Southern Alberta made its support known last week for the Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre to be built in Fort Macleod. A delegation of 17 elected and municipal officials travelled to the Alberta Legislature to urge the province to get construction of the college under way.
“The show of regional support was very important and we certainly hope the trip will get the project kick-started,” Fort Macleod Mayor Shawn Patience said.
The group travelled from Fort Macleod to Edmonton by bus on Nov. 24 for a meeting Wednesday in the Alberta Legislature.
The delegation, which included people from Fort Macleod, Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek, Brocket, Coalhurst, Granum, Claresholm, Stavely and Lethbridge met with Finance Minister Iris Evans and Solicitor General Fred Lindsay.
“It was a good meeting and we were grateful for the opportunity,” Patience said.
At the meeting set up by Livingstone-Macleod MLA Evan Berger, the delegation reminded the politicians the Conservative government in August 2006 made a commitment to southern Alberta to build the police college in Fort Macleod.
A strong bid package that included huge community and regional support helped Fort Macleod win the bid.
The college, where 1,400 police and peace officer recruits will be trained each year, will create 75 to 100 permanent jobs.
In addition to training of recruits, the police college was also touted as a world-class training centre that would provide professional development for peace officers from around the world.
The project has since stalled due to a lack of funding. The province was not able to attract a P3 partner to build the facility.
The delegation stressed to Evans and Lindsay that it is time for action.
“We stressed that we need to get this project on a time-table, on a capital plan,” Patience said.
The delegation suggested the Alberta Capital Bonds proposed by Premier Ed Stelmach would be a good way to fund the police college.
“Using bonds is certainly a plausible alternative or we need the province to make a financial commitment as a lessor in order to find a private investor,” Patience said.
Patience told the cabinet ministers Fort Macleod is one-third of the private-public partnership, having committed $3.5-million worth of infrastructure, a quarter section of land and thousands of dollars for costs related to engineering as well as the successful bid.
“We have made a substantial financial commitment to this project . . . not to mention the immeasurable amount of time and energy spent winning the bid and pushing this project forward,” Patience said.
Following the meeting with Evans and Lindsay, Berger made sure all the cabinet ministers and MLAs were aware of southern Alberta’s support for the police college.
Berger arranged to have each member of the delegation individually introduced in the Legislature during Question Period.
“We were all introduced to the Legislature, which I think did a lot to show the members how important this project was, and how much regional support there was for it,” Patience said.
Although the politicians made no firm commitments, except to express their continued commitment for the project in Fort Macleod, the delegation came home convinced the trip was worthwhile.
“We all left optimistic and hopeful of a solution to get this project off the ground,” Patience said. “We’ve been patiently waiting but the time has come for a solution and to show our region some light at the end of the tunnel. We’re excited to see what fruit bears from the effort and I can’t thank my regional supporters enough.”
The southern Alberta delegation in support of the Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre, from left: Fort Macleod Coun. Brian Reach, Granum Mayor Melva Stinson, Fort Macleod Coun. Gord Wolstenholme, Stavely Mayor Barry Johnson, MD of Willow Creek Reeve Henry Van Hierden, Crowsnest Pass Mayor John Irwin, Livingstone-Macleod MLA Evan Berger, Piikani Nation Coun. Jordan No Chief, Fort Macleod Coun. Sharon Monical, Fort Macleod Mayor Shawn Patience, Claresholm Mayor Rob Steele, Coalhurst Mayor Dennis Cassie, Fort Macleod Coun. Christine Trowbridge, Lethbridge College President Tracy Edwards and Larry Lux of Lethbridge Economic Development. Missing from picture are Pincher Creek Mayor Gary Mills, Town of Fort Macleod municipal manager Barry Elliott and economic development officer Martin Ebel.