Key takeaways:
- Justice Department says five municipal divisions have started legal reviews of their policing models.
- Nova Scotia communities that hire their police services to the RCMP will see an average growth of 11 percent in policing fees for 2022-23.
According to the head of the association representing the region’s cities, the rising price of RCMP services is “changing the conversation” about policing in Nova Scotia.
Amanda McDougall, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities, says multiple of the region’s 49 municipalities are worried about pressures on tight funding.
The local government’s recent budget passed down almost $20 million in risen policing fees to municipalities, meaning an average growth of 11 percent in the 2022-23 fiscal year for towns that hire the RCMP for their police services.
“Folks are wondering if there’s anything we should be doing provincially or whether we should begin to analyze what municipal policing looks like at the provincial level,” McDougall stated in an interview this week.
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McDougall, also mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, said some other cities had requested her officials regarding the fees and services associated with its police service. “It means residents are tossing it around,” she said, referring to policing choices other than the RCMP.
According to the regional Justice Department, five municipal departments have started legal reviews of their policing model to “identify potential savings and improved resourcing.” Most were underway well before the most recent price growth for RCMP services.
The five municipal departments are the County of Colchester, Halifax Regional Municipality, Wolfville, Eskasoni, and Cumberland, which formally authorized its review during a meeting on Wednesday.
Cumberland Mayor Murray Scott, an ex Nova Scotia justice minister and police officer, said the recent climb would add $500,000 to policing expenses, accounting for 17 percent of his municipality’s overall funding.
Source – cbc.ca
