Members of the Town of Coaldale and Government of Alberta announced new funding to help cover the community's RCMP costs. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Coaldale would’ve had to raise taxes or cut services without new RCMP funding

Apr 12, 2024 | 12:13 PM

COALDALE, AB – The Town of Coaldale is extending its gratitude to the Government of Alberta for helping the town out when it comes to policing.

The province announced this week that it will provide an annual grant of $550,000 to the Town of Coaldale.

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis says ensuring the safety and peace of mind for all residents is his number one priority.

“This will be annual, predictable funding. Reliable and affordable policing services are essential for rural communities. We recognize the extent and seriousness of crime in rural communities, which is why we are committed to providing funding to Coaldale for front-line law enforcement,” says Ellis.

Coaldale is the only municipality in Canada with a population between 5,000 and 14,999 to pay 100 per cent of the cost for RCMP services. All others pay 70 per cent out of their municipal budgets while the federal government covers the rest.

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The town relied on the enforcement of the RCMP between 1905-1953. The locally-created Coaldale Police Service was utilized from 1954-2003 and the town was under the jurisdiction fo the Lethbridge Regional Police from 2004-2015.

Mayor Jack Van Rijn explains that when the town reached an agreement with the Conservative federal government in 2014 to use the RCMP again, they were assured that they would pay 70 per cent of RCMP costs.

That changed after the Liberals won the 2015 election.

With having to cover the full cost of the RCMP since 2016, Van Rijn residents of Coaldale have had to pay four million dollars more for RCMP than they should have.

“For nearly a decade, we’ve tried to engage with the federal government on this issue, but those engagement efforts have either fallen on deaf ears, or worse, been dismissed,” says Van Rijn.

He continues, “Our problem is not with our local RCMP, it’s with their bosses, Public Safety Canada.”

The mayor adds that the funding will not only help the Town of Coaldale to afford its policing services, but everything else.

“When our council set the budget for this year, we based it on receiving this grant. Without receiving that money, we would’ve had to come back to the council table to deliberate how we were going to either cut [services] or raise taxes for our residents,” says Van Rijn.

Minister Ellis says he shares in Coaldale’s frustrations and what he calls “unfair” treatment from Ottawa.

He adds that Coaldale’s history with law enforcement reflects the freedom of choice that he wants all municipalities to have and feels that they should not be punished for going in a different direction.

READ MORE: Alberta government providing funds to cover policing costs in Coaldale

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