The IAPS is a second, parallel, province-run police agency that would operate alongside the RCMP and be offered as a policing option for municipalities. The Province hasn’t explained how it will work, how much it will cost, or how it will improve public safety. What we do know is that it duplicates existing services, creates massive uncertainty, and comes with a hefty price tag for taxpayers.
This plan is being forced through, with no meaningful public engagement and no evidence that it will improve safety outcomes.
In 2021, the Government’s own report estimated $372 million in start-up costs and $164 million in annual operating costs for a provincial police service. Today, there are no updated cost estimates, despite a major shift in the province’s fiscal reality and rapidly rising costs.
The plan also relies on converting ~600 Alberta Sheriffs—roughly 80% of the workforce—into fully trained police officers. That’s not a simple promotion. It requires full retraining to meet Alberta policing standards, including:
Estimated costs for just 600 sheriffs:
This doesn’t even include the millions more needed for new vehicles, infrastructure, IT systems, legal frameworks, civilian oversight, and more.
Sheriffs are already stretched thin, with a 10% vacancy rate. Creating a new agency by reducing their numbers would undermine Alberta's court security, prisoner transport, and traffic enforcement systems. The government has not clarified how these gaps will be addressed.
Municipalities that choose to leave the RCMP for the IAPS lose federal cost-sharing, which currently covers 10-30% of policing costs. That means higher local taxes or cuts to other services.
Municipal policing reviews across Alberta have made one thing clear: keeping the RCMP is the most cost-effective and practical choice.
| Red Deer (2020) | Found that transition costs would exceed $13.5M and annual operating costs for a municipal police service would be 16% higher—or $7M annually. |
| Airdrie (2020) | Found that a municipal police service would cost roughly $5M more annually in operating costs. |
| Grande Prairie (2023) | Found that it would cost $19M in transition costs and $2-$4M more in annual operating costs per year than the RCMP. |
| Beaumont (2024) | Beaumont reviewed all public safety services. Their report recommends efficiencies to improve the current RCMP policing service delivery model. |
| Olds (2024) | Found that the annual operating costs of a municipal police service would be significantly higher than the RCMP. In Year 1, it is projected to be 57% higher than the current RCMP model, increasing to 84% higher by Year 3. |
Additionally, the Alberta Government offered grants to municipalities to study alternative policing models. While about 10% of all municipalities in Alberta took a grant, many either used the money to study improvements to RCMP policing or found that maintaining their RCMP was the best option.
The government often points to Grande Prairie as a success story, but they fail to mention it required $9.4 million in provincial subsidies, and more funding may still be needed. That’s not sustainable or guaranteed for other municipalities.
Policing costs are already unpredictable in Alberta, with the Police Funding Model imposed by the Alberta Government set to expire in 2026 and few opportunities for public consultation. The Province’s lack of a detailed plan for the IAPS leaves municipalities vulnerable to unexpected financial and service-level impacts.
Municipalities can reject this risky plan and instead push for more investment in Alberta RCMP resources to enhance policing where it’s needed most and keep all Albertans and their communities safe.
Instead of spending hundreds of millions on a second police service Albertans don’t want, let’s work together to improve the RCMP. That means:
Albertans aren’t asking for a new police service. They’re asking for better support for the one they already trust.