Pearl Lorentzen

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeside Leader

Local emergency services have formed a working group on Hwy. 44 which held its first meeting on Sept. 10.

This was one of the piece of information that M.D. of Lesser Slave River council learned from a delegation of RCMP officers at council’s Sept. 10 meeting.

Council heard from RCMP Superintendent Tony Hanson (acting district officer for Eastern Alberta District), S/Sgt. John Pike (District Advisory NCO for the Eastern Alberta), S/Sgt. Jeff Sehn (Wabasca detachment commander), and S/Sgt. Casey Bruyns (Slave Lake detachment commander).

S/Sgt. Sehn reported on the Westlock detachment. S/Sgt. Bruyns will report on Slave Lake at the Sept. 24 meeting. Westlock patrols Flatbush on the eastern edge of the M.D. and parts of Hwy. 44.

In the first quarter (April to June), the Westlock detachment issued 15 news releases, said Sehn, held one town hall, three informal community engagements, and coffee with a cops. They also focused on monitoring prolific offenders to make sure they were following their conditions. Another highlight was two people who had numerous mental health calls were connected with services. One who was put into a home had been the source of 151 complaints since 2023. The other has had 234 complaints since 2020. Between the two, the number of calls to police should decrease by about 400 per year.

Reeve Murray Kerik thanked Sehn for his report, saying that before he became the detachment commander the M.D. had no relationship with the Westlock detachment. Now it receives regular updates.

“We’re happy to appear and speak to elected officials,” said Super. Hanson.

Councillor Brad Pearson mentioned large bales of hay falling off of trailers into the ditch, which is a safety concern. He asked the RCMP and other enforcement services to inspect loads.

Hay bales will be added to the Hwy. 44 working group meeting, said Sehn.

Hanson reported on the benefits of Alberta being policed by the RCMP and how the current system works. The federal government pays 30 per cent of RCMP costs, but wouldn’t pay for a provincial police force. As a national police force, RCMP officers from neighbouring provinces can easiliy assist during an emergency. The RCMP network in Alberta has specialized units which can be sent to any part of the province, and municipal or provincial force would have to set up these units or contract the RCMP or another larger police force to do this work.

Hanson asked if council had any broader concern.

Traffic enforcement, said Seatter.

Prior to the 2011 wildfire, Slave Lake had a traffic enforcement unit. This was removed after the fire, and local councils are advocating for it to be back.

This isn’t part of Hanson’s purview, but he has spoken with the RCMP officer in charge of traffic for the district and thinks it is likely that the unit will be brought back.

The amount of traffic warrants it, he said.

Council, industry and the Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors met, added Seatter. Council and industry asked that the first 10 km of Hwy. 88 north of Slave Lake be reduced to 80 km per hour for safety.

Pearson asked if there was any way to monitor prolific offenders when they returned to the community.

It depends, said Hanson. If they were in federal prison, upon their release they are on parole for up to one year. During that time, they are monitored. However, once it is done, they have paid their debt to society. When people are charged with a crime, they may be on conditions, which are monitored or kept in custody awaiting trial.

Councillor Nancy Sand asked why criminals were given time and a half for pre-trial custody.

“You’re serving time for something you haven’t been convicted of,” said Hanson. Also, remand has fewer services and inmates spend more time in their cell than in jail.

Councillor Sandra Melzer asked if the RCMP officers received mental health training.

All RCMP officers have deescalation training, said Hanson. They are not mental health workers, but there is mandatory mental health training set by the province. In BC (where he used to work), this is more extensive than Alberta.

RCMP officers also use a mental health diagnosis app to help them understand the situation, said Sehn. This can help them decide if they should take the person to a hospital for mental health assessment.

Hanson started with the RCMP 25 years ago, he said. At the time, there was no mental health training and the RCMP responded to very few mental health calls. In the last 15 years, the number of mental health calls has increase 100s of times.

Councillor Lana McCann asked about rural representation in Northern Alberta on decisions around policing.

As a municipality with a population under 5,000, the M.D. is represented by the provincial policing committee.

Stakeholders in the Westlock area applied to have a regional police committee with neighbours, said Sehn, but were denied.