As the province looks to establish its own provincial service, Coun. Ken MacKay said that a transition away from the RCMP could be out of St. Albert's hands, and that the city should be prepared and understand its options, including what a transition to a municipal police service would look like.
If passed, Bill 49, also known as the Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, would lay additional groundwork for the the province to form a new independent agency police service to assume duties currently performed by Alberta Sheriffs.
The new agency would be a crown corporation, governed by its own board of directors, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis said during a news conference on April 7.
The government said that although the RCMP would remain the official provincial police service, municipalities would have a new option for local policing needs.
The Mountie's contract with the federal government is up in 2032, and the federal government has to give notice before the end of 2027 if they intend intend to renew.
MacKay said that while lots is still unclear, the city should be prepared well before the end of 2027, no matter what decisions they may be faced with, whether it's continuing with the RCMP, moving to a municipal policing service or the new agency the province plans to develop.
During a council meeting on April 15, he submitted an information request regarding whether the $30,000 Community Policing Grant was still available to municipalities. The grant, originally announced in 2022, was intended to help regions and municipalities develop a business case for their own stand alone police service or a regional equivalent.
MacKay said that the city could look at sending the Minister's office a letter asking if the grant is still available as he was unsure. He thinks it's important the city keeps its options open.
"I have no desire at this particular time to move away from the RCMP, but that decision may be taken out of our hands," MacKay said. "If we have to move away, I'd rather be prepared for it sooner than have to scamper and try to figure out something."
He said the idea of a regional policing service was looked at, but at an extremely conceptual phase when the Edmonton Metropolitan Regional Board (EMRB) was in place.
They looked at shared services, including emergency services, but he said that policing didn't really come up, due to the size of the grant.
"$30,000, quite frankly, really isn't a great deal of money when you're looking at the scope that this study would require," he said.
Looking at Grand Prairie
If a move away from the RCMP is in the cards for St. Albert, Grande Prairie is an example of what it may look like.
The two municipalities are similar sizes. Grande Prairie had a population of 69,377 in 2024, with St. Albert boasting a population of 72,316 the same year, according to the city's municipal census results.
Grande Prairie City Council voted to transition to a municipal police service on March 7 2023. They plan to have policing transitioned fully to the Grande Prairie Police Service (GPPS) by 2026, with the goal for the service to be at full capacity by 2027.
Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton said their council's decision to transition to a municipal police service was based on a number of factors, including former premier Jason Kenney's indication of developing a provincial police agency to replace the RCMP while he was in office.
Clayton was pleased with the transition so far for Grande Prairie, and said that the GPPS should become the police of juristiction ahead of schedule, and that the members of the RCMP still working in the city are "very engaged."
MacKay said that a transition to any service other than the RCMP would come down to how to best fit St. Albert's needs.
"Honestly, it would come down to cost and what best would work for their community. And fundamentally, I think that's where we're at right now: 'What works best for the community?'" he said. "How do we address St. Albert's needs in any model? And that's kind of what I'm trying to figure out."
The Gazette reached out to the office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services for comment, but did not receive a response by deadline.
