Province freezes policing costs for rural municipalities for one fiscal year

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on November 7, 2024.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

On Wednesday, Alberta’s government announced a temporary freeze on the amount rural municipalities are responsible for paying for front-line policing services.

In 2019, the province announced increased funding for RCMP services to address rising rural crime. The funding model for this was created in 2020 with consultation with municipalities; however, higher costs from recent RCMP collective agreements in conjunction with the expiration of the Police Funding Regulation will result in a significant increase in service costs, something the province seeks to mitigate.

“The expiring regulation would have municipalities seeing a 39 per cent increase in their costs – with no improvement in policing services delivered,” said Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis. “We know this is not acceptable for many municipalities. This cost freeze will give rural municipalities the stability and predictability they need, and it will allow for meaningful engagement between the province and municipalities on equitable support.”

Alberta’s government will pay the increase for one year and will begin engagement with them on their policing needs for the future, as they prepare their budgets for 2025 and onward.

The province will pay a higher proportion of the costs shared between them and the municipalities receiving these services for the next fiscal year, a total of $27 million. The province says the aim is to ensure municipalities’ costs remain stable while they determine how to cover increases going forward, and what the best model of policing is for their community.

“Alberta’s government understands that such an increase in costs for service will be a challenge to our rural municipalities,” said Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver.

With costs frozen for a year, the province looks toward a comprehensive review of the police funding model with its municipal partners, says McIver. From there, they will work to provide an updated funding model that is sustainable.

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