The provincial government recently announced urban areas with a population under 5,000 will see an eight per cent increase in the per capita rate for RCMP.
The increases amount to a $4.20 per capita increase for communities with an RCMP detachment and a $2.60 per capita increase for communities that do not have an RCMP detachment, bringing the total cost to $52.45 per capita for communities with a detachment and $32.45 per capita for communities without a detachment.
The provincial government justified the increase by explaining the last change in the fee structure was in 2006, and since then, the cost of RCMP policing has risen by 57 per cent. It also announced municipalities have received record revenue-sharing this year at $217 million, a 29.5 per cent increase from the previous year and 70 per cent higher than the amount four years ago. Revenue sharing will grow by an additional 9.5 per cent next year, and by another 15 per cent the following year, based on current estimates.
The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association was quick to criticize the timing of the announcement, at a time when councils are a quarter of the way into the budget year.
Rolly Zimmer, vice-president of towns, explained "urban governments understand the cost of policing is rising and an eight per cent increase is not unreasonable. Unfortunately, when these new rates are implemented, councils will be a quarter of the way into their budget year. This unexpected change could result in urban governments managing deficits, consultation should have occurred before the start of a new fiscal year."
The town of Battleford, with a population of 4,065 in the 2011 census, is estimated to exceed a population of 5,000 in under a decade if population growth continues at its current rate. Town council also finished the protective services segment of its budget deliberations March 12, four days before the cost increases were announced. Nevertheless, Battleford Mayor Chris Odishaw criticized neither the timing of the increases nor the increases themselves.
"Although it's eight per cent, it's eight per cent over six years, so I think it's fair. The other thing about policing is that people expect, and they do pay their taxes for protective services. No one has ever come up and said that they don't' want to pay for protective services. The other challenge is how we get value for that money.
"Protective services are at the top of the mandate of council - it's going to get done. But the $17,000 has to come from somewhere."
Odishaw explained the larger concern is how the Town will pay for policing when its population goes over 5,000, which he estimated is "two censuses away." Once this happens, the cost of policing will change from a per-capital measurement to a per-RCMP member measurement. Under this system, Battleford will pay 70 per cent of the cost of each RCMP member.
