Approval of the new RCMP contract between the province of B.C. and the federal government will see Prince George's policing costs rise by approximately $123,000 in 2013.
The 20-year contract includes a 0.69 per cent cost increase for municipalities with more than 15,000 residents in its first year. The city's RCMP contract with the provincial and federal government accounted for $17.8 million of the city's total $21.8 million policing budget.
B.C. Justice Minister Shirley Bond and federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews signed the contract in a ceremony in Surrey on Wednesday. Bond said the contract will give the province and municipalities more input into RCMP contract costs than the previous 20-year contract, which expires on March 31.
"What this does is it actually gives us the ability to question costs before they occur. It's a matter of cost containment," Bond said. "We're going to see a modest cost increase in the first year, then we're going to roll up our sleeves..."
