'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
Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion
Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Man handed 5th distracted driving charge for using cell phone on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
An Ottawa driver was charged for using a cell phone behind the wheel on Sunday, the fifth time he has faced distracted driving charges.
Wrongfully convicted N.B. man has mixed feelings since exoneration
Robert Mailman, 76, was exonerated on Jan. 4 of a 1983 murder for which he and his friend Walter Gillespie served lengthy prison terms.
Can the Governor General do what Pierre Poilievre is asking? This expert says no
A historically difficult week for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government ended with a renewed push from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to topple this government – this time in the form a letter to the Governor General.
opinion Christmas movies for people who don't like Christmas movies
The holidays can bring up a whole gamut of emotions, not just love and goodwill. So CTV film critic Richard Crouse offers up a list of Christmas movies for people who might not enjoy traditional Christmas movies.
More than 7,000 Jeep SUVs recalled in Canada over camera display concern
A software issue potentially affecting the rearview camera display in select Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee models has prompted a recall of more than 7,000 vehicles.
'I'm still thinking pinch me': lost puppy reunited with family after five years
After almost five years of searching and never giving up hope, the Tuffin family received the best Christmas gift they could have hoped for: being reunited with their long-lost puppy.
10 hospitalized after carbon monoxide poisoning in Ottawa's east end
The Ottawa Police Service says ten people were taken to hospital, with one of them in life-threatening condition, after being exposed to carbon monoxide in the neighbourhood of Vanier on Sunday morning.
New York City police apprehend suspect in the death of a woman found on fire in a subway car
New York City police announced Sunday they have in custody a “person of interest” in the early morning death of a woman who they believe may have fallen asleep on a stationary subway train before being intentionally lit on fire by a man she didn't know.