In an era of budget cuts, Saskatchewan municipal government minister Carol Teichrob scrounged millions of dollars to pay the policing bill for villages and rural municipalities.
For her efforts the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association is giving the provincial government a slap in the face.
“If we set out with fairness and equity in mind, why would we be willing to be bought off,” asked SUMA policy analyst Jeff Hryhoriw in a recent interview.
Hryhoriw said his organization is happy to see towns’ RCMP bills drop, but it won’t be happy until farmers and villagers are paying too.
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Until this year, only towns with 500-5,000 people paid for the RCMP. Villages and rural municipalities paid nothing.
SUMA began lobbying in 1992 to make small communities pay their share. Last year a task force set up by the provincial government recommended RMs and villages should pay about one-third of the policing costs, an opinion that delighted SUMA.
The government decided to follow the recommendation, meaning towns would see their policing bill drop from $12 million to $8 million and villages and RMs would start paying $4 million.
But in this year’s budget the province included $4 million to pay for the villages’ and RMs’ share of the RCMP, so they end up with no tax increase at all.
Even though towns are now paying one third less for policing because of the government money, some are hopping mad their rural cousins are still not paying.
“The main purpose of this was to make it more fair and equitable, not about saving money,” said Hryhoriw.
Municipal minister Teichrob seems outraged by SUMA’s position, and she lashed out at a recent Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities regional meeting in Saskatoon.
“I can’t believe this attitude,” Teichrob said.
Saskatchewan is a small community, she said, and it needs to co-operate to make sure services are available to all.
“It’s working together, looking out for each other. Including cross-subsidizing telephones, including paying for the RCMP.”
She questioned whether SUMA was truly representing all of its members, many of whom would be hurt if the $4 million was shared with the larger communities.
“I’m not sure this reflects the position of the small communities in their membership.”
SUMA says it supports the task force suggestion that policing costs be divided among all users. The task force was set up by the provincial government and contained both SUMA and SARM officials.
Still no responsibility
But the government’s decision to pay the rural communities’ share of the new formula “compromises it,” said SUMA. “Rural and small urban municipalities will continue to avoid payment for policing services, as their bills will be completely covered by the province.”
Hryhoriw admitted his organization might appear to be looking a gift horse in the mouth. But this is an issue of principle.
“This wasn’t an easy decision for SUMA to make,” he acknowledged. “Doing what’s right and doing what’s politically right are two different things.”
The provincial $4 million will probably be a permanent yearly grant, Teichrob said. If police costs rise in the future, RMs and villages will have to pay the difference.
