Richard Froese

South Peace News

(High Prairie) – Big Lakes County wants to know how much the new Alberta Sheriffs Police Service will cost them.

And they just might get an answer later this year at the fall convention of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta Nov. 2-5 in Edmonton.

At its regular meeting Sept. 22, council approved updated briefing notes for council to present to ministers at the convention. Council will have the opportunity to meet with some cabinet minsters at the convention. Specifically, the new police service is the only priority Big Lakes council has for Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis.

“Given the ongoing rollout of the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service, Big Lakes County council (wants) to know whether the new agency would improve policing service and accountability compared to the RCMP,” the briefing notes state.

Council is asking for disclosure including a public itemized costing of the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service, complete with a detailing of costs borne by municipalities through the existing or a future police funding model facilitated by the Government of Alberta.

Big Lakes council specifically requests Ellis provide a detailed cost estimate specific, outlining what the proposed Alberta Police Service would cost Big Lakes including:

-The projected annual cost to Big Lakes, once finalized, compared to Big Lakes’ current cost under the RCMP contract policing model;

-Any one-time or transitional costs the Big Lakes would be expected to bear, such as facilities, equipment, administrative transition costs, and the anticipated timeline for these costs;

-Whether the loss of the current federal cost-sharing subsidy under the RCMP contract will be passed on to municipalities, and if so, in what proportion;

-How costs will be allocated and calculated under the existing or a future police funding model, and whether this methodology will be published and applied consistently across all affected municipalities; and

-Confirmation of when this costing information will be made available to municipalities, given that council requires this information to properly plan future budgets and provide informed comments to the government.

Council wants the answers in writing.

The briefing notes explain the history of the new service.

On April 7, 2025, Ellis introduced Bill 49, the Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, which established the legislative framework for a new independent provincial police agency.

Bill 49 received Royal Assent on May 15, 2025.

On July 2, 2025, the Alberta government formally launched the new agency, naming it the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service and appointed Sat Pahar as its first chief of police.

It remains unclear when the new force will be fully operational, the briefing notes state.

The new agency is structured as a Crown corporation with an independent board of directors, operating at arm’s length from government. It is intended to assume many of the duties currently carried out by Alberta Sheriffs and to give municipalities the option of contracting it as their police provider once it becomes fully operational, with appropriate oversight, capacity, and standards in place.

Those who wish to continue with their current police of jurisdiction may do so.

The Alberta government, including Premier Danielle Smith and Ellis, are clear the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service is not intended to replace the RCMP, but to work alongside existing law enforcement to fill service gaps, particularly in rural areas.