'Canada is watching': New northern Alberta police service trying to lead by example
On the second floor of a building where most offices are without doors, the ceilings hang low and the carpets don't match, the chief of Grande Prairie’s new police force gets down to work.
"Don't focus on the building," Dwayne Lakusta said in a recent interview.
The 51-year-old was picked over a year ago to head up a new municipal police service in this city of 60,000 in Alberta’s northwest, replacing the RCMP. It's to be the first new force in Alberta in more than 60 years.
With three decades of experience, Lakusta has overseen the deployment of a small group of officers working with local RCMP.
The Mounties remain in charge until the local force is fully in place by 2028.
Lakusta said it will take a new approach based on surveys and research done in other jurisdictions calling for police to be more responsive, particularly to youth.
The result, he said, is a "non-traditional" policing model that will deploy mobile outreach workers alongside enforcement officers.
"It's a holistic approach toward community safety and well-being," Lakusta said.
"If it's a call for a suicide, we'll send a mental health worker instead of an officer with a gun."
Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton said the stakes are high.
"It's an opportunity for us to do something unique,” Clayton said in an interview at city hall.
“I know a lot of Canada is watching to see how this unfolds … (The service) will build a sort of template for other municipalities that are looking to transition."
Coun. Dylan Bressey said the idea came about in 2018.
"There were conversations going on in Alberta about a provincial police service," he said.
Bressey said while debating the idea, council became aware the RCMP's contracts across the country would expire in March 2032.
Clayton said council’s decision in 2023 to cancel the RCMP deal was difficult but necessary.
"There's an emotional attachment to the RCMP. It's a symbolic piece of Canada, its history and so, change is hard," said Clayton. But she said the city was ready for a service more tailored to local needs.
Chris Thiessen was the only councillor to turn thumbs down at the vote.
"My first No vote was really just to delay and to give our public the opportunity to be more part of the discussion," Thiessen said in an interview.
And there’s the money.
"For us to be able to do a cost analysis five years from now, for instance, is tricky. We're just ballparking numbers.
"We have to do a good job showing that the services have a greater net benefit to the community, and it's worth the costs."
A recent cost analysis by the city indicates there will be savings, particularly due to lower administrative charges.
Red Deer, Airdrie and Spruce Grove in Alberta, and at least one municipality in Nova Scotia, are watching closely as they consider making the transition.
Surrey, B.C., is moving away from the RCMP, but the transition has met resistance as its council attempted to undo a previous decision to create a new service.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke raised concerns about how much the transition was costing taxpayers. In July, a judicial review ruled British Columbia has the authority to complete the transition from the RCMP to the local force.
Lakusta says starting a service from the grassroots in Grande Prairie has so far been beneficial because it comes with "no baggage."
"(The) only thing we can do,” he said, “is build trust.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
— With files from Dirk Meissner in Victoria
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Felonies, assassination attempts and a last-minute change on the ticket leads voters to Tuesday's U.S. election
A campaign that has careened through a felony trial, incumbent being pushed off the ticket and assassination attempts comes down to Election Day on Tuesday.
Measles cases in New Brunswick more than double in three days
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Surprise swing state? Iowa poll has Harris suddenly leading
Based on victories in the past two elections and polls leading up to Tuesday’s election, Donald Trump had seemed almost certain to win Iowa, but a new poll has Kamala Harris with a sudden three-point lead.
Russia suspected of sending incendiary devices on US- and Canada-bound planes, Wall Street Journal reports
Incendiary devices that ignited in Germany and the United Kingdom in July were part of a covert Russian operation that aimed to start fires aboard cargo and passenger flights heading to the U.S. and Canada, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday, citing Western security officials.