Moncton opts to keep RCMP in close vote

Moncton council voted Monday evening to keep the RCMP as its policing service for the second time since the province disbanded the city's municipal force in the late 1990s.

The vote at a committee meeting will still need to be ratified at a future council meeting but likely marks the end of a review launched in 2021.

Councillors voted 6-5 to adopt a consultant's report issued last year that recommended keeping the Codiac Regional RCMP and changes to the civilian body that oversees the force.

Dieppe and Riverview, also policed by Codiac, previously voted to support keeping the RCMP.

"I think we're not serving our citizens well by just putting this report on the shelf for the months that we've done so far," Coun. Susan Edgett, who moved the recommendation, said during Moncton's debate Monday.

Councillors Bryan Butler, left, and Dave Steeves listen as Coun. Susan Edgett moves a motion that would keep Moncton policed by the RCMP. (Shane Magee/CBC)

Mayor Dawn Arnold, Edgett and councillors Paulette Theriault, Monique LeBlanc, Marty Kingston and Dave Steeves were the six votes to continue with the RCMP.

Deputy Mayor Shawn Crossman and councillors Daniel Bourgeois, Charles Léger, Bryan Butler and Paul Richard voted against.

Butler, Leger and Bourgeois were part of a committee council established last fall to gather more information following the release of the policing services study by Perivale + Taylor.

"The report was, how do I say this, full of holes," Bourgeois said Monday. "There was a lot of missing information and they were making a lot of assumptions because they didn't have the information."

The committee members said they had been able to gather answers to most of the questions they had, but items they considered major were left: A workload analysis and further details about the estimated costs to transition from RCMP to a municipal force.

Deputy Mayor Shawn Crossman and councillors Daniel Bourgeois and Charles Leger were among those who voted against the motion Monday. (Shane Magee/CBC)

They instead wanted to give the committee until June 30 to gather that information, and to hold public consultations to gather input from residents about what to do.

The Perivale + Taylor report estimated the potential cost to transition to a municipal force, at $73.5 million over 15 years, with more than $41 million in "contingency and adjustments."

The workload analysis, which the consultants had recommended, was sought to determine the right number of officers for a police force, whether the RCMP or a new municipal force.

Moncton initially wanted the report done by March, but the Codiac Regional Policing Authority board questioned the study.

LeBlanc, a council appointee on the policing authority, said it expects the workload analysis to be complete by August.

"I'd rather wait and hear back from the committee to make a well-informed decision," said Richard, one of the nay votes.

Several councillors said they were comfortable continuing based on the Perivale + Taylor report, despite the concerns the committee members voiced.

"I think there's concerns about public safety, and I don't think getting rid of the RCMP is going to solve this," Theriault said, saying she hasn't heard complaints about the RCMP from residents.

Butler later latched onto that, saying he and others have heard complaints at various public meetings including one this month in his ward.

He cited various data points about how many crimes are solved, the city's crime rate and people saying they don't see police patrolling in their neighbourhoods.

"When I talk to my citizens in the north end, I'm gonna certainly let them know who votes for it, who votes against it," Butler said.

"Because I'm not taking the blame. I'm gonna tell them that I stood up for you. I stood up, and I said if they don't feel safe, I'm going to bring it to council."

Moncton previously reviewed its policing services in 2010, which also pointed to a steep cost to change to a municipal force.

After that review, a 20-year contract between the Mounties and the Codiac Regional Policing Authority was signed. The contract ending in 2032 allows either party to withdraw from the agreement by providing two years notice.

The cost of the Codiac RCMP is shared by the three municipalities, with Moncton covering more than 70 per cent of the budget.

The vote Monday, beyond keeping the force, means the city will also back several other recommendations in the Perivale + Taylor report. They include:

• Doing an annual police workload analysis.

• Making staffing decisions based on the workload analysis and improvements in data collection.

• Asking, with Dieppe and Riverview, that the Codiac Regional Policing Authority establish a community feedback process on public safety and policing matters, and provide greater transparency and consultation with municipal councils.

• Having the three communities support partnerships to address "social disorder challenges."

• Ensuring that people appointed to the policing authority are suitably trained for their role, paying the board chair and specific board members, and establishinga part-time executive director position for administrative functions.

Councillors also voted 8-3 to request a closed-door meeting of the three municipalities, the commanding officer of the New Brunswick RCMP, the Codiac RCMP commanding officer and the policing authority about implementing the recommendations and "the future of public safety in our community."

That motion stemmed from a lengthy debate about the breakdown in communication between council, the policing authority and RCMP.