In 2019, the UCP government made deep cuts to social support programs and municipal funding that was directed towards policing. That included confiscating municipal fine revenue by increasing the provincial take from 26.7% to 40%, resulting in a $32 million loss in municipal police budgets.

Calgary lost police funding and so did Edmonton.

This decision, combined with other UCP cuts, has led to rising rates of poverty, houselessness, addictions and crime in urban centers, large and small.

If elected, an Alberta NDP government will restore municipal police funding and invest in integrated teams to make urban transit safe while addressing poverty, homelessness, mental health, and addictions.

The Alberta NDP plan will improve public safety and better address the root causes of social disorder by ensuring properly-funded police forces are working together as a team with community and social service providers to make a meaningful impact, specifically in the downtown cores of Calgary and Edmonton.

We will ensure greater access to affordable housing, adequate emergency shelter space, and spaces with addiction and mental health services.

Everyone in Alberta has the right to be safe.This requires a commitment to diversity and to strong community engagement and leadership. Today’s social problems are getting more complex so our solutions must be more comprehensive.

We will work with municipalities to hire 150 police officers and we will pair these officers with 150 social workers, mental health workers, addictions counselors, and community outreach workers as a part of integrated teams.

Three hundred frontline partners, working together with a focus on safety and support.

If an Alberta NDP government is elected, we will invest in better policing and stronger communities. We will restore $32 million in municipal police funding that was cut by the UCP which will cover:

• 150 officers in Calgary, Edmonton and other centres, including Lethbridge, Red Deer, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, Fort McMurray and elsewhere.
• 150 social workers, mental health workers, addictions counsellors, Indigenous-led outreach, and community outreach workers as a part of integrated teams.
• Direct resources to enhance teams already established, like 911/211 co-location,
• Indigenous teams and culturally appropriate and trauma informed outreach. This includes the DOAP team in Calgary and the COTT team in Edmonton.
• Support civilian oversight and community liaisons to ensure good metrics, reporting, and community involvement.
• Support and grow partnerships with ethnic and multicultural communities to prevent crime, as well as social welfare service providers, given they have a proven track record of providing assistance.
• Provide wrap-around supports and support community agencies in areas such as health, mental health, housing, harm reduction, addictions treatment, and access to training and employment to address the roots of crime.
• Keep the RCMP, and Invest in specialized Rural Crime Reduction Units to target and shutter crime and organized crime in rural communities. An initial $10-million investment will be made to fulfill this commitment.
• Hire more probation officers and invest in post-release programs to stop repeat and prolific offenders.
• Establish a long-term agreement with municipalities to support: stable and predictable police funding and an increased use of integrated police-community service teams; Indigenous partnerships; and provincial accountability for services such as affordable housing.

Danielle Smith's plan to remove the RCMP and establish a new provincial police force has been rejected by most major municipalities, business leaders, and a clear majority of the Alberta public.

We need to invest in frontline policing, not changing the name of the force and repainting police cars.

The Alberta NDP will keep the RCMP in Alberta and our municipal police services have the necessary funding and capacity to protect Albertans.

Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP understand that policing alone does not address the root causes of crime and social disorder. This commitment to public safety follows major commitments to expanding affordable housing and our strategy to reduce poverty and build a better future for all Albertans.