Stakeholders puzzled over Alberta plan for provincial police force

Several stakeholders affected by the Alberta government's announcement Wednesday that it's forging ahead with plans to create a provincial police force say the move comes as a concerning surprise.

The province introduced legislation to increase the scope of duties by sheriffs to create a standalone police force.

Mike Ellis, the minister responsible for public safety, said Wednesday the new force would work alongside the RCMP and existing municipal and First Nations police, and be subject to civilian oversight.

Ellis told media the force's creation is meant as a contingency plan to help address policing service shortages in the province, saying the Mounties "are short on the number (of officers) that they’re supposed to have."

“The RCMP just do not have enough human beings to police Canada," he said.

"Regardless of the amount of money that we give them, they’re having trouble from a hiring perspective. That’s a challenge — I get that — but I can’t wait for them to just figure things out."

He said there is no timeline for the creation of the force and that the RCMP will continue to serve as the provincial police, and emphasized the legislation is not intended to replace the federally delivered service.

Ken Johnston, the mayor of Red Deer — the largest city in Alberta that uses the RCMP for municipal policing — said Thursday while he wasn't surprised by the province's announcement as it "has been giving some signals that they want to broaden the enforcement capabilities of sheriffs," his concern is the province is making this move without consulting with the communities affected by it.

"Our voice still needs to be heard, and so far, it's pretty clear that we see the RCMP model as as being the workable, sustainable model for smaller cities and municipalities in general," Johnston told CTV News Edmonton, adding his city is satisfied by the service and results delivered by the RCMP while pointing out reduced crime statistics over the last five years and the Mounties' heightened community involvement "in terms of visibility and so on."

"What is the problem we are trying to solve in our province when it comes to policing in general?" Johnston said. "If we're getting good service, that should count in my mind as the primary driver of why we would continue a contract."

President Tyler Gandam of Alberta Municipalities, which represents communities outside the province's major cities, also lamented the lack of provincial consultation with municipalities on the elevation of sheriffs' roles and wonders "where the money is coming from for that" as the recently unveiled Alberta budget didn't address funding for the new force.

"I'm not interested in not having the RCMP. I am interested in improving community safety," Gandam, who is also the mayor of Wetaskiwin, told media on Thursday.

"Expanding the (sheriffs') mandate could help with some of those elements. Wetaskiwin has a high crime severity index rate. The more community safety we can have, if that comes in the form of more sheriffs or another agency to help all with our police, fantastic."

Vice-president Bobby-Joe Borodey of the Alberta Union of Public Employees, which represents the province's sheriffs, also deplored the lack of government consultation.

"It creates a climate of uncertainty and anxiety for sheriffs and for Albertans, for that matter," she told CTV News Edmonton on Thursday.

"We're wondering if this new move or this new framework will include consultation with sheriffs, who essentially are the experts. They're the ones doing the job every day. ... Will they have a chance to weigh in before decisions are made? And, most importantly, will they be compensated for what will ideally be mission creep, or additional responsibilities, that they will be obligated to perform?"

The National Police Federation also voiced its concerns over the creation of the force, with its president in a statement pointing out the province "has significant policing infrastructure in place" but that the government hasn't increased funding to keep pace with population growth and a corresponding increase in crime.

"For several years, our Members in Alberta have been caught in the middle of a highly politicized debate on policing, " NPF President Brian Sauvé said, referring to the province's flirtation with the idea of creating a force to replace the RCMP and "successive waves of public opinion research showing that four out of five Albertans in RCMP-served communities are satisfied with their policing services."

"Rather than legislation, bureaucracy and more government spending to explore alternative policing services, it’s time to invest in the highly trained, professional provincial policing service accountable to Albertans: the Alberta RCMP."

While he questions the lack of consultation, Red Deer's Johnston said he "really" does put faith in Ellis "in terms of what he's trying to accomplish, which is to broaden the power of sheriffs and get them more in terms of partnership."

"I certainly would continue to encourage the province to engage with municipalities when it comes to that particular issue. That is going to be critical," he said.

"There are many municipalities that are concerned that their costs are going to rise when there's no tangible issue being solved, other than who wears the uniform.

"Do I see it as a step forward in terms of increasing enforcement effectiveness? Yes, but I also see it as a way of saying you still need to talk to municipalities around what is the most beneficial and logical enforcement for them."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha and Kerry McAthey