Fort Macleod Mayor Shawn Patience on the site of the Alberta Public Security and Law Enforcement Training Centre. In the background are buildings and equipment at the base camp of Bird Construction Co., which was awarded the contract by the province to build the training centre.
Mayor Shawn Patience will ask Premier Alison Redford to reverse the government’s decision to scrap the police college project.
Mayor Shawn Patience will ask Premier Alison Redford to reverse the government’s decision to scrap the police college project. The Town of Fort Macleod is seeking legal advice on how to proceed if the premier does not reverse the decision to scrap the $122-million Alberta Public Security and Law Enforcement Training Centre.
“The question to our premier today is this,” Patience said at noon Thursday at a news conference in Fort Macleod. “Do you believe our leaders need to be credible, do you believe that Albertans expect you to fulfill your commitments?”
With crews and heavy equipment working in the background installing the $7-million in utilities to service the Alberta Public Security and Law Enforcement Training Centre, Patience called on the premier to intervene.
On Wednesday, Solicitor General Jonathan Denis announced in a news release the project was cancelled due to lack of support from police chiefs in Calgary and Edmonton.
“Premier Redford, here is your chance to lead,” Patience said. “Does your government’s word mean anything? Does you commitment to law enforcement mean anything? Does you commitment to the Safe Communities Strategy mean nothing?”
“Premier Redford, do the right thing,” Patience added. “Reverse this decision.”
Patience called the news conference following an emergency council meeting Thursday night.
Reading from a prepared statement, the mayor cited the project’s long history for reporters and about 100 Fort Macleod residents gathered near the waste water treatment plant.
Patience said the Alberta Public Security and Law Enforcement Training Centre has long had the support of both government and police forces.
The mayor pointed out that as recently as last spring, at a RCMP Regimental Ball held in conjunction with the opening of the new RCMP detachment, Denis pledged support for the project.
“Last night our council met and decided that should this decision not be reversed, based on the fact that we are already in mid-construction of the service lines to the centre for which we are committed to almost $4-million, we will seek legal assistance to deal with this issue,” Patience said.
“We will explore all options on behalf of our taxpayers to not only recover our financial losses, but to mitigate potential future losses as a result of this decision. We will do everything necessary.”
August 30th, 2012 at 6:35 pm
sounds like the good old boys and the mayors rich buddies are ticked that the real estate and speculation is not working out for them…..Maybe the town will focus where it should have been for years…making the town more small business friendly
August 30th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Hey Shawn you shouldn’t speak for all Albertan’s, you shouldn’t even speak for half of this town it was a bad idea from the start! Do you think the premier will even call you back?
August 31st, 2012 at 9:36 am
I’m so mad at the government for giving Macleod the Police College in the first place and know they took it away from Macleod after so many years have go by of not seeing anything being done. I was involved in many things in trying to get the Police College to be built in Macleod.
August 31st, 2012 at 12:45 pm
As a former resident of Fort Macleod for 10 years I remember the Town’s support against the closure of the hospital and it was a lot more than the 50 to 100 that showed up at Thursday’s meeting.
Shawn will need quite a bit more local support if he is going to get a positive response on turning this political decision around.
On the other hand if the Premier does not reverse this decision She can expect difficulties in the next election.
One approach that should be exploited is that the new college will be training these candidates in the latest technologies which is really needed in this particular time of lawlesness in our 2 major Cities.
I am not a spammer!!!
September 3rd, 2012 at 11:40 pm
I agree with Ron and Brad..keep speaking for the other half!! The police college was a joke to begin with!!! 122 million dollars can be spended some where else…better programs…and Macleod tax dollars, lost should of been spent more wisely after the first let down…How many things in macleod could of been improved..a better hospital, more reacreation facilities for kids meaning maybe finally an indoor pool??…how about the roads by the river???..there are so many things that should be donein Town before a a Police college arrive…But I guess when certain people profit..and have control only certain things are heard and get done. Shawn you are not the voice for ALL of Fort Macleod!!!!!!! so speak for yourself and what you and your buddies want. This town needs work and EVERYONE Knows that..lol that sign againest discrimination is a Joke too, this town feeds on discrimintation.
September 3rd, 2012 at 11:54 pm
“Originally projected to cost $110-million, the police college price tag had risen to an estimated $260-million due to escalating construction and material costs brought on by Alberta’s hot economy”..
.lol this was in Nov 2008…how come this say 260 millon dollars??? and here we were only discussing 110 million…is it still at this price??260 million can be better spent as well…ha ha ha ha Shawn..hands a little deep in the pockets of the town.
September 3rd, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Who did the Business Plan??
September 4th, 2012 at 12:07 am
Give us a mayor like Bill Hart and Wes Olmstead..they did they town good!