Thursday, November 6 saw the first public forum of the newly organized Lloydminster
Municipal Police Committee in conjunction with the RCMP. Held at the Legacy Centre on a
dark, snowy evening, over 60 people braved the first snow of the season to hear from the RCMP,
ask questions and talk about policing in our community. Being one of the organizers of the
evening, I can say that I was delighted with the turnout and the interaction between the
community, the RCMP and the members of the Municipal Police Committee.
So, what is the Municipal Police Committee (MCP), why does it exist and what does it
do? In 2022 the Alberta government passed legislation requiring municipalities to establish
municipal police committees. The goal was to improve local oversight, accountability, and
community involvement in policing. These committees are meant act as a bridge between the
public, municipal councils, and local police services, ensuring that policing priorities align with
community values and safety concerns.
Under the legislated framework, each committee is responsible for setting local policing
priorities, reviewing performance reports, and advising both the police chief (or Detachment
Commander) and municipal council. Members will typically include residents, local officials,
and possibly representatives from business or community/social organizations. The committees
will not interfere with operational decisions or criminal investigations but will provide civilian
input on matters such as resource allocation, community safety strategies, and public
engagement.
The Lloydminster MPC was formally created by a Council resolution passed on May 5, 2025.
The MPC is comprised of 6 community members appointed by Council, along with one
Councillor. The current MCP membership includes: Bryan Morrison, Emmy Rice, Stacey
Brown Rousson, Stacey Klisowski, Rufaro Makondora, Councillor Jim Taylor, and myself,
Darrell Dunn. We have had three formal meetings so far and the Committee appointed me as
Chairperson in August. Our meetings generally hear a quarterly report from the RCMP and get
into discussions of a wide range of topics about community policing.
Part of the initial task of the MPC is to flesh out and refine its role in the community
beyond what the legislation says, and determine how that happens. The August meeting talked
about holding a community forum with the RCMP, the MPC and the community and what that
would look like. A couple of planning sessions were held and a program format was put together
with input from the RCMP, the MPC and the City, who provide amazing support to the MPC.
The event on the evening of November 6 put that initial work to the test with a really
great cross-section of community interests showing up. The Citizens On Patrol Group was there
along with a good number of Seniors; folks representing a number of the social service groups
and other interested folks as well. Inspector Brian Nicholl covered a wide range of subjects in his
presentation along with a lively question period back and forth. Mayor Aalbers spoke about the
City’s relationship and support of the RCMP along with recognizing a number of RCMP
members in attendance. After the “formal” presentations, there was significant amount of time
provided for informal, one-on-one discussions
The whole point of the exercise, and indeed the point of the MPC, is to provide a bridge
between the community and the RCMP on matters that are important to the community.
Conversely, it gives the RCMP a chance to report what they are seeing in terms of “policing” the
community and in so far as possible, bring those two perspectives together to plan for an even
safer community.
The work of the MPC is just starting and we are still figuring out what, exactly, that
means. I can tell you that it means a lot of conversations with as many interested people and
groups within the community as we can find. Policing isn’t easy, and every community is
different. The only way it works is if all parties to the equation, and there are a lot of interested
parties, are working towards a common understanding of how best to deploy our policing
resources.
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