By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: December 02, 2011 1:00 AM
A deal that provides more oversight of RCMP spending is being embraced at Vernon city hall. The provincial and federal governments have reached an
agreement-in-principle for a new 20-year contract for the RCMP to
provide police services in B.C. “I welcome the opportunity to have the RCMP as the
police force in Vernon. They do a tremendous job,” said Bob Spiers, a
city councillor. The proposed agreement calls for financial accountability and measures to monitor and contain costs over time. A federal/provincial committee will oversee how the
RCMP delivers services and how costs are managed. Municipalities will be
represented at the table. The provincial government will also establish a new
local government advisory committee so municipalities play a role during
implementation of the contract. “The greater financial accountability that seems to be
in the new contract is a welcome addition that should give
municipalities greater certainty over future costs and how they will be allocated and contained,” said Spiers. The City of Vernon has previously expressed concerns
about the RCMP initiating some new programs and the costs being passed
on to local taxpayers without the ability to provide much input. “There needed to be better lines of communications,”
said Coun. Patrick Nicol, pointing out that city taxpayers are
responsible for 90 per cent of local policing costs. It’s expected that contract details will be provided to
the Union of B.C. Municipalities in the next few days and with the
public when deemed appropriate. Nicol believes the uncertainty created by the
provincial and federal governments over contract talks negatively
impacted officers. “There was a lot of chest-thumping that things could go awry for the RCMP,” he said. “I am glad this is resolved because they (officers) are on the front line and don’t need this in the background.”
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Whether it’s programs dedicated towards domestic
violence or the recent tragedy in Armstrong, there is no question the
men and women of the RCMP serve the North Okanagan well. But beyond the dedication of the rank and file
officers, the force has exposed some flaws, and particularly when it comes to managing dollars and cents. Like many municipalities, Vernon has been handed
significant bills for a records system, more officers or detachment
upgrades but had little input into the process although it pays 90 per
cent of the policing cost. The situation is no fault of the local
officers-in-charge as they are just the bearers of bad news and all
decisions come from high-ranking RCMP officials in Vancouver or Ottawa. That’s why the proposed 20-year contract for the RCMP to continue providing services in B.C. is welcome news. If ratified by both sides, the deal will establish
committees that oversee how services are delivered and how costs are
managed. And, most importantly, municipalities have finally been given a
seat at the table. Many of the items the RCMP seek financial support for
may be justified and help improve public safety, but there has to be
open communication and transparency with municipalities over population
5,000 that are responsible for a portion of the cost. Local taxpayers
can’t be seen as an endless source of funds. Ultimately, though, the most positive aspect of the proposed contract is officers have certainty about their positions and
they can continue to remain an active part of the community.
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