RCMP given pink slip

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An RCMP detachment on an Alberta reserve has been given notice to vacate the office by Sept. 30 and hand over duties to the all-Native tribal service Oct. 1.

Chief John Ermineskin, of the Ermineskin band in Hobbema, handed a notice of eviction to Staff Sgt. Ken McGilvary Sept. 15, saying the three bands serviced by the detachment are frustrated by the lack of cultural sensitivity shown by the 14-member post and want their own Native police to take over.

The Samson, Ermineskin and Montana bands are policed by the RCMP, with the fourth Hobbema band, Louis Bull, serviced by their own force. The bands have been working with the RCMP to train local officers and currently have seen members in the detachment. But a lack of support form the Alberta government to provide funding for further training has forced the bands' hands, said Ermineskin. During two years of negotiating between Hobbema, the federal and provincial governments, the issue of provincial funding has yet to be resolved.

Local tribal police say the RCMP coverage is inadequate and that Native officers are treated differently than other officers. But residents have expressed concern that there won't be enough trained tribal police to cope with rising crime and fear increased violence on the reserves without the RCMP's presence.

Alberta Justice Minister Ken Rostad said the RCMP will not pull out of Hobbema but doesn't anticipate a confrontation. The minister said there is no money in provincial coffers to provide training now, and if Native leaders on the oil-rich reserves are impatient, they can fund the training themselves.