Kamloops councillor suggests planning for life after RCMP

The clock is ticking on the federal government’s RCMP contract and one Kamloops councillor wants to plan for a future without mounties.

It would be following in Kelowna’s footsteps, where the Okanagan’s largest city is exploring whether it should move on with a municipal force.

As Kamloops considers spending millions on a new police station, Coun. Kelly Hall said it would be short-sighted to forget the coming 2032 deadline for RCMP contracts.

“I hear what the federal government’s talking about in getting out of municipal policing, and I get a little worried,” he told iNFOnews.ca. “Why not do the homework now?”

The local detachment is squeezed in a downtown station that’s more than 30 years old, roughly doubling its capacity with current staffing. He said it needs to be built regardless, but it’s not clear whether the city is planning for what happens after those seven years.

What will happen in 2032 to municipal detachments across the country isn’t clear, but the federal government is looking at a future where provinces and municipalities manage policing separately.

The Kelowna RCMP, meanwhile, has severed itself as a a regional policing detachment, while the city is exploring an “optimal” policing model moving forward. While the protracted Surrey transition may cause concern for some municipalities, Hall said the upcoming changes across the country mean it should be considered.

Uncertain of what could happen in 2032, Hall said Kamloops should follow Kelowna to ensure they get their “best bang for the buck,” which could still end with a desire to hold on to RCMP.

The $150 million police station will likely be built either way and, if not under the city’s current plans, the RCMP could step in and have it built anyway. It would then send the bill to the municipality.