April 25, 2023 Retroactive RCMP costs

News Release

For Immediate Release

April 25, 2023

Town of Westlock Responds to update from the Government of Canada on the issue of retroactive RCMP costs

Westlock, AB –The Town of Westlock responded today to the federal government’s disappointing decision to pass unbudgeted and unaccounted for costs on to municipalities. Despite months of municipal advocacy led by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), provincialterritorial associations and local leaders across Canada, the federal government has indicated in the most recent federal budget it will not be meeting the request to absorb the retroactive costs associated with the latest RCMP collective bargaining agreement.

Tuesday’s budget further confirmed that communities across Canada that are dependent on RCMP services for local policing, including Town of Westlock, are expected to cover these costs—a decision falling well short of the call from municipalities to fully absorb the costs.

“We respect and support the RCMP in our community, but let's be clear, the federal government is responsible for the RCMP.” Ralph Leriger, Mayor of the Town of Westlock. “The federal government and the National Police Federation negotiated this new collective bargaining agreement. There were no consultations or discussions with municipalities throughout this process. Yet somehow, we are now tasked with paying the retroactive wage increases that clearly fall under the federal government's purview. The Town of Westlock's budget is founded on asset management and data-based decisions as we diligently take care of our community today and plan for our future. Downloading a cost of this magnitude without any input from the municipal government is irresponsible.”

Local governments were not at the table for these negotiations. And while cost estimates were provided to some municipalities, these turned out to be far below the final agreement’s increase over six years, with retroactive pay going back to 2017. The cost to Town of Westlock associated with these retroactive payments is expected to be $105,401.

This decision is an example of a federal commitment that deeply impacts municipalities, without municipalities being properly consulted or involved. Municipal governments are paying a growing share of policing costs, but they cannot run deficits and have limited revenue tools. FCM has clearly reiterated the need for municipalities to be actively involved in any future processes regarding contract policing, calling this recent decision unacceptable. This is a position supported in full by the Town of Westlock.

Media contact:

Simone Wiley, Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Westlock
780-350-2100

Ralph Leriger, Mayor
Town of Westlock
780-349-6769

FCM Media Relations
media@fcm.ca
613-907-6395

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