Mounties ratify first contract, with significant pay bumps to come

Mounties in Prince Ruper and across Canada are about to
see a significant increase to their pay and benefits following the
ratification of their first Contract with the Government of Canada

Prince Rupert City Council, like many other communities across British Columbia and Canada will be sharpening their financial pencils in the next little while, as they make allowances for what will be an increase in policing costs.

That coming with the signing of a first contract between the Federal policing organization and the Government of Canada.

As we outlined earlier this summer, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have spent the last few weeks holding a ratification vote towards the first contract negotiated by the National Police Federation.

This week the ratification vote results were announced with the membership approving of the work of their negotiators and the Federal Treasury Board.

The new agreement will mean a pay increase of 23 percent  over six years for many, with the pay rates set to change within 90 days of the contract signing.

The most recent data on RCMP salaries from 2016 had a First Class constable earning $86,110 that will rise to just over $106,000 by April 2022. 

Other pay increases are in place for other ranks of the Force as well.

The full details of the contract have been posted to the Government of Canada website, this first contract has an expiry date of March 31st 2023, which is when the next round of negotiations will get underway.

With the final agreement now in place, Municipal governments across the province are now receiving the full overview of the new salary and benefit structure and how it will impact on their contract police work.

When it comes to policing in Prince Rupert, the recent City of Prince Rupert Annual report listed the City Budget for the RCMP in 2020 at $5,843,607

From City of Prince Rupert Annual Report

As for the contract on policing service with the RCMP, the city's list of suppliers from 2020 noted that $3,795,893 had been forwarded to the Receiver General for Canada, which made for an increase of $280,000 from the year before.

The City has not as of yet outlined how the new labour agreement for the RCMP will be addressed from a municipal point of view.

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities has been preparing its members for the potential of increased costs on policing for a number of months now, a report for municipalities from January provided much in the way of reading material for Mayors, Councils and city staffers province wide.

More notes on City of Prince Rupert Council themes can be reviewed from our archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.