The Alberta legislature building in Edmonton (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Study on possible provincial police service moving ahead

Oct 7, 2020 | 11:26 AM

EDMONTON, AB – A provincial police force may be in the cards for Alberta.

PwC Canada will provide the government with an independent assessment of a possible transition to an Alberta provincial police service from the current RCMP.

PwC Canada is a firm that provides consulting and deals services, audit and assurance and tax services. Its policing and justice sector works with law enforcement and justice agencies across the country and around the world.

The Fair Deal Panel released its list of recommendations for future changes on how the government operates and how to strengthen Alberta’s ties with Ottawa earlier this summer.

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One of those recommendations was for the Government of Alberta to consider replacing the RCMP with a provincial police service.

In its report, the panel expressed frustrations with the RCMP, including:

• The force being overly bureaucratic;
• RCMP members having a “limited connection to the province”;
• Members being “unable or unwilling to confront activists”;
• Heavy-handed enforcement of gun laws

The province supported the panel’s views but committed to further analysis on the matter.

The PwC Canada transition study will help the government make an informed decision on whether a dedicated provincial police service is in the best interests of Albertans.

The assessment will also cover operational requirements and potential costs of creating a new service.

“Through the Fair Deal Panel, Albertans who are policed by the RCMP told their government that they want a provincial police service. Alberta’s government has an obligation to listen to those concerns and explore how a police force designed in Alberta – not Ottawa – would improve the safety and security of Albertans and their property,” said Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, Kaycee Madu.

“Alberta’s government must make an informed choice, and this report will bring us one step closer to the panel’s recommendation. After a federal throne speech that ignored nearly all the legitimate concerns of Albertans, this an important part of getting a fair deal for Alberta, while limiting Ottawa’s reach into the province.”

The province said the budget for the analysis is $2 million. PwC Canada is expected to provide a final report by April 30, 2021.