Alberta government updates rural policing model after municipalities complained about high costs and inadequate service

By ZOE MASON on December 19, 2025.

The Alberta government announced Thursday it will be updating its police funding model to ensure municipal contributions are increased in a sustainable way.

The current funding model for rural policing was introduced in 2020, creating a framework for municipalities with less than 5,000 to contribute up to 30 per cent of front-line policing costs under the Provincial Police Service Agreement.

However, due to new collective agreements in the RCMP and inflation expenses in smaller communities rose by 57 per cent without a notable change in service levels.

In the case of Cypress County, Mayor Dan Hamilton told the News in November that costs jumped from around $180,000 a year to $950,000 a year, with a further jump projected to boost costs to approximately $1.5 million by next year.

Not only had service not notably improved, Hamilton said, but Cypress County was struggling to find enough RCMP coverage to maintain adequate response time.

Alberta’s government announced Thursday that it was investing a projected $32 million in 2026-27 to support rural police services and help offset costs for municipalities.

It has also lowered the threshold for municipal contributions to 22 per cent of current front-line policing costs starting in the 2026-27 fiscal year, returning gradually to 30 per cent over the next five years.

The province says these changes follow a thorough review with municipal leaders to build a model that is more predictable and better reflects local service demands.

The changes include reducing reliance on property values so contributions are tied to actual policing demand and replacing less effective modifiers like the crime severity index with new modifiers based on staffing vacancies and population density.

The government is also committing to providing annual public reports to improve transparency.

“Municipalities told us the police funding model needs to be predictable, transparent and easy to understand. Costs have outpaced the original formula, meaning communities currently pay less than their intended share,” said Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis.

Municipal leaders were pleased to be consulted in the formulation of the changes.

“The province’s commitment to conducting a review and engaging municipal leaders before finalizing the Police Funding Model shows real partnership. We appreciate the province phasing policing costs over five years to allow municipalities to plan for future budgets, which ensures our rate payers are not hit with additional tax increases,” said deputy Reeve Ben Fadeyiw, MD of Bonnyville.

In 2025-26, the UCP government is investing $380.5 million for the PPSA as part of a larger investment of $586 million into law enforcement services province-wide. In 2024-25, municipalities contributed about $67.3 million towards policing costs under the current model, while the province covered the remaining cost of about $332.3 million.

The updated model will take effect Apr. 1, 2026.

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