Grande Prairie will save millions of dollars with its new police force, city report says

The City of Grande Prairie expects that its new police service will cost less than the RCMP. 

That's according to an analysis presented to the Grande Prairie city council's committee of the whole by the city's administration on Tuesday.

The analysis was done based on the city's original plan to have 110 officers serving in its own city police force by 2028. The RCMP contract projections were for 100 officers. 

"​​So, with either the same amount of officers or more, the expected costs for [Grande Prairie Police Service] are lower than what RCMP costs would have been," the report states. 

The city decided to phase out the RCMP and create its own municipal police force in 2023. The transition to a new police service is expected to take five years. Until it is complete, the RCMP will continue to have jurisdiction in Grande Prairie.

The anticipated cost savings for the GPPS between 2024 and 2028 range from a low of $742,380 in 2026 to $2,739,819 in 2027. In total, the anticipated cost savings are more than $8 million, though that number includes millions in provincial grant money. 

Grande Prairie's chief financial officer, Danielle Whiteway, said the city's decision to transition away from the RCMP and set up its own police service wasn't based on budget.

But, he added, "it will allow the city to provide modern professional and locally accountable police services that will enhance public safety at a lower cost."

Reduced costs, provincial money, help the city save

The city pays a share of RCMP's divisional administrative costs under the terms of its policing contract, including legal services, cadet training and recruitment. 

The city says these cost shares are significant, ranging between $5.5 million and $6 million per year. 

Grande Prairie expects to save money when it's no longer required to contribute these funds. 

"Under a municipal police service, there will still be administrative costs similar to those that the RCMP charge under contract, however they are expected to be significantly less," the city's report states. 

The province is providing Grande Prairie with grant money for police transition. Between 2024 and 2027, the province is expected to provide Grande Prairie with almost $19 million. Still, without grant funding in 2028, the city expects more than $1.6 million in savings compared to what it would spend with the RCMP.

The city's report states that "it is expected that GPPS will be the police of jurisdiction in 2026, with the full transition away from RCMP being final in 2028. In 2028, the city is expecting to remain below what the RCMP budget would have otherwise been." 

The report states that reduced police expenditures could help the city reduce future tax levy increases.