Significant and unbudgeted costs linked to contract policing following the recent RCMP bargaining agreement will have a significant financial impact on municipalities. The Town of Okotoks is joining the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in calling on the federal government to absorb all retroactive costs associated with the implementation of the new regime.
“Maintaining effective police services is a top priority in Okotoks,” said Mayor Tanya Thorn. “Yet, municipalities cannot run deficits and we have limited revenue tools, and the recent bargaining agreement between the federal government and National Police Federation has left municipalities across the country with unexpected costs. We need support from the federal government.”
Where municipalities were advised to prepare, estimates of 2.5% per year increases turned out to be far below the final agreement’s 23.7% increase over six years, with retroactive pay going back to 2017. Facing such unplanned costs, many local governments are concerned about how they are supposed to pay.
“Municipalities were not consulted during the bargaining process, despite its outcome having a substantial impact on our finances,” said Mayor Thorn. “We’re asking the federal government to absorb all retroactive costs associated with the implementation of the new RCMP collective agreement, and going forward, municipalities need to be properly consulted prior to the implementation of measures that have a direct impact on our operations. Growing our partnership on public safety across orders of government is the best way to maintain the service levels necessary for community safety and the financial sustainability of contract policing services across Canada.”