COLD LAKE – Cold Lake’s policing costs are projected to climb by about million over the next five years, with the RCMP forecasting the need for three additional regular positions as the community grows.

Cold Lake City Council adopted the 2027-2032 Municipal Police Service Multi-Year Financial Plan at its Aug. 11 regular meeting following a recommendation from the City’s Policing Committee.

The plan forecasts policing costs increasing from approximately $4.55 million in 2027-28 to $5.55 million by 2031-32. Administration told council the increase reflects additional staffing, modernization and inflationary pressures.

Prepared by the RCMP in consultation with the City, the five-year plan lays out anticipated staffing, equipment, technology, training and financial requirements for policing in Cold Lake.

The detachment identified drug enforcement, crime reduction and community engagement as key policing priorities over the period.

The plan also proposes adding three regular RCMP positions over five years, along with continued investment in fleet replacement, officer safety equipment, digital policing technology and operational training.

Five-year plan doesn’t lock City into spending

The discussion quickly turned to what adopting a five-year plan actually means, particularly with changes happening in policing across Alberta.

Mayor Bob Mattice questioned whether approving the plan would commit Cold Lake to the RCMP and the projected spending for the entire five-year period.

Administration said it would not.

The multi-year plan is a rolling financial forecast, meaning it is updated annually as one year drops off and another is added.

“It just continues to give an update and forecasting of police service costs within the community,” CAO Kevin Nagoya told council.

Nagoya later stressed that the plan before council was non-binding.

“This is just a financial plan that needs to be submitted to the minister so that they have forecasts and an understanding of what they need to do for recruitment efforts and budgeting,” he said.

That also means the three additional positions aren’t automatically guaranteed simply because they appear in the five-year plan.

Councillor Vicky Lefebvre, who sits on the Policing Committee, noted that the committee understood future additions would depend on the City’s available budget.

“We didn’t meet it last year. They’d asked for one and we didn’t add one,” Lefebvre said. “We’re just heads up as to what they’re looking for and within the guidelines of the next few years.”

What happens if policing changes in Alberta?

Mattice also raised the broader question of where Cold Lake fits as Alberta’s policing landscape evolves, referencing communities such as Grande Prairie that have moved toward their own municipal police services.

Nagoya explained that Cold Lake currently operates under a municipal police service agreement connected to the broader Provincial Police Service Agreement between Alberta and the federal government.

What happens with that system in the future will depend in part on decisions made by the provincial and federal governments.

“It depends on what the federal government and the provincial government negotiate or don’t negotiate,” Nagoya said.

He pointed out that Alberta municipalities already use different policing models. Grande Prairie has moved to a municipal police service, Lethbridge has its own police service while Red Deer continues to use the RCMP.

Nagoya also cautioned that leaving the RCMP model would involve more than simply replacing officers.

“The RCMP has a whole institution behind it and provides the education, training for its members and whatnot,” he said, noting local detachments can also access specialized resources through the broader RCMP organization.

If Cold Lake ever wanted to seriously consider another model, Nagoya suggested council first undertake a study examining the options and implications.

For now, he recommended waiting for more clarity on the future direction of policing agreements between Alberta and Ottawa rather than making major changes based on uncertainty.

Council ultimately adopted the five-year financial plan, giving the RCMP and other levels of government a forecast of Cold Lake’s anticipated policing needs while leaving future staffing and spending decisions subject to the City’s annual budget process.