In its first regular meeting of 2026, Drayton Valley’s town council passed first reading of a bylaw that would create a municipal policing committee, as mandated by the province.
In December 2024, the Alberta government made changes to the Police Act, including mandating municipalities served by the RCMP to be represented by a policing committee, based on population size.
With a population of about 7,291, Drayton Valley falls within the category of a regional policing committee; however, in February 2025, the previous council requested approval to form its own municipal committee instead. This was approved by the minister of public safety and emergency services, the town reports.
The roles and responsibilities of the committee will include:
- Overseeing the administration of the Municipal Police Service Agreement (MPSA).
- Representing the interests and concerns of the public and of the council to the officer in charge.
- Developing a yearly plan of priorities and strategies for municipal policing in consultation with the officer in charge.
- Developing a community safety plan in conjunction with the local police detachment and chief elected official, including a plan for collaboration between the community and community agencies, and providing the community safety plan annually, or on request, to the minister.
- Assisting in the selection of the officer in charge.
- Reporting annually, or on request, to the minister on the implementation of and updates to programs and services to achieve the priorities of the police service.
Drayton Valley’s council has some say in how many people will serve on the committee and whether remuneration is provided, but otherwise, conditions are primarily set by the province. Currently, the bylaw proposes no remuneration for the committee members.
The bylaw proposed to form the committee is also intentionally vague to accommodate potential changes handed down by the province, without needing to amend the document with another three readings.
Membership is proposed to include five to seven people, with a mix of council and public members, and the province may opt to appoint members as well.
The municipality is responsible for the cost of running the committee, which is yet to be determined. A large portion of costs are expected to come from the enhanced security clearance necessary for members, which costs about $300 per person. There may also be startup costs for training, recruitment and policy creation, as well as ongoing costs for meetings and community engagement.
Any feedback from the public on this policy will be provided to council before second reading, but no further engagement will be pursued due to the mandated nature of the committee, the town says.
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