A proposed bylaw is expected to be presented to town council on Jan. 27 to lay the groundwork for the creation of a municipal policing committee (MPC).
On Jan. 20, Jay Judin, Cochrane public safety director, presented an initial draft of the bylaw for review by town council. While largely supported, concern was raised over the cost being mandated by the province and councillors questioned the inclusion of a proposed per diem for committee members.
The Police Amendment Act enacted in December 2022 requires the town to establish the committee by Mar. 1, 2025. The bylaw presented to town council proposes to appoint six of its seven members from the public and allows for the appointment of one Cochrane youth between the ages of 16 and 18. The other member will be a town councillor.
The committee is seen as a way to enhance transparency, accountability, and community engagement with policing service. The province has specifically aimed it at municipalities policed by the RCMP.
As outlined by the province, its responsibilities will include liaising with the RCMP to set local policing priorities, reviewing reports on policing activities, crime prevention, and public safety, appointing a public complaint director to handle complaints and facilitate resolutions, and enhancing community trust through transparent reporting to council and the public.
The MPC won't be involved in police budget administration or evaluation of RCMP officers.
The police will be required to develop community safety plans and report annually on their progress. These plans will encourage police to work more closely with civilian partners and put added focus on alternatives to enforcement that target root causes of crime, like addiction treatment, housing and employment supports.
In addition, police are being mandated by the province to develop diversity and inclusion plans that will encourage police to reflect the communities they serve and to train officers about the distinct cultural needs of the various populations in our province.
The draft bylaw included remuneration for committee members that raised the eyebrows of many councillors. It included a per diem of $100 for meetings less than four hours, $200 for meetings four to eight hours, and $400 for those over eight hours. It recommended the appointed complaints director receive an additional $50 per hearing.
Judin said it was prepared with the understanding other town committees do offer remuneration.
Mayor Jeff Genung said beyond training costs, members of town committees aren't paid a per diem.
"The committee is a great idea and there's going to be good outcomes for the community. There's such a chance to form partnerships and get a lot of people involved in different ways, but I do think it's dangerous to start paying volunteers," said Councillor Susan Flowers.
"We could pay the environmental task, we could pay FCSS and victim services. all the ones that get into it for the greater good and want to make a difference in the. community. I do agree that if they're out of pocket, they should get reimbursed, but not just for going to meetings."
Like others, she believes there will be keen interest from the public to be part of the community. Jokingly, the goal was to beat the new benchmark of 54 applicants established by the recently appointed natural environment protection task force.
There is an estimated one-time cost of $10,000 to $25,000 to establish the committee and an annual operating cost of $25,000 to $75,000 did not sit well with some councillors.
A large portion of the setup cost is the estimated $1,600 to $2,000 cost for each committee member to undergo an enhanced RCMP clearance check, explained Judin.
"I do understand the provincial government is looking at alternative security check or potentially covering costs around that," Judin told council. "I'm not sure what the option is they're going to be presenting but I've been informed there is some discussion on that."
Councillor Tara McFadden believes the town should be lobbying the government to cover the cost to municipalities.
"Anytime the province is mandating that we take on an activity or a program and mandating us to take on something that has a cost, it gets my back up," said Councillor Tara McFadden, " because they'll mandate us to take on a cost, and then they'll turn around and gripe at us for not keeping our taxes low."
"I think [the committee] is great, but anytime we're mandated to do something by another level of government, we should really get the support to cover off those costs."