Estimated cost of new Moncton RCMP station rises to $57 million

The estimated cost of a new Codiac Regional RCMP station in Moncton has risen to $57 million, multiple sources have told CBC News.

The latest estimate is nearly 24 per cent higher than the last public price of $46 million. The cost was reviewed in recent months to reflect higher building material prices. Final approval to build the structure has not yet been given.

"The cost of the project is beyond reason," someone briefed on the latest figures told CBC News, which granted anonymity to this person as the information was presented in a private meeting.

The person said there should be more transparency around the costs and how the process is unfolding. 

The cost increase is the latest in a series of delays and cost increases for the station meant to replace the existing Main Street building constructed in the 1970s for the Moncton municipal police.

Moncton is spearheading the process to replace the building and would take on the debt required to build it, though the costs of the facility will be shared by Dieppe and Riverview through rental payments.

Isabelle LeBlanc, Moncton's director of communications, said in an email that the RCMP station will be discussed at the  city council meeting Monday, and the city doesn't have anything further to say at this point.

Riverview Mayor Andrew LeBlanc said all three municipalities will have to look at the financial impact of the latest cost estimate and how it affects their budget.

"Obviously, an increase in cost is never something that you're hoping for, so we will have to figure out how we can make that work," LeBlanc said in an interview. 

He said the existing RCMP station is "falling apart."

"So we know we have to do something. I think we'll just have to have a lot of conversations around how this fits into the overall municipal budget and what we can do to try to accommodate that cost."

Policing for the three communities is contracted through the Codiac Regional Policing Authority.

Moncton Deputy Mayor Charles Léger, who chairs the policing authority board, said the communities are required to provide a suitable building for the police service. 

The 2012 contract, which expires in 2032, states the authority "will provide and maintain, at no cost to Canada, accommodation that is fit for use by the Codiac Regional Police Service and support staff." 

Léger declined to comment on the latest figure, saying information would be outlined Monday, along with information about the state of the existing building. As designs get more refined, cost estimates become clearer, he said. 

Planning for a new station began nearly a decade ago with a study that looked at whether the existing building could be renovated. The report has not been made public.

An assessment of the existing building would be needed to determine if it can be renovated, Léger said, adding renovations could prove more costly and complicated than a new structure. 

"All our decisions have to be with the taxpayer in mind," Léger said.

Moncton purchased 1.92 hectares off Albert Street south of the CN rail line for $2.45 million for a new station in January 2019.

Last year, Moncton was given conditional approval by the Municipal Capital Borrowing Board to borrow $46 million for the new station when designs were nearly complete.

The conditions included a signed 30-year lease agreement for the building and a review of the cost estimates.

Moncton council previously awarded architectural and engineering design work to RPL Architects Inc., a firm that specializes in designing police stations.

The design work was expected to be completed by this spring. Moncton council was expected to consider whether to approve issuing a tender based on the designs earlier this year. However, that vote was delayed until this fall. 

Councillors were given an updated cost estimate in the spring, but the city didn't make the new figure public. Paul Pellerin, a councillor at the time, indicated it was higher than $46 million. 

Elaine Aucoin, the city's director of environmental planning and management, told council that the design would be finalized with the goal to issue a tender in November. Construction would start in April 2022, with the building slated for occupancy in February 2024.

Mayor Dawn Arnold suggested in an April interview that nothing was for sure regarding the building. 

"I think there will be a lot of back-and-forth questions and changes. So, there's nothing in stone at this time."

Asked if that means the city is looking at making changes to cut the cost, Arnold said "probably, yeah." Asked if that was because the new cost is too high, Arnold said "it's something that we need to reflect upon."