Additional funding coming for Grande Prairie Police Service

The Grande Prairie Police Service(GPPS), established in 2023 as an alternative to the RCMP, is getting more funding to help startup costs.

Alberta’s government is providing $7 million in additional funding to Grande Prairie to help the community transition to a municipal police service.

This new funding builds on the province’s initial $9.7 million two-year commitment to help the City of Grande Prairie meet its policing and public safety needs, following the city council’s decision in March 2023 to transition from the RCMP to a municipal police service.

Since 2023, Grande Prairie has progressed in hiring officers and civilian staff, gathering equipment and beginning the development of essential IT infrastructure for a municipal police service.

The funding will support the projected start-up costs associated with building and implementing the new service, including salaries, benefits, recruitment, equipment and training.

“The transition is on budget and on schedule and has already provided a positive impact on our community safety and valuable insights on the modernizations that will be achieved with a stand-alone municipal police service model,” said Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton.

Once provincial startup funding through the Grande Prairie Police Service Grant agreement ends, the city will absorb all operational costs associated with its new police service.

The annual operating budget of the GPPS is projected to be less than those associated with policing services contracted through the RCMP the province said.

Under Alberta’s Police Act, towns and cities with populations greater than 5,000 are responsible for their own policing and can form their own municipal police service, be part of a regional policing arrangement or contract with the federal government for RCMP policing services to meet their public safety needs.

The GPPS is expected to become the primary police service of jurisdiction for Grande Prairie in 2026.