The Government of Alberta has announced details about the formation of municipal and regional policing committees and the Provincial Police Advisory Board.
In 2022, the Government of Alberta (GOA) passed the Police Amendment Act (PAA), which made several changes to the Police Act. These changes included several new mandated mechanisms for municipal input into policing. Some details on how the new mechanisms will be structured are now available, through the Police Governance Regulation, which comes into force March 1, 2025. Details are summarized below:
Provincial Police Advisory Board
Small and rural communities policed by the RCMP with populations under 5,000 will be represented by a new Provincial Police Advisory Board (PPAB). The PPAB will represent the interests and concerns of Albertans in these communities, support integrated safety planning and liaise with Alberta’s government, the RCMP and municipalities to align policing priorities and resources to help address local concerns and challenges. The 15-person board will include dedicated seats for representatives from:
- Rural Municipalities of Alberta
- Alberta Municipalities
- First Nations and Métis communities
- Community representation for each of the province’s RCMP districts
At this point, it is not known how the remaining board members will be selected, or what level of administrative support will be provided to the PPAB to fulfill responsibilities such as “representing the interests and concerns of communities and the public policed under a provincial police service agreement to the Commanding Officer.” As the PPAB will represent over 300 municipalities, its effectiveness will likely hinge on whether it is adequately resourced to meaningfully engage with and represent such a large number of diverse communities.
Regional Policing Committees
According to the Police Amendment Act, municipalities with a population between 5,000 and 15,000 which have “entered into an agreement with the Government of Canada for the employment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for the provision of policing services to the municipality” will be required to establish regional policing committees to which they will be required to recruit and appoint members.
These civilian committees will represent the interests and concerns of the public to the RCMP leadership in their district, with local officials to identify and address public safety concerns for their region, and report on the implementation of programs and services to address them.
At this point, it is not known how regional policing committees will be governed, administered, or funded, or how members will be selected.
It should also be noted that the media release announcing the regulation states that “RCMP-policed communities with populations between 5,000 and 15,000 will be represented by regional policing committees to which they will be required to recruit and appoint members.” From RMA’s perspective, the term “RCMP-policed communities” does not align with the legislation, which specifies that municipalities with a population between 5,000 and 15,000 that hold a Municipal Police Service Agreement (s. 28.04(1)(b)) are required to participate in a regional policing committee. As many RMA members have a population between 5,000 and 15,000 and receive RCMP policing through the Provincial Police Service Agreement, this distinction is significant, and RMA is seeking clarity from the Government of Alberta.
Municipal Policing Committees
Communities with municipal policing contracts and populations of more than 15,000 will be required to appoint municipal policing committees to oversee RCMP service delivery for their area. These committees will work with elected municipal officials to set policing priorities for the community, report on initiatives to support these goals, and create safety plans with their local RCMP detachments, authorities, and agencies.
Next Steps
The PPAB and the municipal and regional policing committees are intended to ensure that municipalities have a role in setting province-wide policing priorities and performance goals for the RCMP to ensure that service delivery reflects and addresses local needs.
RMA is in the process of seeking details of these police governance changes, including requirements for formation of regional policing committees. While the Police Governance Regulation provides added detail to how these new police governance mechanisms will function, many questions remain related to governance, accountability, funding, and appointment of representatives. RMA will share further details with members when they become available.
RMA is cautiously optimistic that these oversight initiatives will be conducted in a way that leads to enhanced local input into policing and improved public safety.
Kallie Wischoff
Policy Advisor
855.319.2245
kallie@RMAlberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com