wiebe stated.

“Expanding the RCMP Emergency Response Team ensures police have the necessary resources to protect Manitobans, regardless of where they live. This investment puts more boots on the ground to combat senseless crime.”

The funding will see the ERT nearly double in size, adding nine new full-time RCMP officers for a total of 18. The team’s specialists are trained in rural tracking, handling armed confrontations, hostage incidents, high-risk arrests, and executing serious crime warrants.

“The Association of Manitoba Municipalities welcomes this timely investment,” said AMM president Kathy Valentino. “With increasing crime and repeat offenders often facing minimal consequences, this funding is vital for creating safer communities and ensuring all Manitobans feel secure, wherever they reside.”

Minister Wiebe noted that the expanded ERT will operate 24 hours a day, province-wide, and under all weather conditions.

This initiative builds on previous provincial measures aimed at improving rural safety, including a 28% increase in the urban policing grant, implementing a five-point plan targeting repeat offenders and bail reform, establishing a general investigative unit pilot in Swan Valley, expanding electronic monitoring across rural Manitoba, and constructing a new Centre for Justice in Dauphin.