Alberta no longer pursuing plan to dump RCMP for provincial police force
CTV
The Alberta government is no longer formally pursuing its plan to dump the RCMP in favour of a new provincial police force. However, Justice Minister Mickey Amery said Tuesday the idea is not dead and his department will continue to consult with Albertans on where they want to go with policing.
The Alberta government is no longer formally pursuing its plan to dump the RCMP in favour of a new provincial police force.
However, Justice Minister Mickey Amery said Tuesday the idea is not dead and his department will continue to consult with Albertans on where they want to go with policing.
Earlier Tuesday, Premier Danielle Smith delivered her mandate letter to Amery, outlining his goals and priorities as the new justice minister.
A day earlier, she sent a mandate letter to the other minister in charge of law-and-order issues, Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis.
Neither letter directed them to create a provincial police force, a move that would replace the Mounties in communities that don't already have their own officers.
Alberta's two major cities — Edmonton and Calgary — and other municipalities already have their own police forces.
Instead, Smith directs Ellis to continue his work “with local communities to support them with the community policing options they believe will best serve their populations.”
