News

The BC Chamber of Commerce passed a major resolution at their 2011 AGM in Prince George May 30th calling for Equitable Police Funding in British Columbia.

The resolution (following) was advanced by the Abbotsford, Greater Victoria, and Nelson Chambers of Commerce and was endorsed by the BC Chamber Policy Review Committee.

“We were extremely pleased with the support our resolution received on the floor”, said Abbotsford Chamber board chair Patrick Giesbrecht.  “It was a lengthy, detailed, resolution so the delegations from the sponsoring Chambers spent the first two days of the conference gathering support.  There were maybe half a dozen no votes compared to over 200 in the affirmative.”

The resolution calls for the Provincial and Federal governments to urgently address the issue of equitable police funding by developing an fair funding program for all British Columbia municipalities; and to have senior levels of government provide the same cost sharing to those communities using a municipal police force as to those contracting the services of the RCMP.

The final call to action was to the Provincial Government asking them to not entertain, or sign a new contract, with the RCMP for policing in the Province of BC that creates inequity in policing throughout the province

“There is no acceptable rationalization for vast discrepancies in policing costs for communities in BC”, said Abbotsford Chamber executive director David D. Hull.  “Communities utilizing the RCMP through the Provincial policing agreement with less than 5000 population essentially do not pay for policing while those over 5000 up to 15,000 pay 70% of the cost and the large communities pay 90% of cost while the 12 municipalities with their own police force pay 100% of the costs.”

“It is patently unfair that, collectively, the communities with municipal policing represent over 1.26 million residents, 28.3% of the BC population, and tens of thousands of businesses, received absolutely no funding from senior governments towards policing costs,” Giesbrecht outlined in his introduction of the resolution on the convention floor.  “Just because you have smaller population does not mean you do not have the ability, or responsibility, to pay your fair share of policing”.

The affected Chambers outlined concerns that “silos of policing funding inequity” could be detrimental to all communities as crime does not recognize geopolitical boundaries and can easily migrate to neighbouring jurisdictions.

 Now that the resolution if part of the BC Chamber policy book the issue will be advanced to the federal and provincial governments seeking action on this very important issue.  Hull pointed out that if a 15 or 20 year inequitable contract is signed the opportunity to create a fair and equitable police funding model in the Province will be lost.

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ADOPTED AT THE BC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MAY 30, 2011 PRINCE GEORGE, BC

EQUITABLE POLICE FUNDING

Overview of Policing in British Columbia
Residents of British Columbia receive police services from an RCMP provincial force, 60 RCMP municipal forces, 11 independent municipal police departments, one First Nations Administered Police Service (FNAPS), and the RCMP federal force.

Municipal, Provincial, and Federal Integrated Teams, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU, formerly known as the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia), and the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railway police forces also provide specialized law enforcement within the province.

In the Lower Mainland area of the province, the South Coast British Columbia Transit Authority Police Service (SCBCTAPS) was established as a designated police unit under the Police Act in late 2005. There are also enhanced police services at the Vancouver and Victoria International Airports.

Under the BC Police Act, municipalities with a population exceeding 5,000 persons are responsible for providing police services within their boundaries. These municipalities may contract for the services of the RCMP to provide municipal policing or they may form an independent (non-RCMP) municipal police department.

The RCMP provincial force polices municipalities with a population below 5,000 persons, as well as unincorporated (usually rural) areas.

Independent police departments, First Nations Administered Police Service and provincial and municipal RCMP detachments provide police services to specific geographic locations within the province.

RCMP Federal Force
The RCMP federal force enforces federal statutes across the province. Examples of federal policing programs include border integrity, national security, commercial crime, international proceeds of crime, drug enforcement, and protective services. In 2009, the authorized strength of the federal force in British Columbia was 1,034, including 185 protective policing positions.

RCMP Provincial Force
In British Columbia, the provincial government contracts with the federal government and the RCMP to provide policing services to municipalities under 5,000 population, as well as to the unincorporated areas of the province.

If a municipality is under 5,000 population, the provincial force polices not only the municipality but also any unincorporated or rural area surrounding it. If a municipality is over 5,000 population, the provincial force polices the surrounding unincorporated area and a municipal police unit polices the municipality.

The RCMP provincial force also maintains the policing infrastructure for the province. This infrastructure includes centrally provided police functions that serve all communities. In addition to capital-intensive items, such as boats and planes, the provincial force provides specialized units such as unsolved homicide, hate crime, commercial crime and traffic enforcement that serve all jurisdictions in British Columbia. In essence, the RCMP provincial force is the umbrella for all policing in the province.

The cost of the provincial force is shared between the federal and provincial governments under the terms of the Provincial Police Services Agreement (PPSA). The province pays 70% of the contract costs and the federal government pays 30%.

In 2009, the RCMP provincial force served 90 municipalities with populations below 5,000 persons in addition to the unincorporated areas. In 2009, the provincial force had an authorized strength of 2,306 officers providing police services to a population of 685,596.

Until 2007 municipalities with a population of less than 5,000 did not make a direct contribution toward the provincial police services they receive. Rural property owners paid a rural property tax, but the amount raised from this tax did not make a significant contribution to policing. In 2007, a new police financing model was introduced which requires municipalities with populations below 5,000 persons and unincorporated areas to pay a more equitable share of their policing costs. Under the new model, less than 50% of the total cost for the provincial force is collected from property taxpayers in these communities.

