Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis speaking on the introduction of legislation that builds on the establishment of the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service. (Image Credit: (Government of Alberta))

By The Canadian Press

Law Enforcement

Alberta government proposes new legislation to pave the way for Alberta Sheriffs Police Service

Feb 24, 2026 | 5:00 PM

Alberta’s government is preparing to move all its sheriffs to its newly-created provincial police service.

The changes were proposed in a bill introduced in the house on the first day of the spring sitting.

If passed, it would transfer 12-hundred Alberta Sheriffs employees, including administrative staff and officers, to the new Alberta Sheriffs Police Service.

Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis says the new service is meant to be an option to take over local policing duties from the R-C-M-P if municipalities want it.

He says the bill also creates a pathway for existing sheriffs to undertake six weeks of additional training to become full-fledged police officers.

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Opposition N-D-P critic David Shepherd says municipal leaders across the province have yet to see a business plan or an accounting of how much the changes would cost.

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(The Canadian Press)