More than construction costs
Cost for Wrigley detachment includes two to three officer building and lodging
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, November 27, 2014
PEHDZEH KI/WRIGLEY
The estimated $11-to- $13 million cost to build an RCMP detachment in Wrigley includes both construction of the building, housing for officers, operations and maintenance.
Last month, the projected cost of building a detachment in the community of 133 was questioned by Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche.
Justice Minister David Ramsay said in the legislative assembly new detachments come "with a lofty price tag."
What would spending $11 million buy if the project does one day get the green light?
Sylvia Haener, the deputy minister of justice, said in a recent phone interview the price tag is the average cost to build a small detachment in the North based on what police need.
There would be a one-time construction cost of $7.5 to $10 million. The remainder is tied to ongoing operations and maintenance, she said.
"As you can appreciate, building a detachment isn't like building a normal house or residence. It's a specialized structure," she said.
While Haener wasn't able to get down to what it might cost for specific equipment, she said things like having holding cells and specialized equipment isn't cheap.
There are special building codes that have to be met, including design and material requirements.
For example, Haener said the cells have to be fire proof and there's requirements related to security equipment such as cameras.
The estimates were developed by the RCMP and Public Safety Canada and represent the average estimated cost to build a small detachment in the territory.
The figures are from the last year and a half, she said.
"They update and provide the numbers to us on a fairly regular basis," Haener said.
For Wrigley, a detachment would have two to three officers.
As well as the actual police station facilities, construction costs would include housing for the officers.
Tim Lennie, the chief of the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation, said in a recent interview that the community needs a nurse right now more than it needs RCMP.
However, Menicoche has pointed out there has been an understanding that a full-time nurse wouldn't be back in the community until there is full-time policing.
There are two officers at the Fort Simpson RCMP detachment who are assigned to police Wrigley, making patrols and sometimes staying overnight.
In 2007, RCMP announced a Wrigley detachment would be built and 70 per cent of the cost would be covered by the federal government.
In 2012, the agreement between the RCMP and the territorial government changed so that the GNWT would cover 70 per cent of construction costs.
Despite the 2007 announcement, the decision to build was put on hold, which wasn't a choice made by the GNWT, Haener said.
Haener said successive justice ministers have sought to reverse the decision to put the brakes on the new detachment to meet promises made to the community.
"Unfortunately, they were not successful," she said.
She said the police force was making decisions about how to best spend its limited resources in communities across the country they serve.
At this point, RCMP resources are focused on the capital costs of replacing two detachments in the territory - one in Inuvik and the other in Behchoko.
