Local leaders not backing provincial police force idea

Wetaskiwin’s mayor, Millet’s mayor and Wetaskiwin County’s reeve believe replacing the RCMP with a Provincial police force will not benefit the communities they represent.

“My initial thoughts are of concern,” said Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam. “When the idea was first being talked about, the big selling feature was a higher level of service for no extra cost. It looks like it will cost us more per year and the province will likely lose the approximately $160 million we receive annually from the federal government. That’s not even including the $360,000,000-plus transition costs to switch from the RCMP to an Alberta Provincial Police Service.”

Read the full story in the Wetaskiwin Times