RCMP in place for a while in Moncton

RCMP cruisers won't disappear from Moncton city streets, at least for a while. This week, Moncton city council asked its staff to find out how much it would cost to drop the RCMP and operate a municipal force.

However, Moncton's contract with the Mounties isn't up for another eight years. The contract officially expires on March 31, 2012, the same day all RCMP contracts expire across the country.

The contract does include a provision that would allow an earlier expiry date if all parties agree. Under that provision, the absolute earliest date for the RCMP to leave Moncton would be March 31, 2006.

Superintendent Mike Woods, the commanding officer of the Codiac Regional RCMP, says he has been assured Moncton's decision to "shop around" for cheaper policing isn't personal.

"If you listen to what the mayor and council said they're not at all, let me put it positively, they're satisfied, even happy with the service the RCMP's providing."

The mayor and council for Moncton say they're paying more than their fair share for policing, and they want Riverview and Dieppe to cough up more money.

Moncton wants the cost-sharing formula in the contract changed. The mayor of Dieppe, Yvon Lapierre, says it should stay the same.

"I think that the three communities should step up to the plate, appoint an independent arbitrator and have the issue dealt with that way. We know there's a contract in place, let's see what an arbitrator has to say about it."

If Moncton does continue to pursue the idea of replacing the RCMP with a municipal force, it will need written permission from the province to create a brand new force.

Municipal leaders in Riverview and Dieppe surprised Moncton thinking about replacing RCMP

Charlie Broderick, the deputy mayor of Riverview, says he's surprised, "I'll be honest with you, it really does surprise me".

Riverview, the smallest municipality in Greater Moncton, pays the least for policing. However, when the Codiac RCMP first took over, Broderick says Riverview's policing costs went up 50 per cent. So if Moncton's costs are high now, he says they shouldn't complain.

"They have a good police force, they get a lot of good service, then they should pay for it, just as we do."

The deputy mayor of Dieppe, Francis Leblanc, was also caught off guard by the news. Leblanc says the last he heard, there was a meeting over the Christmas holidays to talk about paying for policing.

"The three mayors were in discussion in trying to arrive at a consensus and there was further negotiation and discussion taking place."