Confusion, questions surround new Alberta policing committee obligations

New rules requiring Alberta municipalities to form or join policing committees that oversee RCMP operations are now in effect, but some communities have yet to form them and still have questions about how they will work.

The provincial government passed the Police Amendment Act in 2022 and created new regulations for civilian governance bodies.

Under the new rules, which came into effect Saturday, RCMP-policed communities with populations of more than 15,000 must form municipal policing committees, which would represent local concerns to RCMP leadership. 

Mid-size communities — those with populations between 5,000 and 15,000 — join one of four regional committees, which are aligned with the RCMP's eastern, western, central and southern districts. Small communities with less than 5,000 people are represented by a provincial advisory board. 

Mike Ellis, the minister of public safety and emergency services, has said these new governance bodies give Albertans more say in how the RCMP police their communities. However, multiple mayors and municipal leaders say there are unanswered questions about committee formation, responsibilities and benefits.

"There's a little bit of confusion now about where a municipality might lie, what the roles and responsibilities are and how they go about setting that up," said Tyler Gandam, Alberta Municipalities president and mayor of Wetaskiwin.

"I think even the province is well aware of this March 1 deadline being kind of a moving target."

Some larger cities, like Airdrie, Red Deer and Leduc, have already passed bylaws establishing municipal policing committees. 

Leduc's mayor, Bob Young, said applications are open for its committee, which will be up and running by the end of the month. A council member, city administrator and RCMP officer will recommend candidates to council, he said.

Some mid-size municipalities are struggling to decide whether to join or opt out of regional committees.

Opting out requires ministerial approval, and the community must either establish its own municipal policing committee or join one with another municipality.

Redcliff, a southern Alberta town northwest of Medicine Hat, plans to create its own committee but it won't meet the March 1 deadline. 

Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick said southern Alberta is fairly widespread and the town's nearest mid-size neighbours appeared to also want their own policing committees, he said. 

"The regional idea didn't look like it was going to work," he said.