Fort Macleod is the only place the police college will be built, Solicitor General Frank Oberle promised.
The solicitor general couldn’t say how, or when, the project will be funded and construction will start.
“Nobody in our government is considering any site other than Fort Macleod,” Oberle said. “And it won’t happen under my watch. It’s a promise.”
Oberle was at the Empress Theatre on March 23 to reaffirm his commitment to build the Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre in Fort Macleod.
Oberle vowed to do his best to get the police college on the province’s capital plan.
“I come from a small town,” said Oberle, who is MLA for the Peace River riding. “I understand what this facility means to you.”
Oberle couldn’t promise when construction of the college will start.
“I simply cannot do that,” Oberle said. “At the moment there is no money in the capital plan.”
Livingstone-Macleod MLA Evan Berger told the audience Oberle has been a supporter of the police college since he became solicitor general in January.
“I know on the surface it may not seem like things are jumping, but he has been in the background,” Berger said.
Berger referred to the first question Oberle answered in the Legislature as solicitor general, to which his answer appeared to put the project, and Fort Macleod’s role, in doubt.
“His answer at the time may have set off somewhat of a firestorm, but it did elevate the issue, which is good,” Berger said. “All the help we can get is appreciated.”
The MLA praised the work of Fort Macleod Mayor Shawn Patience and his council.
“Your mayor and council have worked very hard on your behalf, and on behalf of the region to keep this project alive,” Berger said. “They have made many trips to Edmonton, and written many letters, and I want to thank them.”
Berger stressed to the audience that Fort Macleod is where the police college will be built.
“This project has never varied from this location,” Berger said. “Not while I’ve been elected has it ever been voiced anywhere else. It’s been a funding issue. It’s not been anything about location.”
Oberle was making good March 23 on a promise he made to the last Fort Macleod delegation to visit the Legislature that he would come to town to speak and answer questions.
Oberle prefaced his comments with some history about the project, beginning with the need for standard training in Alberta.
“The training is a bit disjointed in Alberta,” Oberle said. “It’s all over the map.”
Oberle talked about the process that led to Fort Macleod being selected in August 2006 from 30 communities as the site for the Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre.
The police college was touted as a training centre for 1,400 police and peace officer recruits each year, and that it would serve as a centre of excellence for ongoing professional development for police officers from around the world.
The project has stalled since a request for proposals to build the college through a P3 partnership failed to attract a successful bid because the province was not willing to put any money into the project.
“It became clear right away that an up-front investment would be required for capital development,” Oberle said. “It couldn’t be completed without an input of capital.”
Rising construction costs had contributed to the estimated price to build the college soaring to $270-million, from $100-million. Oberle said the province never intended to finance the project.
“We were not going to pay for the facility,” Oberle said. The government remains committed to forming a P3 partnership to build the college. However, due to the economic downturn in Alberta the government has no money to contribute to a capital project. “There are no funds to support development of the college at this time,” Oberle said.
Oberle admitted that isn’t the news residents of Fort Macleod, and all of southern Alberta, wanted to hear.
“I don’t provide that history with any expectation that any of you are going to find that comforting,” Oberle said.
The solicitor general vowed to be a strong advocate for funding for the college on Fort Macleod’s behalf.
“That’s my commitment to the community.”