One week after the union representing Mounties despatched a letter to Alberta’s public security minister to boost issues about his current feedback on the state of rural policing, World Information has realized the commanding officer of the RCMP within the province additionally despatched a letter to Mike Ellis about the identical difficulty.
In a letter dated April 14, 2025 and obtained by World Information by way of a freedom-of-information request, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Rob Hill referred to as it “alarming that incorrect data” was given by Ellis as he spoke within the Alberta legislature on April 10 in the course of the second studying of Invoice 49.
“It issues me significantly as we routinely talk and meet with ministry workers on the entire data you offered, together with many different points, but there have been quite a few errors within the data you detailed,” Hill wrote.
“The wrong statements you made usually are not solely detrimental to staff who make up the RCMP, however extra importantly, they weaken public belief within the Alberta RCMP and depart Albertans feeling unsafe in their very own province.”
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On April 10, whereas talking about Invoice 49, laws aimed toward amending a number of present Alberta statutes involving public security and emergency providers, Ellis famous a number of the proposed amendments intention to “present additional readability on the governance and operational framework and the oversight and mechanisms” on the subject of the province’s plan to offer municipalities with an choice to say no to RCMP policing of their communities in favour of a brand new provincial police power.
Whereas talking within the legislature, Ellis stated he continues “to listen to horror tales of no police responses in communities serviced by the present police of jurisdiction” and instructed the RCMP has not been clear about what number of officers are literally working in Alberta.
“What they advised us is that 1,911 was their licensed energy stage within the province of Alberta, which led me to imagine, which led each Albertan to imagine, that it was 1,911 cops,” he stated. “Now they inform me with out informing me, with out informing anybody in Alberta that their licensed energy stage is now 1,772 and that their emptiness charge is eighteen.1 per cent, so that they’re nonetheless anyplace from that 17 to twenty per cent.”
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In his letter to Ellis, Hill stated the minister has “repeatedly misrepresented the variety of licensed positions for the Alberta RCMP, regardless of that quantity being clarified on quite a lot of events.”
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“In April of 2024, that quantity was formally clarified along with your assistant deputy minister,” Hill wrote, noting that beneath the provincial police service settlement (PPSA) — which is the provincial policing contract between the governments of Canada and Alberta — there are 1,772 common members and 139 civilian members, totalling 1,911 member positions general.
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“Since that point, when vacancies have been reported to your workers on a month-to-month foundation we have now constantly used the licensed energy stage of 1,772 common members. Do you have to want additional clarification, or if that data isn’t immediately reaching you, my staff and I might be glad to satisfy with you personally to make clear any factors you might not absolutely perceive.”
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Hill added that when Ellis instructed some 911 calls weren’t being answered, the RCMP checked with its operational communications centres and located there may be nothing to help that data.
He added that if Ellis is conscious of such circumstances, he would really like the RCMP to be told as “it might be of nice concern to him” if 911 calls usually are not being answered or officers usually are not attending precedence calls.
Throughout Ellis’ speech to the legislature, he stated that in 2025-26, the Alberta authorities offered $380.5 million to the provincial police service settlement, a rise of $3.8 million from a yr earlier, and famous that within the 2024 funds the province elevated that by $20.9 million “to extend the RCMP’s capability.”
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“I can inform you proper now that we’re paying for $16 million value of providers that we aren’t getting proper now,” he stated on April 10.
In his letter, Hill wrote concerning the police funding mannequin — which expires subsequent yr — that noticed accountability for a portion of front-line police prices be shifted from the provincial authorities to municipalities that get their regulation enforcement providers by way of the PPSA.
“As you might be conscious, funding derived by way of the police funding mannequin was supposed for place progress,” he wrote. “Any slippage in funds realized because of delays in staffing of positions was re-invested into the provincial police service to handle current operation pressures beforehand funded inadequately and to advance strategic initiatives, all supporting the availability of providers to rural Alberta.
“This came about in session with the ministry of public security and emergency providers, and was reported to the Interim Police Advisory Board at conferences ministry workers additionally attend.”
When requested for an interview to talk about Hill’s letter, Ellis’ workplace stated he was unavailable. Nevertheless, the minister did difficulty an announcement in response.
“Present emptiness charges of practically 20 per cent throughout the province usually are not attributable to these alleged funding shortfalls,” the assertion learn partly. “That’s demonstrated by the truth that the province is at present paying $16 million for unfilled RCMP positions in Alberta.
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“In case your service supplier stiffs you $16 million and asks for extra money to ship what was initially promised-that’s a breach of contract for my part. That is placing our rural communities in peril. Earlier than we throw extra money on the drawback, let’s first get the officers we’re paying for beneath contract.”
Ellis added he believes RCMP officers are “doing the most effective they will — however they’re being stretched skinny due to these vacancies.”
“That is the results of mismanagement from unions in Ottawa and the federal authorities not making rural public security a precedence.”
On April 14, the Nationwide Police Federation, the bargaining agent for normal RCMP members, revealed a information launch after it issued a public letter to Ellis about what he stated on April 10.
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The NPF voiced concern about what it referred to as Ellis’ “continued sample of spreading false and politically motivated claims concerning the Alberta RCMP,” together with incorrect numbers relating to the RCMP’s licensed energy, and “inaccurate feedback about 911 name response instances.”
“As a former police officer, Minister Ellis ought to know higher,” stated Brian Sauvé, the president and CEO of the NPF. “He needs to be guided by info and proof — not hearsay, conjecture, or political spin.”
Jeff McGowan, the director of the NPF within the Prairies, spoke to World Information concerning the points on Tuesday.
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“I believe what we’re seeing shouldn’t be prioritizing public security for some political agenda,” he stated. “It’s disappointing to listen to.
“We’ve despatched the proper data to the minister a number of instances.”
McGowan stated he has met with Ellis earlier than and considers him a “good man,” however added that “for no matter cause, there appears to be inaccuracies in what’s being offered to the general public.”
Paul McLaughlin, the reeve of Ponoka County, instructed he believes Ellis’ feedback replicate what he believes has been a tough relationship with the RCMP and the provincial authorities for a number of years now.
“This authorities, for a really very long time, has been undermining the RCMP and have made it very tough for the RCMP to do what they should do by always having this noise — crating new businesses … after which claiming that recruitment isn’t assembly the targets when, finally, who needs to return to Alberta when you will have a hostile contractor?” he stated, including that he questions whether or not Ellis is managing the Alberta authorities’s contract with the RCMP successfully.
McLaughlin additionally stated he believes the provincial authorities’s ongoing push to have municipalities have the choice to reject the RCMP in favour of a provincial police power is a “path that the majority Albertans oppose.”
“We’re attempting to put money into our native police and work with them to make our group safer, and on the identical time we’re paying a invoice,” he stated. “We’ve stated the way forward for policing is to work with the RCMP, work with what you will have and what you have already got in place and to make them higher at what they do.
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“This authorities is obsessive about having their very own police power and so they can not afford.”
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In his April 10 speech within the legislature, Ellis stated “over 35 municipalities … are on the lookout for choices greater than what they’ve proper now as a result of they can not afford to proceed to pay for the prices with the little to no service that they’re getting proper now.”
“We’re laying the groundwork for the unbiased policing company, the place we’re going to have women and men who’re going to be on the market.”
Hill final month introduced plans to retire from the RCMP. The RCMP stated his precise departure date has but to be decided.
–with information from Morgan Black, World Information
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