The Town of Westlock may be on the hook for policing costs a year earlier than expected thanks to the results of a municipal census completed last year.
At council’s Aug. 15 meeting, a letter from deputy minister of justice and deputy solicitor general Philip Bryden indicated the town would assume RCMP costs effective April 1, 2018 because the town’s official population is over 5,000.
The letter states the town’s 2015 census, which resulted in a population count of 5,147, would be used to determine costs.
However, council was previously informed by Municipal Affairs that the determination would only come from a federal census, or if council chose for the results to be counted officially.
“It’s our understanding that number is determined by the federal census and that’s the indication we got,” said mayor Ralph Leriger.
“We’ve got what appears to be conflicting advice from two different government departments.”
According to the Police Act, municipalities with a population of over 5,000 become responsible for the cost of policing. Once they cross the threshold, they’re given two years two years to prepare.
Those costs are estimated at over $1 million annually, although an official figure has yet to be determined.
At the same meeting, councillors motioned to request a meeting with both municipal affairs minister Danielle Larivee and the minister of justice and solicitor general Kathleen Ganley to sort out the situation.
“We’ll wait and have a cordial meeting with the minsters and see what we learn from that,” Leriger said. “That will determine our course of action.”
With a federal census currently in the works, Leriger said it only makes sense to wait.
“I think the appropriate thing to do is wait for the federal census,” he said.
“From what I understand, the results will come out in the spring of 2017. Why start that process now?”
Give the fact that the town is only over the threshold by 147, the federal census could result in the town’s population being under 5,000.
“Certainly. A lot has changed in our economy since then, so the census could be quite different,” he said.
Whatever the results the all-or-nothing legislation is arbitrary.
“The system is yet another example of inequitable funding and cost-sharing that exists in the province amongst municipalities,” he said.
“All citizens in Alberta benefit by policing, yet only some of them are being asked to bear the brunt of those costs.
“Westlock has been on the good side of it for many years and we didn’t do a whole lot of complaining about it then.”
