Calgary police firearms facility and emergency funding dominate budget talks – Calgary [Video]

Calgary city council is looking at a budgetary balancing act when it comes to the Calgary Police Service’s need for a new firearms training facility, and how the service plans to pay for it.

Police chief Mark Neufeld and Calgary Police Commission chair Shawn Cornett spent Tuesday afternoon taking questions from city councillors, in their second day of deliberations for the 2025 budget.

In its submission for this year’s budget, the Calgary Police Commission is looking to use $9.5 million in unallocated funds from the Community Safety Investment Framework (CSIF) to cover cost overruns on a new firearms training facility.

CSIF, which was started in 2020, partners with community organizations to improve support and response for Calgarians in crisis, and prevent police interactions.

CPS puts $8 million into the CSIF program annually, which is matched by the City of Calgary.

“At the end of the day, this isn’t about training …