No one is asking for a provincial police force
By Lethbridge Herald on November 6, 2025.
Editor,
An open letter to Premier Smith:
So you are pushing an Alberta police force on us?
Municipalities do not want one;
Albertans do not want one;
You have not given us any information on how much this will cost forsetting them up infrastructure, training, etc. etc.
Who is making money out of this Ms. Smith? Not the majority of Albertans! You just do whatever you want, don’t you.
Peter Haney
Lethbridge
10-9
Thank you for this, Peter Haney.
Peter Haney is spot on. In 2012, when she was the Wildrose Party leader, Danielle Smith campaigned on getting an Alberta Provincial Police Force, and an Alberta Provincial Pension Plan for Alberta. Albertans clearly said no to those things, and the Wildrose Party were defeated to Alison Redford and the Alberta PCs in the provincial election, that year.
In the 2023 provincial election in Alberta, Danielle Smith intentionally kept the very unpopular Alberta Provincial Police Force and the very unpopular Alberta Provincial Pension Plan off of the provincial election agenda in Alberta, to avoid seeing the UCP get defeated.
Why is Danielle Smith and the UCP pursuing what Albertans clearly do not want? The R.C.M.P are investigating the UCP’s well over $600 million Corrupt Care scandal, and this is one reason why the UCP and Danielle Smith want the R.C.M.P replaced with an Alberta Provincial Police Force.
Alberta election 2012: Danielle Smith says Wildrose has ‘some soul-searching to do’ | National Post https://share.google/aYR6PoV6jVCjgdhjT
The RMA Formally Opposes the Creation of an Alberta Provincial Police Service – RMA https://share.google/9Tt3qoBEmldVRCKFd
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/smith-says-sovereignty-act-rcmp-replacement-and-pension-plan-not-in-ucp-campaign
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/new-alberta-finance-minister-still-eyeing-pension-plan-and-tax-collection
Dwayne.W are you as well an advanced senior citizen like Mr. Haney? It would certainly appear so, as your reflection on biased news articles over a decade old and hanging your hat on days gone by politics. Haney/Dwayne.W, surprise….. things do change and policies evolve. Has the RCMP been replaced in other jurisdictions? Absolutely and “hear yea – hear yea” not too long ago and in a land not to far from here…..” On November 29, 2024, Surrey Police Service (SPS) replaced the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as the police of jurisdiction in Surrey.”
What biased news articles? They report what comes out of Danielle Smith’s own mouth. Yes, she did campaign on those things as the Wildrose Party leader. She did intentionally leave those things off of the 2023 provincial election in Alberta, to avoid seeing the UCP get defeated. Also, the Rural Municipalities Association Of Alberta isn’t a news organization. They oppose an Alberta Provincial Police Force, because of the enormous cost of around $1.5 billion. What happened in Surrey, isn’t a good example to follow.
One would assume that Mr. Haney is an engaged individual residing in a rural municipality currently being policed by the RCMP. In fact he is NOT, rather he is an advanced senior citizen and long time resident of the City of Lethbridge. Haney has no understanding of the situation in the rural communities of Alberta.
Had Mr. Haney attended the “Alberta Next” public meeting(s) he would have clearly heard the strategy and need for a Provincial police service. He would have also heard from several individuals at the Lethbridge meeting who reside in rural Alberta and their pleas for the Provincial police. There were also several others who spoke who were either former RCMP or relatives of RCMP who reported that the existing RCMP force can not adequately serve the rural communities effectively simply due to staff shortages and jurisdictional issues. (Let alone the fact that the RCMP may be non-existent after 2030)
So Mr. Haney, before you put your mouth/pen in gear, you might want to learn the facts instead of spouting BS.
The RCMP are chronically understaffed. Have been for years and years. Having sheriffs support rural policing and highways is a realistic answer.
Chronically understaffed? Have you followed the ostrich /CFIA gong show at all ? How many RCMP were there? There was so disgustingly many rc ‘s there wasting time and money and resources. They didn’t have to be there. Pathetic bunch of losers they are. No regard for the public , bending over for their supreme rulers – government and CFIA. They are supposed to, yes supposed to work for the people. 100 cops , maybe more there that show their true colours. Alberta doesn’t need loser cops like that.
Speaking of contract policing being understaffed. What happened to your porridge. Unless you’re an ex member you provide the usual chirping that members are required to put up with and say nothing about. Contract positions in Alberta are down 16-20% so what do you suppose should be done about that other than hate the current government. Here ya go.
Yes, the RCMP is understaffed in many areas across Canada, with particularly severe shortages in some regions and in its communications centers. This includes both officer positions and support roles, with national vacancy rates for operator positions reported as high as 42.8%.
I will add from my own contacts, who wants to put up with the garbage from the public and be a PO, a nurse, a teacher, etc., all suffer from shortages due to the massive number of critics, Someone always complaining about something. See above.
CFIA is a federal department of which the RCMP is bound to enforce federal statutes created therein, such as CFIA Act, Safe Food for Canadians Act, Health of Animals Act. Such a good idea to make the RCMP federal only and give up writing parking tickets and chasing dog complaints in Armpit (name the province). A provincial police force is the solution.
why do we need to spend more on another prov’l force – we already have the new sheriffs in town. the sheriffs get more and more territory and responsibility by the week.