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“Budgetary implications” of the role of peace officers will be considered by council before a decision is made on their status.
In Alberta, Community Peace Officer (CPO) status is getting an overhaul, and the level that Jasper’s officers are trained at will no longer exist.
This gives two options: Train to the higher level, CPO Level 1, or become municipal compliance officers (MCOs).
Licensing and enforcement manager Neil Jones explained the differences to the municipal council at their meeting on Tuesday.
“It might be about services for the council and to the town, but for me it’s officer safety,” he said.
Peace officers are responsible for animal control, bylaw enforcement, enforcement of provincial statutes and business licensing, and parking control.
Level 1 officers are given special training covering officer safety and defensive tactics, they have access to the motor vehicle registry, and can issue provincial tickets and use provincial laws.
MCOs have less powers than peace officers. They would have little or no safety training, offer reduced services, and bring in less revenue.
Jones said MCOs would face the same risks as CPOs by dealing with the public every day, but they would not be equipped to deal with them.
“People are unpredictable,” he said. “They can go from 0 to 100 on the slightest whim.
“It can go from me stopping someone for a bike offence to being hit twice.”
Jones said moving to MCOs would result in less revenue as they would not have the power to chase municipal tickets using provincial tickets, which stop driver’s re-registering their vehicles until they have been paid.
Mayor Richard Ireland and councillor Paul Butler brought up the idea of having a combination of CPOs and MCOs.
Councillor Jenna McGrath said: “It points to a high level strategic decision, what direction we see our community going into.”
The matter will be brought back to council for further discussion at their committee meeting on October 10.
$5.6 mil over 15
Jasper is borrowing $5.6 million to cover budget requests from Culture and Recreations and the Waste Water Treatment Plant.
And this week, council decided to spread that debt over 15 years.
The borrowing was in the 2019 budget to cover $2.2 million of capital budget requirements for the treatment plant and $3.4 million for phase one of the recreation centre renovation.
The renovation covers projects including ice plant replacement and relocation at Jasper Arena, universal and accessible change rooms, new emergency exits and multipurpose hall flooring upgrades.
Boiler band-aid
The broken boiler at the aquatic centre will be repaired, rather than replaced.
One of the three boilers in the centre broke down earlier this month and needs to be up and running before winter hits.
Council was given two options: Fix for $50,000 or replace the boiler and its twin for $150,000.
The third is a different model and “in good shape”.
Councillors voted for the fix.
McGrath said: “I don’t really love a band-aid solution but I think it’s a way to keep the facility open while we get to know more.”
