Sackville hoping for RCMP subsidy

Town officials are holding on to hope that Sackville will soon receive some much-needed funds to help offset rising policing costs in the community.
Sackville CAO Barry Carroll said that, during a meeting last month with Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan, he and Mayor Pat Estabrooks were given assurances that the town's request for funding is being actively reviewed and that the community could possibly join other municipalities who receive a 30 per cent subsidy from the federal government.
"Minister Van Loan was pretty positive something would be done," Carroll told members of town council during their regular meeting July 13. "He didn't make any commitments but he did say the government is taking our request very seriously."
Earlier this year, Sackville decided to join the fight with Metro Moncton to receive the subsidy and pitched its case to provincial officials in February. Moncton and Sackville are the only two municipalities in the country that have made the switch to RCMP policing without receiving the subsidy other towns receive from the federal government.
Sackville, with a $1.5 million annual policing budget, would see a return of about $450,000 per year if the town were to receive the federal funding.
Both communities made the switch to RCMP after the federal treasury board had placed a moratorium on the subsidized funding a decade ago.
"We laid out a strong case for why the town should be treated like all other municipalities in Canada with a population between 5,000 and 15,000," said Carroll.
Carroll explained all other municipalities with a population of 5,000 or more pay only 70 per cent of the RCMP bill and the accommodation costs are at a reduced rate.
He said Minister Van Loan indicated that a decision will be made by the time the provincial policing contracts expire in 2012 but was cautiously optimistic that an announcement could come even sooner.
Meanwhile, Sgt. Paul Ouellette, a native New Brunswicker and 24-year veteran with the Mounties, was recently appointed team leader for the local RCMP detachment and will also serve as operations NCO for the entire region.
Ouellette told council he's happy to be in Sackville and is looking forward to his duties as operations officer, where he will "try to make things run smoothly throughout the entire district."
Ouellette, originally from Edmunston, will be stationed at the rural office in Sackville and said he will have an open-door policy for town council, staff and the general public.