PENHOLD – The town is supporting the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association’s (AUMA) bid to press the province to review the current police-funding model.
The AUMA recently sent letters of request to municipalities to encourage them to join a letter writing campaign to provide a more equitable police-funding model in Alberta.
Penhold council discussed the letter at a council meeting on March 12.
"The motion tonight was to send a letter in support to that AUMA motion," said Mayor Mike Yargeau. "I'm not opposed to every municipality paying but it has to be about more than that.
“We have to open up the talk about what are the levels of service that every municipality is getting,” he added.
"A municipality with no RCMP detachment gets significantly reduced response times, less patrol times, and less everything," said Yargeau, noting the need to define expectations. "We need to clarify and work around what that means for these small municipalities."
Council responded to the letter and passed a motion to open the provincial Police Act for the purpose of finding equitable police funding that will best serve the entire province.
Yargeau said council reworded the letter to include some of their concerns and questions surrounding funding and other areas.
"We're not opposed to it but we need to talk about what else comes along with that," he said.
While the majority of council did support the letter, councillors Mike Walsh and Ken Denson opposed the motion.
"I am opposed to our community of Penhold having to pay money for RCMP and not being guaranteed 24-7 coverage by the RCMP detachment in Innisfail," said Walsh.
He said he is not opposed to every municipality paying for policing, but wants to see an equitable and fair model applied to everyone.
"I want to know that we're going to have an RCMP officer in our town for the money we are paying," he added. "We agree with the philosophy but it's got to be equitable and fair for smaller municipalities," explained Walsh. "That is my concern.
“Everyone pays is a fine philosophy, but for the Town of Penhold if we pay for an additional officer in the Innisfail RCMP detachment I want to know that we're going to have an officer in our town for that money that we're paying."
He noted the increasing population in Penhold that may have an impact on policing in the near future.
"Population wise, we're not that far away from having to supply the RCMP (in Penhold)," said Walsh, noting Penhold’s population of 3,300 residents. "At 5,000 then we're responsible (as a municipality) for having RCMP coverage and it would be our responsibility as a council to make sure that happens."
