The Government of Alberta has requested operational alignment between city peace officers and the police to deal with the fentanyl crisis, however, Calgary’s mayor said that’s already being done.
A letter was sent to Alberta municipalities in the late afternoon of Feb. 14, from Alberta’s Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis, concerning how cities and towns were handling coordination between different law enforcement groups in tackling the fentanyl situation in Alberta.
While the initial letter was confidential, LWC has learned that specific language in the document indicated it was “to align or unify the operational command of your community peace officer program under the leadership of the police service of the jurisdiction.”
That letter was followed up by a meeting among municipal leaders early this week. Minister Ellis acknowledged he brought the group together for a discussion on the matter.
“Collaboration between municipalities, the province and the police of jurisdiction will ensure better coordination and deployment of resources between law enforcement agencies in tackling the fentanyl crisis,” read an emailed response to LWC from Minister Ellis.
“I appreciated the receptive and productive conversation with the mayors.”
The Government of Alberta has beefed up security at the US border in response to US President Donald Trump’s desire to stop the flow of illegal drugs – including fentanyl – between the countries. In December, the province announced a new border plan that included the use of Alberta Sheriffs, canine units and drones. The federal government added in a Blackhawk helicopter for added measure.
“This meeting builds on the Alberta government’s swift action on the fentanyl crisis to immediately get more boots on the ground to fight the illicit drug trade. We will have more to say on this in the coming weeks,” Minister Ellis said.
“We remain committed to working with all levels of government and the newly appointed Commissioner of Canada’s Fight Against Fentanyl to ensure that Alberta’s portion of the border is safe, secure and that zero fentanyl is crossing the border in both directions.”
Alignment among law enforcement exists: Mayor Gondek
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek acknowledged her office had received a letter from Minister Ellis’s office late last week.
She did not detail the letter, however, the mayor did indicate the Minister had requested the different law enforcement operations within the City of Calgary be coordinated to tackle the fentanyl response.
During the Tuesday meeting, Mayor Gondek said she described how the City of Calgary already had a coordinated approach. She detailed it to him during that meeting.
“Calgary has had a coordinated approach for quite some time. We actually formalized it, too, in 2023. It’s the public transit safety strategy, where we have CPS, peace officers, transit officers as well as security guards, working together to create a safer environment. We also have outreach teams,” the mayor said she told Minister Ellis.
“So, given the magnitude of what we’ve done, in my opinion, we’ve addressed your request.”
The level of coordination was put into a response letter that was sent back to the province. Mayor Gondek said there was no explicit request, no transfer of staff and no transfer of jurisdiction. Community Peace Officers are city employees, and governed under the Peace Officer Act of Alberta.
Calgary has significantly increased the number of peace officers under its employ, with dozens of new recruits having graduated in the past two years.
Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott, who chairs the Community Development Committee, where the community peace officer program reports, said he thinks Minister Ellis is focused on the wrong thing.
“You’ll never police your way out of a health crisis,” Walcott said.
“But, saying you’re doing something is more important to some than actually doing something.”
Mayor Gondek said she gave Minister Ellis the benefit of the doubt. Communities across the province are all dealing with the impacts of the fentanyl crisis.
“If I’m being fair to the minister, there’s no way he can know what each municipality is doing,” she said.
“I think what he is trying to do is gain an understanding of who’s doing what, and what’s working well, and how can we port those models across the province as needed.”
