The Alberta government wants to establish formal civilian oversight bodies for municipalities served by the RCMP as part of proposed reforms that seek to strengthen local input into policing in the province.
The civilian governance bodies are outlined in the Police Amendment Act, which was introduced Dec. 8 in the legislature. If passed, it will also create a Police Review Commission to independently handle complaints against police to address concerns about police investigating police.
A mandate letter Nov. 9 from Premier Danielle Smith directed Mike Ellis, minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, to work under the lead of Justice Minister Tyler Shandro to launch an Alberta Police Service. However, the Police Amendment Act isn’t about establishing a provincial force to replace the RCMP, said Ellis during a news conference Dec. 8.
Read Also
Agriculture ministers agree to AgriStability changes
federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
“This is about ensuring that the rural municipalities, they have a seat at the table under our current model, which is the RCMP who is the current provincial police service provider.”
He said there is no foregone conclusion that a provincial force will be created.
Paul McLauchlin, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, has requested a referendum on the latter issue. He has said it could cost as much as $1.5 billion to establish a provincial police force and most rural municipalities are opposed to the idea.
Ellis said any decision to hold a referendum must be made by Smith and her caucus, “so I don’t think I should necessarily be commenting, other than we should be listening to all municipalities. And certainly, I have been having conversations with municipalities in regards to what they would like to see because in the end, it’s about public safety and it’s not about whether somebody likes or dislikes the RCMP.”
Municipalities with standalone police services in Alberta are required to have police commissions to provide independent oversight. Those with municipal police service agreements with the RCMP have the option of forming policing committees.
However, a provincial review of the Police Act found most of them have not done so. As a result, the Police Amendment Act will formally require new civilian governance bodies for communities policed by the RCMP.
It will establish a provincial police advisory body for small and rural communities that are policed by the RCMP under the provincial police service agreement. Municipalities larger than 15,000 people that have municipal police service agreements with the RCMP will be required to have local police governance bodies, with the flexibility to coordinate with neighbouring communities.
However, municipalities with such agreements that have less than 15,000 people will be placed under regional governance zones, with an option to form a local governance body if they choose not to participate in the zone model.
The Police Amendment Act reimagines policing in Alberta as a responsive extension of the community, said a provincial statement. “Under the new legislation, police would be required to develop community safety plans in collaboration with partner organizations that focus on crime prevention and alternatives to enforcement, like addiction treatment, housing and employment supports.”
It has been 34 years since the last major changes to the police act, said Ellis. Alberta as a society has “moved from having police forces with a narrow mandate to maintain law and order to having police services that still perform that vital function of keeping communities safe, but are expected to involve their communities in developing approaches and solutions that we now understand to be very complex and often nuanced public safety challenges.”
McLauchlin said he welcomed the new legislation because it will help modernize policing in Alberta. However, he had reservations about the provisions for regional governance because “we’re always a little cautious about using regional policing.”
He said the idea has lent itself in the past to the removal of direct RCMP services from some rural areas by centralizing them in larger communities, which he described as the exact opposite of the solution to rural crime.
McLauchlin attended recent meetings of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Ottawa and said rural leaders across the country generally agreed that there should be a move away from simply catching and punishing repeat offenders toward also providing mental health and addiction treatment.
Ellis said the proposed Police Review Commission will represent small and rural communities policed by the RCMP under the provincial police service agreement.
The legislation will expand authority of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team to include investigating peace officers such as sheriffs and ensuring “every death and serious injury involving law enforcement is investigated independently and consistently,” said the provincial statement.
Contact doug.ferguson@producer.com
