Questions and Answers

When, how, and why did Carleton North and Hartland form a partnership on policing?
Immediately following their elections in November 2022, the new Councils of Carleton North and Hartland turned their attention to policing, a matter of great concern to residents in both communities. In January, Mayor Harvey of Carleton North formed a committee to study policing, met with the RCMP officials on several occasions, and in a few weeks produced a report on the state of policing. In Hartland, Mayor DeMerchant and Council often discussed the high cost of RCMP policing services and the perceptions among residents of low RCMP presence and visibility. In April, representatives from both communities met several times to discuss these common concerns. Shortly thereafter, the two communities agreed to form a joint committee comprised of Councillors and administrators. In ensuing weeks, the committee met several times and consulted with members of policing services in other municipalities. In June, the joint committee travelled to Fredericton to meet with Minister Kris Austin of the Department of Public Safety to seek permission to form an official Police Review Committee. In August, Minister Austin formally approved the Police Review Committee of Carleton North and Hartland to proceed, authorizing it to propose a new local policing alternative to the current RCMP service

What is the current contract between the RCMP and Carleton North and Hartland?
Carleton North and Hartland each have annual contracts with the RCMP that are negotiated and administered by the province of New Brunswick through the Department of Public Safety. Under these contracts, Carleton North and Hartland cannot determine staffing levels, service levels, or cost. Instead, the province uses a complex formula to establish the cost for each municipality, which each municipality must pay and cannot challenge.

In 2023, how much are Carleton North and Hartland due to pay for RCMP service?
In 2023, Carleton North and Hartland are due to pay $3,000,000 to the RCMP to serve and protect more than 13,500 residents from detachments in Woodstock and Perth-Andover.

Is it normal for Carleton North and Hartland to not have local detachments (or police stations)?
No. Combined, the 13,500 residents of Carleton North and Hartland live in an area that covers 1800 square kilometers. The two communities also claim two of the province’s largest industrial bases with such notable tenants as McCains, Day & Ross, Old Dutch, Valley Equipment, and Craig Manufacturing. In addition, Hartland is home to the only regional hospital between Fredericton and Grand Falls. Looking across the Maritimes and even Canada, there are very few communities with this profile that do not have a single local police station.

Who is going to determine what we need to form a new police service?
Carleton North and Hartland have tasked John de Winter, a retired former Commanding Officer in the RCMP, to chair the Police Review Committee. Jason Hickey, a retired veteran of the Waterloo, Ontario police service who grew up in Carleton North, is also part of the committee, along with the Mayors and CAOs of both municipalities, as well as several members of both Councils. John and Jason are leading the committee’s effort to define the organizational chart and operating requirements of the new service. With support from the CAOs, they are also leading the committee’s efforts to define operating and capital budgets. John and Jason are doing this in conjunction with representatives from the province who work for the Department of Public Safety.

How much is a new municipal police service going to cost?
The Police Review Committee, which is defining the proposed service, estimates that the annual operating cost of a new service will be comparable to the current annual cost of the RCMP. That said, the committee recognizes that in addition to these operating costs, there will be significant start-up costs, or capital costs, for buildings, vehicles, equipment, information systems, and so on. The committee is consulting with other municipal policing services to estimate these costs and actively engaging the province to determine what transition funds will be available.

How do you plan to engage the public about this initiative?
The Police Review Committee recognizes the critical importance of involving the public in this process and will engage the public in the following ways. First, it will communicate through local press and media, sharing information about the Committee’s activities and progress. Second, it has created a website to share information and to welcome public feedback. Third, it will conduct a public survey of residents in Carleton North and Hartland to better understand their perspective on policing. Fourth, it will host open town halls with the public on November 8 and 9 to share information, collect feedback, and answer questions.

Is there going to be a feasibility study before a new service is approved?
To submit a proposal to the province, the Police Review Committee must complete a 16-step process that has been defined by the Department of Public Safety. That 16-step process includes the completion of a comparative analysis (to compare the current service to the proposed), public engagement, and a detailed implementation plan. The Police Review Committee is now working on these deliverables and expects to complete them by November 2023.  

When could a new municipal police service be put in place?
Under the current contract with the RCMP, a municipality must notify the RCMP one calendar year in advance that they intend to replace the RCMP with an alternative service. If Carleton North and Hartland give this notice on December 31, 2023, the new service could be installed on (but not before) January 1, 2025. The Police Review Committee is working to complete the 16-step process and to provide notice by December 31, 2023. Once the Committee submits the proposal to the province, the province will be solely responsible to review and approve it. If the province approves the proposal, the municipalities may then notify the RCMP.

In a new municipal policing service, where would the police stations be located?
At present, the Police Review Committee is planning to place a primary station in Carleton North and a secondary station in Hartland. Potential sites for these stations are being evaluated by architects and committee members.

How will specialized services be delivered by the new police service?
Modern policing services include many specialized services, from homicide investigators and crowd control to marine operations and polygraphing. Most municipal services across Canada do not provide all of these specialized services. Instead, they establish agreements (or MOU’s) with the RCMP or other municipal policing services to provide them on an as-needed basis. When discussing these specialized services, it’s important to note that there are municipal policing services across New Brunswick that operate today by accessing these specialized services from larger municipal, provincial, or federal policing services, with financial support from provincial and federal governments.

How will you find and hire enough officers?
The Police Review Committee has already received expressions of interest from police officers across Canada who seek to move to a small town with a great cost of living and lifestyle. In addition, the Committee is purposely designing a flexible organizational structure based on a mix of full-time and part-time officers to attract a broad range of members, from recent retirees and veterans to new graduates and maturing officers. The Committee is confident that it will be able to staff the service in due order and will take care to choose leaders who will attract officers to join the new service.  

How will costs be shared between Carleton North and Hartland?
Carleton North and Hartland expect to share operating and capital costs according to their relative sizes. The specific sharing arrangement will be negotiated and finalized in upcoming weeks.

Do Carleton North and Hartland plan to work with other municipal policing services?
Yes. Carleton North and Hartland have been in close communication with several local policing services across New Brunswick, including services in Carleton County. We are open to working closely with these established services to develop a new policing service for Carleton North and Hartland.

If Carleton North and Hartland form a new policing service, will we still rely on the RCMP?
Yes. Even with a new municipal service, Carleton North and Hartland will continue to rely on the RCMP or other municipal policing services for specialized services, as other municipalities do across Canada.

Do members of the Police Review Committee respect the work of RCMP officers?
Yes, absolutely. Members of the Police Review Committee share a total respect for the work that our RCMP officers do, for the skill and knowledge they possess, and for the duty and dedication they demonstrate. No committee member is questioning the skill, quality, or dedication of any RCMP officer. Rather, the Police Review Committee, on behalf of the residents of Carleton North and Hartland, is evaluating if a municipal policing service might provide a better service in terms of cost, presence, accountability, and structure.

Do Carleton North and Hartland object to the RCMP’s recent information campaign over social media?
No, not at all. Carleton North and Hartland believe that the RCMP and its officers have every right to promote and defend their service to the public. In turn, we trust that RCMP representatives will respect the responsibility of the elected representatives of Carleton North and Hartland to ensure that residents receive the services they want and need, the services they are asking for and paying for.