RCMP union, nearly 90 concerned municipalities call on province to pause Sask. Marshals Service
CBC
The largest police union in Canada and nearly 90 municipalities across Saskatchewan are calling on the province to pause its funding to the Saskatchewan Marshals Service (SMS), citing concerns about a lack of transparency and accountability.
The SMS is meant to focus on rural crime, gangs and guns, arresting people with outstanding warrants, and assisting RCMP and municipal police when called, according to the province.
The marshals service has received $14 million so far and is expected to cost $20 million per year once fully operational.
The National Police Federation (NPF), which represents 20,000 RCMP officers across Canada, says the province should invest into existing police resources.
The NPF says there has not been "adequate consultation with the communities and stakeholders [the SMS] is meant to serve."
The city of Warman, town of Wolseley, town of Spiritwood, village of Elbow and RM of Moose Jaw are among nearly 90 communities that have voiced similar concerns.
"The concern that we have is the lack of information as to the cost to our municipality," Wolseley Mayor Gerald Hill told CBC News Friday.
"How it will be implemented, how it's going to be paid for and where these additional officers are going to be located."
Hill said the details are extremely vague and the town's queries haven't been answered "satisfactorily."
"We just need more information and I don't think that's an unreasonable request.… We're all taxpayers. We need to know who's paying for it and exactly what these new marshals will be doing," he said.
"Just tell us what the heck is going on. Lay it out in black and white."
The province expects to launch the marshals service by the end of 2026. Its headquarters are in Prince Albert, with plans for four or five satellite offices across the province. The province said it will choose those locations based on crime statistics.
In a statement Friday afternoon, the provincial government said that the SMS will operate as a "complementary addition," collaborating with the RCMP and municipal police services, and that no funds will be diverted from existing services.
"While the SMS will have police authority throughout the province, the RCMP will remain the provincial police service of jurisdiction," the statement said.
After walking a few laps around the shop, Maria Castagna picks up a glass ornament in the form of a pink, sparkly ice cream cone and smiles widely.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says he has much unfinished work from his first term in office, as he prepares to make his pitch to voters ahead of the 2026 election.
Moving to Canada from Singapore meant losing close social connections for Iris Akbar, but Akbar says the gift was in finding an affirming space with friends that became like family.
Women and children staying at Regina Transition House now have access to Santa’s workshop — a safe space where mothers can choose Christmas gifts for their children.
A man from Powell River, B.C., is thankful to be alive after a stranger helped him while he was choking at a restaurant during a visit to Whistler.
When it comes to Hamilton readers' favourite library books of 2025, romance and mysteries are in close competition.
From the Detroit Lions losing to Apple iPhones that spontaneously update, Windsorites had things that bugged them this year.
Calgary emergency rooms are “in a state of critical overcapacity” ahead of the anticipated peak of flu season — and to cope with the surge and wait-room crowding, officials are urging doctors to speed up their decisions on whether to admit patients, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.
Northern Ontario's highway system needs improvements in order to make travel safer, a highway safety advocate said.
Hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario as some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires amid reduced provincial recycling regulations for tire producers, industry experts say.
People in Guelph facing homelessness will soon have a new place to go during the day.
Islanders are reminded to plan their rides ahead of holiday festivities if they plan on drinking alcohol or using cannabis.
Even before Gwen Healey Akearok began her new role as Nunavut’s Minister of Family Services, she was tuning into the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) hearings on the state of the Family Services department.