‘More money and red tape’
Joe McWilliams
Lakeside Leader
The Province of Alberta is insisting every municipality in the province create – or join – a municipal policing committee. This comes from Bill 6, the Police Amendment Act, passed in 2022. Its purported purpose is – according to the report in Slave Lake town council’s Aug. 19 council agenda – “so that communities can participate in setting policing priorities and performance goals.”
That sounds reasonable enough, but after looking it over, town councillors don’t like the way it’s set up, and feel as if the town is being forced into unnecessary effort and expense.
“What is this going to do for us?” asked Councillor Shawn Gramlich, after the report was read out. “Just cost money and more red tape.”
The province is demanding it, but municipalities have to pay for it. Towns between 5,000 and 15,000 people, council heard, have the option of joining others of similar size in their region (eastern Alberta for Slave Lake; no choice in that either), but only if the other towns are amenable. They aren’t, council heard, so Slave Lake is on its own.
Smaller municipalities (population-wise) and First Nations will be lumped together in 15-member provincial policing advisory committee.
Mayor Francesca Ward is no happier about it than Gramlich. We already collaborate with the M.D. in advising the local detachment on enforcement priorities, she said. It’s a good arrangement, but under this model, the town and M.D. can’t collaborate. She said if a committee could be formed representing the town, the M.D. of Lesser Slave River and Sawridge First Nation, she could get behind that.
We should be forming a regional board, she said, adding she thinks “these committees are ridiculous. In general it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars.”
CAO Alex Pavcek said from what he’s gathered, the detachment commander will take council’s input as well as from the committee and “build that into the plan.” But he said lots of questions aren’t answered yet.
What if they are opposing views? asked Adams. Who supersedes who? Someone’s got to have the hammer.
“Do we have any say in the (committee’s) budget?” Adams also asked.
Ward called the situation “very murky.”
We’re basically an island in the middle of everything else, is how CAO Alex Pavcek described it.
Ward: Can we not see if M.D. council can hop on and Sawridge and we go together?
Pavcek: we can ask that question.
Gramlich: The premise doesn’t make sense for anybody.
Adams: there is a possibility to do the joint one, but it has to go to ministerial approval.
Ward: We already have to get ministerial approval, to be on our island. Can we say no?
Gramlich: We have to do it.
Pavcek: We were given the impression it wasn’t an option.
Ward: I’m pretty sure that’s stepping well outside of their lane (the province in forcing municipalities to do this).
Adams: It’s in the Act, so I don’t think we have a leg to stand on.
Gramlich: “What if we don’t?”
Ward: “The intention is to have citizen input. However, the structure has set us up on an island and it really isn’t working here.”
Council voted to defer the matter until the Sept. 2 council meeting.
