The proposal is not mentioned in the most recent justice mandate letter
The official plan for the Alberta government to get rid of the RCMP and start a new provincial police force has been scrapped.
But Justice Minister Mickey Amery says that the idea isn’t dead and that his department will keep talking to Albertans about where they want policing to go.
Last fall, Premier Danielle Smith told Tyler Shandro, who was in charge of justice at the time, and Mike Ellis, who is in charge of public safety, to move forward with making an Alberta force to replace the Mounties in places that don’t already have their own officers.
But neither the new mandate letter sent to Avery on Tuesday nor the one sent to Ellis on Monday say anything about making a provincial force.
Instead, Smith tells Ellis to work with the community to find the best ways to police that they think are best.
The United Conservative Party government has been studying and promoting the idea of an Alberta police force for years. However, it has been met with opposition, including from municipalities, because of worries about cost, implementation, and staffing.