Rebel UCP Drew Barnes says forget about a $2-million study, get an Alberta provincial police formed right now..“The time is now for Alberta to begin the development and implementation of its own police service,” Barnes said in a release Thursday..On Wednesday, Justice Minister Kaycee Madu said the government has selected a company that will study whether the province should move towards establishing its own police force..PwC Canada will provide the government with an independent assessment of a possible transition to an Alberta provincial police service. The budget for the process is $2 million with PwC expected to finish their report by April 30..But Barnes said it’s clear through the Fair Deal panel hearings that Albertans want their own police force and the $2 million can be better spent elsewhere..“Eighty per cent of Albertans told the Fair Deal hearings they want more autonomy from Ottawa,” said Barnes, who was a member of the panel..“Rural crime, the amount of the crime and the severity is skyrocketing. It’s time to do it,” Barnes said in an interview with the Western Standard..The Cypress-Medicine Hat representitive said between the 87 MLAs, who are already being paid by taxpayers, there is enough knowledge to be able to organize the force..Barnes noted there are also 950 sheriffs in the province and many RCMP detatchments and the buildings they use are already own by the municipalities they are in..He called for the budgeted $2 million to be spent helping early childhood services in the province..“With the stresses of COVID and other things, cracks are starting to appear in areas of early childhood services – $2 million would go a long way to support the area,” Barnes said..During hearings in front of Alberta’s Fair Deal panel, members of the public expressed their frustrations with the RCMP..Concerns included: The force is overly bureaucratic, RCMP members have a limited connection to the province, members are unable or unwilling to confront activists and the heavy-handed enforcement of gun laws, the government said in a release Wednesday.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .The panel recommended the government consider replacing the RCMP with a provincial police service..“Through the Fair Deal Panel, Albertans who are policed by the RCMP told their government that they want a provincial police service. Alberta’s government has an obligation to listen to those concerns and explore how a police force designed in Alberta – not Ottawa – would improve the safety and security of Albertans and their property,” said Madu..This is just the latest difference of opinion Barnes has had with his government..One came on the heels of a dissenting report from Barnes, who was a member of the premier’s Fair Deal Panel. That dissenting report included calling for an independence vote if Alberta was unable to secure a fair deal within confederation, prompting the NDP to demand that Barnes be thrown out of the UCP Caucus..Another came when he blasted his own government for centralizing EMD dispatchers..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
