Southern Alberta is sending a strong message of support for the police college being built in Fort Macleod to provincial politicians. Council on Wednesday reviewed seven new letters of support from local municipalities that supplement four others already sent to Premier Ed Stelmach.

“This is awesome,” Mayor Shawn Patience said. “We have many good friends out there.”

The letters voicing support for the police college came from the municipal districts of Willow Creek and Pincher Creek, towns of Stavely, Granum and Cardston, County of Cardston and Village of Hill Spring. The City of Lethbridge, towns of Pincher Creek and Champion and the County of Lethbridge have already written the government.

“It does go to show you we have allies out there,” Patience said at Wednesday’s council meeting. “Other people see the importance of this project.”

The province announced in August 2006 that it would build the Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre in Fort Macleod.

The plan was to train 1,400 police an peace officer recruits each year at the centre in Fort Macleod.

The project has been stalled since the province was unable to attract interest in its proposed public-private (P3) partnership.

“The council is completely supportive of this project and recognizes the importance this facility will have in providing the highest level of training to Alberta’s police, peace, corrections and fish and wildlife officers,” MD of Willow Creek Reeve Henry Van Hierden wrote. “We know that its impact will be felt across this nation when the potential for training of national and international enforcement officers is also realized.”

Town of Stavely Mayor Barry Johnson echoed those thoughts in his letter.

“We would like to see the province move ahead and begin construction on this very important facility in Fort Macleod as soon as possible,” wrote Johnson, touching on the need for high level training. “There is no question that the construction and operation of the centre will have a widespread positive economic impact in southern Alberta.”

Hill Spring Mayor Peter Griffiths in his letter pointed out construction of the police college is long overdue.

“It has been 10 years since the original recommendation for developing a single site training facility came out of the 1999 justice summit,” Griffiths wrote.

Griffiths referred to support for the project by he justice minister and three solicitor generals and an MLA subcommittee, as well as the extensive investment by Fort Macleod to win the bid.

“We feel it is time for the project to move forward and for the province to fulfill the commitment made to this region in August 2006,” Griffiths added.

Cardston Mayor Rick Schow in his letter noted the awarding of the project to Fort Macleod was a victory for all of southern Alberta, and he urged the province to move the police college forward.

“While Fort Macleod has made a significant financial commitment to the project, to this point there has been no financial commitment made by the province, nor does the project appear on a capital list,” Schow wrote. “Our community’s support for this important project continues and the need for the centre and the training it will provide is growing daily.”

The municipal leaders suggested the province consider a variety of options for building the police college.

Their recommendations included putting capital funding in the 2010 provincial budget; setting an annual financial commitment from the province to attract a P3 partner; or using a capital bond issue to raise the money.

“Mr. Premier, Albertans need your support, enforcement officers need your support, the training centre project needs your support,” wrote MD of Pincher Creek Reeve Rodney Cyr. “You have stressed your commitment to this project many times and we believe that now is the time to move it forward, taking advantage of lower construction costs, providing a much-needed economic boost to southern Alberta, and providing the highest level of training for our enforcement officers.” Patience said the support is welcome and will help keep the project at the forefront in the Alberta Legislature.