nova scotia overhauls how municipalities pay for rcmp policing, promising lower bills
3 minute read
attorney general and minister of justice scott armstrong announces a public safety investment in response to findings from nova scotia's comprehensive policing review in halifax on wednesday.
tim krochak
/
the chronicle herald
the nova scotia government is making changes to how municipalities are billed for rcmp services following a policing review, as well as boosting the number of officers in some communities.
the current per-officer payment model is being replaced because the government says it has played a part in creating unequal police services across nova scotia.
a total of 25 additional rcmp officers will be stationed across the province based on where the review identified immediate need. fourteen of the positions have already been filled while the remaining 11 are in the process of being staffed.
according to a technical briefing wednesday, the new model will apply to the 34 municipalities currently policed by the rcmp under the provincial policing service agreement (ppsa), with the change going into effect oct. 1. the changes will also be retroactively applied to april 1, covering the 2026-27 fiscal year.
with this, the province will be putting an additional $16 million toward policing in 2026-27 and $18 million annually going forward after that.
according to the briefing, there will be no increases in costs this fiscal year for municipalities; instead, most would see costs reduced.
“this is not about taking resources away from one community to support another,” justice minister scott armstrong said wednesday.
“it’s about building a stronger foundation across the province. ”
how governments paid for the rcmp before
under the ppsa, the federal government covers 30 per cent of rcmp policing costs, with the remaining 70 per cent being the responsibility of provinces and municipalities.
previously, municipal bills have mainly been calculated based on the number of detachment officers assigned to a community. for each officer, the municipality would be charged for all of the related costs, including salary, benefits, and fuel.
advertisement
“a strict per officer model is not working anymore,” charcy marchand, director of public safety and policing with the province, said wednesday.
the province said the system caused inequalities in police services across the country, especially rural areas with larger geographic areas and low tax revenue where police resources could be limited as a result of costs.
“if you’re talking a small rural constituency or a small rural municipality that has a huge geography, but a really small population, that model just didn’t fit,” armstrong said. “i wasn’t convinced that you could adequately support and keep people safe. ”
the province did not share a breakdown of how each municipality will be impacted by the changes, saying those details will be communicated to municipalities later wednesday.
new funding model uses population, geography
in comparison, in the new model, the province will be splitting the cost of rcmp services across municipalities using weighted factors that include population, geographical dispersion, what resources are required, as well as the crime severity index.
according to armstrong, the formula is meant to be better at reflecting the variety of different factors each community faces as opposed to basing costs predominantly on the officer count.
individualized investments for public safety
the expectation is that most municipalities will save under the new system and must reinvest those savings into public safety initiatives through agreements with the province. this could mean community safety officers or alternative options for mental health and addictions responses.
“this will give them the ability to sign an agreement with us where they can actually invest,” armstrong said.
municipalities with costs that remain the same will receive additional police services at the same price.
advertisement
armstrong said that this approach will not only allow officers to not have duties better handled by other trained personnel, like social workers, but it also gives municipalities the ability to choose solutions for community safety based on what that specific community needs.
“it has to be flexible because the challenges in one municipality don’t match the challenges in the other,” he said.
the funding is part of the systemic government changes that were required as a result of the mass casualty commission and the desmond fatality inquiry final reports.
share story
