By rdnewsNOW Staff

Virtual Summit Held

Members of Alberta Municipalities explore the future of policing in Alberta

Jan 21, 2022 | 1:44 PM

More than 400 local government officials, including mayors, councillors and chief administrative officers, participated in Alberta Municipalities’ virtual summit Wednesday night on the future of policing in Alberta.

The two-hour event, hosted by Alberta Municipalities President Cathy Heron, presented association members with a summary of the key points made in the PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report commissioned by the Government of Alberta about the viability of creating a provincial police service. During the breakout session, organizers say members asked dozens of good questions about the accountability, funding, logistics, and operations of such an organization.

Indeed, the PwC viability report raises many unanswered questions, say Alberta Municipalities officials, especially surrounding the funding and governance of a new police service. AM officials hope the provincial government will answer these questions in the coming days and weeks.

“We are concerned that the provincial government’s policing review does not deal with the major drivers of crime in Alberta,” reads a statement from the organization. “Rather than spend an estimated $360 million to transition from the RCMP to a new force, the Government of Alberta could choose to invest appropriately in the province’s affordable housing, mental health and addictions, and justice systems.”

“Alberta Municipalities is supportive of both the National Police Federation’s public consultation efforts and those of the Government of Alberta,” the statement continues. “These parallel public consultations should result in more information and greater transparency. They should also allow for a wider variety of viewpoints to be presented and considered. Many of our members plan to attend these sessions, listen, and ask questions.”

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“We will continue advocating on behalf of our 270 plus member municipalities to the provincial government on this important issue. The topic will be among those addressed at our Municipal Leaders’ Caucus in early March 2022.”