Nova Scotia Reaches Agreement on RCMP

The province has reached an agreement with Ottawa that means the RCMP, which has provided high-quality policing to many Nova Scotia communities for almost 80 years, will continue to keep streets safe for the next 20.

Justice Minister Ross Landry said Nova Scotia has reached a final agreement with Canada on a new provincial policing deal that gives the province and municipalities more control over key areas such as containing costs, governance, and operational and financial accountability.

This means the province and municipalities will get more input and control into staffing levels, policing standards and construction of new detachments over the 20-year deal.

Nova Scotia also maintained the 70-30 cost-share arrangement with Ottawa for all municipalities in the province.

"I am very pleased that we reached a successful conclusion to the negotiations," said Mr. Landry. "This agreement represents the beginning of a new relationship with Public Safety Canada and the RCMP."

"Today is a significant milestone for RCMP contract policing," said Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews. "I am very pleased to announce that the government of Canada and the province of Nova Scotia have reached an agreement that will continue the relationship between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the people of Nova Scotia for the next two decades."

"I wish to thank the provincial negotiation team for the work that has been done to provide municipalities more input with regards to containing costs, governance and operational and financial accountability with the new 20-year RCMP contract," said Jimmy MacAlpine, president of the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities.

Highlights of the agreement, which runs from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2032, include:

• a new contract management committee that will review cost-sharing and cost-containment measures
• a two-year escape clause remains for municipalities that want to opt-out and create a municipal police force
• clarification of financial and staffing processes, including re-deployment of RCMP to special events.

The RCMP, as the provincial force, police 94 per cent of the land mass of Nova Scotia and 60 per cent of the population in 36 municipalities. There are 37 RCMP detachments and more than 1,500 RCMP employees in the province.

The provincial force also provides specialized and centralized services so every community in Nova Scotia has access to major crime investigators, emergency responses teams, dog teams, bomb disposal and other such units.

Nine municipalities contract with the RCMP directly and are not part of the agreement. Public Safety Canada will provide those municipalities a contract based on the provincial agreement. Ten municipalities have their own police forces.

More information can be found at www.gov.ns.ca/just