The RCMP provincial force detachments are usually named after the municipalities in which the detachment offices are located. For example, the Houston RCMP provincial unit polices not only the Town of Houston but also the rural areas and other communities within the detachment's boundaries.

Where both municipal and provincial units are located in the same detachment or integrated detachments, the RCMP members from each unit report to one commanding officer and provide police services to the combined provincial and municipal policing areas.

Municipal Police
Under the BC Police Act a municipality must assume responsibility for its police services when, as a result of a Canada Census, its population reaches 5,000 persons. These municipalities may form their own independent police department or contract for the RCMP as a municipal police service.

In 1996, there were 67 municipalities with populations exceeding 5,000 persons. This number increased to 71 in 1997 following the release of the 1996 Canada Census results, and remained at 71 following the release of the 2001 Canada Census results. In 2009, there were 72 municipalities exceeding 5,000 persons as a result of the 2006 Canada Census.

RCMP Municipal Forces
In 2009, there were 60 municipalities with RCMP municipal police services. Each of these municipalities has signed a Municipal Police Unit Agreement (MPUA) with the provincial government for the provision of RCMP police services to the area within their municipal boundaries. Under this agreement (contract), the cost of policing these municipalities is shared between the municipality and the federal government.

There are two different MPUA cost-sharing formulas. Municipalities with populations exceeding 15,000 persons are responsible for 90% of the cost of their RCMP police services. Municipalities with populations between 5,000 and 15,000 persons are responsible for 70% of the cost of their RCMP police services. The federal government pays 10% and 30% respectively. Municipalities are responsible 100% of their accommodation and support staff costs.

Independent Municipal Police Departments
Twelve municipalities in British Columbia have formed their own police departments and are policed by 11 independent municipal police departments. These police departments are referred to as �¢����independent and are responsible for 100% of their policing costs.
The independent municipal police departments include

City of Abbotsford
District of Central Saanich
District of Delta
Township of Esquimalt (in contract with Victoria)
City of Nelson
City of New Westminster
District of Oak Bay
City of Port Moody
District of Saanich
City of Vancouver
City of Victoria
District of West Vancouver

The Problem
The current provincial policing contract with the RCMP is scheduled to expire in early 2012 and negotiations are currently underway to renew the contract.   One of the most noteworthy requests from the UBCM is that Federal/Provincial subsidies for communities with a population over 15,000 go from the current 10% subsidy to 30%. 

Throughout the negotiating process no mention has been made of the gross inequity that currently exists between communities contracted with the RCMP through the provincial government and those with municipal police forces.

In 2009, Federal and Provincial Government contributions to policing totalled $517,604,970.  It is patently unfair that, collectively, the communities with municipal policing represent over 1.26 million residents, 28.3% of the BC population, and tens of thousands of businesses, received absolutely no funding from senior governments towards policing costs. 

Individuals, and businesses, in municipalities with municipal police forces pay 100% of their local policing costs.  These costs, without exception, are the single largest part of the total municipal tax bill. Exacerbating the problem, the residents, and business owners of these municipalities, also directly subsidise the costs of policing in neighbouring communities using the RCMP through our provincial and federal personal and corporate income taxes. 

While the required funding structure was known to each of these municipalities when they created their own police force all other aspects have since changed.  The complexity and the challenges facing modern policing are dramatically different from those facing communities only a few years ago. 
Whether it is the huge challenge organized crime is presenting to many communities or the challenge of addressing cyber crime the nature and complexity of policing has changed dramatically.  This all comes with a significant cost to police forces that could not have been seen at the time they created their own municipal force.

The growth in the cost to municipalities comes at a time when municipalities are facing significant cost pressures in areas such as transportation and infrastructure.  As the Chamber addresses in other resolutions in the policy manual this has led to a trend towards unfair levels of property tax being levied onto the business community.  With the single biggest line item in these communities being protective services the impact on business is of significant concern to business.

Crime doesn’t recognize, or stop at, geopolitical boundaries. 
The majority of communities with their municipal forces have international points of entry (border crossings, harbours, airports, etc).  Organized crime tends to move towards areas of least resistance.  

The BC Chamber of Commerce believes public safety is a foremost concern of our member Chambers and their respective business members and residents. 

The BC Chamber of Commerce find it unacceptable that both the Province of BC and the Government of Canada deem the public safety of our citizens to be of secondary importance when it comes to the allocation of dollars.  

To create silos of policing inequity is detrimental to all of the communities of British Columbia due to the geographically fluid and predatory and opportunistic nature of crime.

THE CHAMBER RECOMMENDS

That the Provincial Government work with the Federal Government to:
 
1. urgently address the issue of equitable police funding by developing an equitable funding program for all British Columbia municipalities; and

2. have senior levels of government provide the same cost sharing to those communities using a municipal police force as to those contracting the services of the RCMP.

And further

3. That the Provincial Government not entertain or sign a new contract with the RCMP for policing in the Province of BC that creates inequity in policing throughout the province

Submitted by the Abbotsford, Greater Victoria and Nelson Chambers of Commerce.

The Policy Review Committee supports this resolution