Sundre’s mayor suggested amending the municipality’s letter to the provincial government expressing concerns about the proposed changes to the police funding formula to include recommendations.
The letter addressed to the minister of justice and solicitor general identifies the dozen items previously discussed by council, as well as three other questions that the town would like answered, said chief administrative officer Linda Nelson during the Oct. 7 meeting, seeking a motion to approve and support the document.
Coun. Paul Isaac made a motion to that effect, opening the floor for deliberation.
Mayor Terry Leslie, who was not present during council’s Sept. 23 meeting, presented some additional points that were recently brought up during a reeves and mayors meeting.
“Municipalities have been asking for the review of the RCMP funding model for a long time,” Leslie said, adding “There is inequity in the current funding model, which sees most counties not paying.”
Smaller urban municipalities, he said, face the sudden “sticker shock” of having that cost introduced once they reach a population of 5,000, while urban municipalities with populations over that threshold have “endured a funding model that has seriously impacted their ratepayers, with no assistance or help from surrounding county partners.”
Citing the local example, the mayor said Olds, with a population shy of 10,000, contributes a substantial amount, while Mountain View County, with a population of 13,000, does not. Furthermore, he added, the proposed changes to the funding model do not reflect any reductions for municipalities such as Olds that have already been paying.
“Urban municipalities have been subsidizing rural county RCMP service and that is a serious flaw in the current system,” he said.
The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association is in favour of the proposal that all should pay, yet also understands the reluctance of smaller municipalities to take on the cost with no alternative than to reach into the pockets of one taxpayer that supports all levels of government, he said.
If the changes go through, he said the increased cost will not necessarily translate to improved service, which he called “flawed thinking.”
“However, if we pay, we can then advocate for a basic level of service to all,” he added.
Counties, he said, have understandably been the most vocal and least in favour of paying.
“But those municipalities (with populations of more than 5,000) who pay have little sympathy for counties,” he added.
If the changes to the provincial funding model go through, many municipalities are musing the possibility of eliminating enhanced policing efforts as well as community peace officers to pay for the potential increased cost for RCMP basic service, he said.
“I’m going to take the position that all should pay,” he said.
“If we don’t pay, we have no say in service levels offered to us as a municipality.”
The mayor added counties should also pay.
“The concern that counties have that their residents have long response times is the same for us in town, when there are rural calls taking our RCMP members out of town,” he said.
The mayor referred to a 2018 resolution Sundre submitted to the AUMA requesting a change in cannabis production facility taxation to reflect the commercial and industrial rates, which was supported by Candre and other producers.
In a letter the mayor said he wrote to the Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre riding’s MLA Jason Nixon, Leslie wondered if that policy change would come “so that we could generate a revenue stream from cannabis production facilities.”
Nixon's response, said Leslie, was that government is “on it, and there’ll be announcements soon. They need a bit more time to think, but he is expecting that there could be a path forward.”
The mayor encouraged council to consider amending the letter to “provide some suggestions that, if the province is going to move ahead with changing the funding model for RCMP service so all municipalities pay, could we suggest some alternatives as the AUMA has put forward they would like to see something like a means test, where all municipalities would be evaluated as to their ability to pay.”
Additionally, the mayor said the amended letter could include the recommendation to allow municipalities to generate funding through taxation of cannabis production facilities at fair market value for industrial and commercial operations.
Lastly, he added that the federal government has announced provinces will receive 75 per cent of the tax revenue generated by cannabis sales, and that a share of those funds could in theory be forwarded to municipalities by the provincial government.
Those two revenue streams combined would not only help municipalities that don’t pay for policing, but also those that are already paying, he said.
“I would request an amendment to this letter that we include those three suggestions if the province moves ahead with requiring all municipalities to pay for policing service.”
Coun. Todd Dalke was in favour of recommending that municipalities undergo a means test, but felt that cannabis-related revenue should be allocated to infrastructure plans.
“I don’t want cannabis to ever be funding our RCMP,” said Dalke.
The mayor said if there are no alternative revenue streams, and no means test for municipalities that are simply expected to absorb the increased cost, “That’s unfair expectation.”
The mayor added he didn’t mean to imply a municipality would be bound to dedicate revenue from cannabis production and sales on police funding, just to have the option available.
Coun. Cheri Funke said AUMA’s position is not so much that everyone should pay, but rather that small municipalities and counties contribute their share.
“Their stance was never for it to really change for large municipalities,” said Funke.
While the councillor agreed with including the suggestion for a means test in the letter, she spoke against dictating to a different level of government “what they should be doing.”
The mayor said that council acts locally but looks regionally and even federally when making decisions, and should be prepared to take more of a leadership role by presenting potential solutions, which could also benefit other municipalities, alongside any expressions of concern.
Coun. Richard Warnock spoke in favour of amending the letter to include the recommendation of a means test, but said the matter of revenue from production and sales of cannabis could be further explored through separate correspondence drafted in collaboration with administration. Leslie was agreeable to that approach.
Following further discussion, council decided to carry Isaac’s motion with an amendment to include in the letter to the provincial government the recommendation for a means test.
