“Defund the police!”
“Get more RCMP boots on the ground!”
Those are two requests I have heard a lot lately. They are both said passionately and frequently. They also seem contradictory.
But I don’t know if the people making these requests want contradictory outcomes. At the heart of both these requests is a recognition that our police system should be better than it is. And there may be changes that make it work better for everyone.
Read MoreNext week, Council will be debating Budget 2020. Recently, I wrote about what we heard from the public regarding the budget. In this post, I’ll be writing about the impact provincial and federal decisions will have on the City’s budget.
There are many changes happening at the provincial and federal levels. Because of these, the City will need to make up for millions of dollars in lost revenue and increased costs between 2019 and 2020. This lost revenue will have an impact on local services and/or taxes.
Read MoreOne of my biggest focuses on Council has been increasing opportunities for public engagement. As Council heads into deliberations for Budget 2020, I’ve been excited to see new efforts to involve residents.
City administration has prepared a report with what it has heard about the budget. You can read it here.
Here are the observations I’ve made from reading this report:
For respondents, good services are a higher priority than lowering taxes
Most City services are providing satisfactory results
People need to be shown better value for their tax dollars
Roads and public safety should be top priorities
Snow removal needs attention
Policing needs continued attention
Following is more information about how people were invited to engage in the budget process and expanded explanations about the take-aways I see from their responses.
Read MoreWhile I have a great deal of faith in our local RCMP members, I think there is a gap in our community: we don’t have the full degree of civilian oversight which legislation allows us to have.
The Alberta Police Act is the main piece of legislation laying out how police interact with their local communities. It does not grant City Council any degree of oversight to our RCMP detachment. However, the Act does allow Council to establish a Policing Committee. If formed, this Committee would have legislated oversight of the RCMP. For example, it would have a say in who our Detachment Commander is, and it would work with that person to develop yearly plans and strategies.
Any community would be well served by having this type of police governance in place. However, I think there are new circumstances making a Policing Committee especially important right now:
Growing concerns about crime. As concern grows, residents are looking for more evidence that their priorities are reflected in our policing. A Policing Committee can ensure the RCMP are acting on local priorities. A Policing Committee is also well equipped to report back to the public on RCMP matters.
Unionization of the RCMP. RCMP members are unionizing, and this will likely raise their employment costs significantly. As taxpayers contribute more to policing, we need to ensure good value is being returned. A Policing Committee will provide the necessary oversight to ensure we are getting the best possible results from our RCMP contract.
Upcoming changes to municipal policing. It is very likely that the way the RCMP handles municipal policing will change dramatically in the next 5-10 years. As it does, we will need local civilians who are familiar with police governance to help our community navigate change. A Policing Committee will allow us to grow that capacity in Grande Prairie.
