Policing

RCMP Commissioned Officers (rank of Inspector and above) have received a salary increase from the federal government that is structured similarly to the compensation framework recently awarded to unionized Members (below the rank of Inspector and Reservists).

The salary increase implemented by the federal government will cover two years (2023-24 and 2024-25), and include the following:

The national Contract Management Committee (CMC) was recently advised that the RCMP has ratified their second collective agreement. The federal Treasury Board of Canada (employer) and the National Police Federation, the union representing RCMP members below the rank of Inspector and Reservists, have signed the second RCMP collective agreement.

As part of the work of the Local Government RCMP Contract Management Committee (LGCMC), the Province has developed a backgrounder regarding RCMP Divisional Administration costs. The document is also relevant to discussions regarding how police model transitions may impact local governments that hold Municipal Police Unit Agreements.

On April 2, 2024, the Local Government RCMP Contract Management Committee (LGCMC) met with provincial government and BC RCMP representatives to discuss issues related to the Municipal Police Unit Agreements, and policing more broadly in British Columbia. Key issues discussed at the meeting are summarized in this article. 

As part of its assessment of RCMP contract policing, the federal government has published a summary of its engagement with contract partners, including local governments. This assessment was mandated in 2021, with engagement occurring throughout Canada in 2023. UBCM members provided input through a March 2023 webinar, and the Local Government RCMP Contract Management Committee.

 

The RCMP officially launched Tier 3 of the new Auxiliary Program for community policing programs in BC on April 3, 2024. The new program allows provinces and territories to choose between three tiers of auxiliary policing to address local needs and circumstances. British Columbia has elected to implement the most comprehensive level, Tier 3.

The federal government and the National Police Federation, the union representing RCMP Members below the rank of Inspector and Reservists, are getting closer to finalizing a second Collective Agreement. This comes after an independent arbitrator has awarded RCMP Members a 4% salary increase per year for two years. Binding arbitration was pursued to resolve outstanding issues, including compensation.

The arbitral decision has awarded the following:

The RCMP and the Government of Canada have moved one step closer to the national deployment of body-worn cameras (BWC). This comes after a BWC vendor completed an eight-week field test at multiple locations across Canada. Despite ongoing procurement and implementation delays, the federal government will not revise its decision on financial support, leaving local governments to absorb costs at the applicable cost-share ratio outlined in the Police Service Agreements.

Last week, the Province introduced a series of amendments to the Police Act, including changes to police governance and oversight that will impact police boards and municipalities. The Province has advised that these amendments represent phase one of a multi-phase process to review and reform BC’s policing legislation. Phase one, incorporating provincial priorities, is highlighted in this article.

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and the National Police Federation, the union representing RCMP reservists and Members below the rank of Inspector will move to third-party binding arbitration, which is anticipated to occur in May 2024. TBS communicated this information to contract partners as part of a recent national Contract Management Committee (CMC) briefing.

Although the Parties are moving to third-party arbitration, TBS has indicated that over the last several months the parties have resolved several pending issues, but not pay.