The Chilliwack Progress Thursday, March 22, 2012
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Deal brings in new era for cities with RCMP
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Building Your Future
Contract promises better cost control, accountability Jeff Nagel Black Press
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An RCMP officer tells a motorist she has to move as they evacuate a 300metre radius surrounding a gas station fire in Yarrow. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
No serious injuries in Yarrow fire YARROW from Front frame structure was soon engulfed in fire, he said. However, the station’s fuel pumps were not turned off as staff fled from the fire, and a large propane refuelling tank is also located on the property. But just how large an explosion
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might have been touched off by the fire, if the fuel pumps and propane tank had been ignited, Chilliwack fire officials would not say. About 40-50 firefighters from four fire halls in Chilliwack and Yarrow responded to the fire call. An investigation by fire officials is underway.
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Federal and provincial ministers signed a new 20-year RCMP contract today, ushering in what B.C. cities hope will be a new relationship with the Mounties and much better control over spiraling police costs. City councils, which got their first look at the full text last week, have until the end of April to ratify the agreement themselves. Any city that doesn’t like it can terminate their RCMP service and form a municipal police force or partner with an existing one. Cities will also get a two-year opt out option going forward and a review of the contract is promised every five years, allowing it to be re-opened. “We are creating far more transparency and accountability in policing,” B.C. Justice Minister Shirley Bond said at a signing ceremony with federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews at the Surrey detachment, the country’s largest. “For the first time we will have the ability to question costs, to look at breakdowns of costs, to say do we really need to have those kinds of things take place in British Columbia.” Toews said it’s also in Ottawa’s interest to rein in costs. Officials say the deal finally puts cities in better position to control costs and plan for them, rather than simply paying whatever bills are sent to them. “This is a major shift from what we had before,” said Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender, the civic observer in the talks. Many cities have seen their RCMP costs – usually the biggest item in a municipal budget – climb six to seven per cent each year. That’s not as severe as some unionized municipal forces, where costs have climbed by up to 14 per cent a year in some cases. But municipalities have a wary eye on whether Mounties form a union, a scenario that would sharply drive up costs. At the heart of the deal is a new B.C. local government contract management committee with 10 reps from cities who are promised much more hands-on control of spending changes, instead of just an advisory role. It’s still unclear, however, whether cities can ultimately refuse to pay costs they object to – Fassbender said the hope is RCMP decisions will be shaped by civic input well before that point. They’ll also be privy to the RCMP’s five-year financial plans so cities can better prepare for cost changes. Previously, cities had no say on national programs, they were given only a one-year planning horizon on costs, and had no ability to review programs, detachment administration levels or challenge service delivery methods.
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