Saskatchewan Minister of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing, D.F. (Yogi) Huyghebaert and the federal Minister of Public Safety, Vic Toews signed the new Provincial Police Service Agreement on August 31, 2011 in Regina.
The agreement secures RCMP policing service in Saskatchewan for the next 20 years.
"We in Saskatchewan are proud to have the members of the world's most recognizable police force as part of our past and of our future," Huyghebaert said. "This agreement is an example of how partners can work together and provide the people of Saskatchewan with the kind of policing they expect by officers and an organization that has earned their trust."
The agreement continues the current cost-sharing model with the province of Saskatchewan paying 70 percent of the costs and the federal government covering the remainder. The terms of agreement also modernize the relationship between the parties. It provides a strong management partnership in terms of financial reporting and priority setting. In addition, under the terms of the agreement the aging RCMP infrastructure in the province will be renewed.
"Today is a significant milestone for RCMP Contract Policing," Vic Toews said. "I am very pleased to announce that after almost four years of negotiations, the Government of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan have reached an agreement that will continue the relationship between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the people of Saskatchewan for the next two decades. The terms of the agreement reached with Saskatchewan represent excellent value to Canadians and are available to all contract provinces and territories."
The agreement comes into effect April 1, 2012 and runs until March 31, 2032.
