Policing

Updates from the Local Government Contract Management Committee, articles related to policing advocacy, legislation, policy, and relevant news. 

Arbitrator’s decision sets RCMP pay

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:

RCMP body-worn cameras nearing implementation

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.

Province introduces Police Act amendments

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.

Canada and RCMP union proceeding to arbitration

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.