Police Funding
Police Funding

The provincial government is taking a look at how police in Alberta are funded. I am hopeful that significant changes will be made…

Cities and towns with populations of 5000 or more are responsible to fund their own police through property taxes. But the province takes responsibility for police costs in other municipalities, including those with large urban “hamlets.”

In other words: across Alberta, city residents and businesses need to pay significant amounts of municipal property taxes to fund their own policing. They also have a portion of their provincial taxes go towards paying for police in surrounding municipalities.

This is a fundamentally unjust system. It leads to people living or running a business in a town or city of 5000+ needing to pay significantly more in property taxes than those in other municipalities….

As more demands are put on police while the province also seeks to reduce spending, it is appropriate to start requiring ALL municipalities to share in the cost of their policing….

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Dylan BresseyComment
Police Governance
Police Governance

While 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.

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Dylan Bresseypolice, enforcementComment
Encampments FAQ
Encampments FAQ

Something that has received a lot of attention lately: tents and other encampments in the City.

There has been a lot of questions raised, especially concerning the area surrounding Rotary House. Some want those living in these encampments dealt with more sternly. And some think the City’s approach is too tough considering the lack of treatment and daytime shelter services in our community. I don’t think anyone thinks the current situation is ideal.

Because there is so much concern, I want to discuss the questions I receive most frequently.

But before I do, I want to offer some push back on two suggestions I’ve had pitched to me. Those are:

  • “Lock all those people up.” I certainly think that we should prosecute property and violent crime whenever possible. However, I don’t buy that every person living in encampments is a serious criminal. I do think that the vast majority are struggling with mental health and addictions. And jail isn’t a solution to those problems. It is also worth noting that the courts are outside of City jurisdiction and would not jail these people, even if Council wanted that to happen.

  • “Leave the encampments alone: they aren’t harming anyone.” On an emotional level, it doesn’t sit well with me that we are dismantling encampments on vulnerable people. However, encampments raise a number of concerns. The big ones to me are inadequate physical security and sanitation. Encampments have large risks, both for the people living in them and the wider community. We need to ensure that the people living in them have other places to go. But we shouldn’t allow people to camp on City land.

I also want to push back against those who suggest that these encampments and the challenges related to them make our community a horrible place to be. I wholeheartedly disagree. Our city certainly has challenges: I won’t minimize that. But it is the only place I want to raise my kids: it is beautiful, it has lots to do, it is safe, and it has amazing people. Grande Prairie is where I’ve chosen to make my home, and I am very proud of it.

Following are some questions I frequently receive and some information to respond to them.

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Dylan Bresseyhomelessness Comments