Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer announces funding for rural policing. (Supplied by Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko

New Funding Model

Province announces $286-million to bolster rural policing

Dec 4, 2019 | 12:02 PM

The Government of Alberta has announced a major new investment into policing for small communities, but they will feel the impacts on their wallets.

$286-million will be spent over the next five years, which Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer says will see another 300 police officers being hired and another 200 support staff.

“Right now, we have approximately 1,600 RCMP members that are here in rural Alberta – this will take us up to about 1,900 police officers. It’ll also allow us to hire support staff to allow us to do tactical units and provide technical expertise to make sure we have the behind-the-scenes work that can be done to go after drug trafficking, organized crime, and other areas.”

Currently, most small and rural communities do not pay for policing out of their own pockets. This will change for most.

“Communities will contribute 10 per cent of policing costs in 2020, followed by 15 per cent in 2021, 20 per cent in 2022 and 30 per cent in 2023,” reads a media release from the province.

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The goal is to have municipalities pay 30 per cent of policing costs while the provincial government picks up the remaining 70 per cent under the Provincial Police Service Agreement. Similar pay structures are already in place in provinces such as B.C.

The government is also creating a new Alberta Police Advisory board, where municipal leadership will have a seat at the table and work alongside law enforcement.

“The Government of Alberta has made an unprecedented investment in their police service, and we are ready to deliver on that commitment,” says RCMP Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki.

“The funding model announced will allow the Alberta RCMP to put additional resources where they are needed most immediately – on the frontline in your detachments, protecting your backyards and your farmyards, pushing back crime in a sophisticated and focused manner.”

The exact policing costs for each community will be determined by the municipal tax base and population. Some communities may be eligible for other subsidies to help manage this.