Alberta government lays groundwork for provincial police force [Video]

Alberta’s government is taking another step toward giving municipalities the option of ditching the RCMP in favour of a new provincial police service.

Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis says an independent Alberta service could step in to help address concerns he’s heard about the Mounties’ staffing shortages and rising costs.

If passed, the proposed Bill 49 containing amendments to the public safety act would mean a new agency must operate under a Crown corporation that would be at arm’s length from the government.

An extra $6 million has been set aside for the agency’s leadership team, but Ellis says if the province shifts about $136 million in annual Alberta Sheriffs funding for police work, there could be little startup costs.

Opposition NDP public safety critic David Shepherd says if hundreds of sheriffs are shifted to staff the new provincial police service, it raises questions about how the work they are …