Richmond Municipal Councillors approved a resolution opposing the federal government’s
decision to not absorb retroactive RCMP costs.
During Monday’s regular monthly meeting in Arichat, council passed a motion from its committee of the whole session to support an effort by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to have the costs addressed by the Government of Canada.
Council also moved a motion to have Warden Amanda Mombourquette issue a press release “prioritizing municipal input in future RCMP contract policing decisions” because the federal government made the decision in Budget 2023 to make municipalities responsible for all retroactive costs stemming from the latest RCMP collective bargaining agreement.
Council said the costs will amount to millions of dollars in some jurisdiction and “cause significant hardship for communities and residents across the country” even though these municipalities did not have a seat at the table during negotiations.
Although municipal units have to fund a “growing share of policing costs,” the letter will also state that municipalities cannot run deficits and have limited revenue tools, which could force them to make “difficult decisions” like cutting essential services, reducing policing levels, increasing taxes, or cancelling infrastructure improvements at a time when Canadians are concerned about safety, and are dealing with the rising costs of living.