Dear Party Leader,
Election day is approaching and Albertans like me have spoken.
We have made it clear; we want to keep the RCMP here.
While the Government promised that a possible new provincial police service wouldn’t cost more than the existing model, their own transition study showed the exact opposite and confirmed a provincial police service would cost millions more each year!
We deserve answers on where you stand before going to the polls on May 29.
The transition study stated that the current total annual costs for the Alberta RCMP and the Alberta Sheriffs in their present form is $595 million per year, while the proposed provincial policing model would cost Albertans $759 million per year. In addition to this increase, taxpayers would also have to pay $377 million in transition costs.
The math is irrefutable; the proposed provincial police service would cost Albertans at least $550 million more, without any proven increase to public safety or significant increase in officers.
It’s therefore no surprise that Albertans have made it clear that they want to retain the RCMP as their police service. Polling in Alberta since 2021 has consistently found that only 9% of Albertans support a transition. An Alberta Municipalities poll in February 2023 found that 67% of Albertans feel replacing the RCMP with a provincial police service will not have an impact on reducing crime.
If elected, would your Government listen to Albertans and choose to Keep the Alberta RCMP as the police service of choice, saving hundreds of millions in costs per year?
At the end of the day there is only one taxpayer to foot the bill for this decision.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
