The Alberta government has announced that the province will create municipal and regional policing committees.
According to the province, the Police Amendment Act was passed in 2022 and will ensure municipalities have a role in province-wide policing priorities.
“By creating new civilian governance bodies, we’re responding to Albertans’ long-standing desire for more say in how the RCMP police their communities while advancing a paradigm shift that sees local police across the province as an extension and a reflection of the communities they serve," said Mike Ellis, minister of public safety and emergency services.
Communities with a population over 15,000 which includes Strathmore and Chestermere will be required to appoint municipal policing committees that will oversee RCMP service in their areas. These committees will set policing priorities for the community and report on initiatives that support these goals.
Smaller communities between 5,000 and 15,000 people will be represented by a regional policing committee and will be required to recruit and appoint members so that they can represent the interests and concerns of the public to the RCMP.
Rural communities under 5,000 people will be represented by the new Provincial Police Advisory Board. The board will include 15 people and is dedicated to representatives from Alberta Municipalities, Rural Municipalities of Alberta, and Indigenous communities.
"These civilian committees will represent the interests and concerns of the public to the RCMP leadership in their district, work with local officials to identify and address public safety concerns for their region, and report on the implementation of programs and services to address them," wrote the provincial government in a release.
These committees will come into effect on March 1, 2025.