INNISFAIL – The Alberta government sees the RCMP as a visible presence of Ottawa with the national police force being a target for the province to air its grievances on the federal government, says Innisfail’s top cop.
Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Ian Ihme, the local detachment commander, responded strongly on April 10 to last week’s provincial announcement that it wants to create a new provincial police force with hundreds of Alberta Sheriffs despite repeated surveys showing overwhelming support to maintain the policing status quo with the RCMP.
Both the RCMP and Alberta Sheriffs said they did not get any prior notice of the new policing initiative announced by Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis on April 7.
“It's very obvious that they want to get rid of any physical presence of Ottawa, right? ‘’’ Ihme told the Albertan. “And so, they see us as that visible presence of Ottawa when in reality on a day-to-day basis the RCMP in Alberta report to the province. The province sets the priorities. The province sets the budget.
“It seems like we're just a target for the provincial government to air their grievances with Ottawa.”
And the provincial announcement did not sit well with the Alberta Sheriffs.
“While we acknowledge that the creation of the new agency aims to improve public safety in some areas, we strongly believe that this decision to split the branch could have unintended consequences that will undermine the effectiveness of law enforcement in the province,” said a media release on April 9 from the Sheriff Branch Officers Association.
“The proposed transition of approximately 600 Sheriffs into the new police agency creates several challenges, including job displacement, confusion regarding roles, loss of specialized duties, and disruption to public trust.
“We fear that these changes could lead to a decline in the efficiency of both the Alberta Sheriffs and the newly formed police service.”
Meanwhile, the National Police Federation, the bargaining agent for RCMP members, also weighed in.
“With Alberta now projecting a deficit exceeding $5 billion announced in Budget 2025, it is fiscally irresponsible to pursue a politicized project that undertakes a major restructuring of public safety without a detailed cost analysis or public mandate,” said the federation’s statement on April 9.
The announcement by Ellis was his government’s tabling of Bill 49, proposed legislation for the creation of a Crown corporation that would potentially deliver police services independently from the Alberta government, including those now performed by 600 Alberta Sheriffs across the province.
Ellis told media on April 7 that while the RCMP would still be official police service in the province his government’s new initiative would be an option for municipalities that feel underserved by existing policing models.
He added municipal leaders are telling the province the cost of maintaining local RCMP is increasing, noting chronic staff shortages of up to 20 per cent have led to delayed response times in rural areas.
He told the media on April 7 that the government hasn’t yet finalized a cost-sharing formula for the new initiative.
In 2021, a PricewaterhouseCoopers report estimated the creation of a new provincial police service would cost about $366 million, with the province losing another $170 million worth of federal funding that supplements part of local RCMP service in the province.
But during the media conference Ellis noted transitioning sheriffs would not cost as much, adding existing staff and equipment would bring down costs.
“Right now, for the provincial contracts the federal government chips in 30 per cent,” noted Ihme. “They're saying they're still going to provide better service, and they're still going to be cheaper without that extra 30 per cent.
“I have no idea what their plan is unless they're just planning on paying the Alberta police force that much less.”
As for the current policing arrangement in the Town of Innisfail, with the local RCMP working with Alberta Sheriffs and the town’s community peace officers, Ihme said it is a partnership that works “seamlessly."
“The way the province is definitely presenting this right now is almost like having two separate possible contracts that a town could have,” said Ihme. “If the Town of Innisfail was dissatisfied with the RCMP they could then go with this new agency, right? So really, that would be a discussion for the town.
“I believe we have the support of not just council but of the town as well,” he added. “From my perspective in the immediate future for the Innisfail RCMP I don't anticipate any changes.”
