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9 Vancouver Island communities officially get 3-year reprieve on police dispatching costs

Downloading of RCMP call taking, dispatching costs delayed until 2025
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Nine municipalities on Vancouver Island, including six Greater Victoria communities, won’t have to pick up RCMP dispatching costs for another three years. (Black Press Media file photo)

Five Greater Victoria communities along with four other communities on Vancouver Island have received confirmation they won’t have to pick up additional dispatching costs for three years.

The nine municipalities, which include Sidney, North Saanich, Colwood, Langford, Sooke, View Royal, Duncan, Ladysmith and North Cowichan, have heard from Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, that the province will pick up 100 per cent of RCMP call taking and dispatch services until March 31, 2025.

Duncan joined the list of affected municipalities because new census figures show its population is over 5,000, putting it over the threshold for cost-sharing.

The municipalities made a request for this transition funding last December after learning that starting this year, they would have to pick up $3.59 million in dispatch costs previously covered by the federal and provincial governments.

The municipalities said in a joint release that the reprieve would allow them to budget for the financial impact, as well as time to absorb the current impact of the new RCMP contract.

RELATED: Sidney, North Saanich join call for province to delay downloading of 911 dispatching costs


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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula News Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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