It’s a situation that has long baffled and concerned Creighton residents.
Why, they wonder, are Creighton RCMP responsible for policing the tiny, far-flung reserve of Sturgeon Landing, Saskatchewan?
It’s a fair question. After all, 90 minutes of highway and gravel road separate Creighton from Sturgeon Landing. Mounties could likely get there in 50 minutes or less from Cranberry Portage, or 70 minutes or less from The Pas.
Shelly Dupont, a spokesperson for the RCMP in Saskatchewan, said the framework comes down to jurisdiction since policing is within the domain of the provinces.
“As Sturgeon Landing is in Saskatchewan, the policing falls to Saskatchewan jurisdiction,” she said. “This would be something the province would have to negotiate with Manitoba for an agreement.”
Unacceptable
That lack of agreement is unacceptable to Creighton taxpayers like Greg East.
“It’s just another one of those examples of bureaucratic nonsense that ends up costing the taxpayers money,” said East, who favours an all-out merger of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
With fewer than 50 residents, Sturgeon Landing, accessible down a gravel road off Highway 10 between Cranberry Portage and The Pas, is not exactly a hot spot for criminal activity.
Still, some residents of the rustic reserve have expressed apprehension over the distance between their police force and their community.
Sgt. Mark Svaren of the Creighton RCMP said that in emergency situations, Mounties from The Pas will handle calls from Sturgeon Landing.
He said Sturgeon Landing averages only two calls to the RCMP each month. Not all of them demand immediate assistance and can be investigated, along with other cases, during a planned visit from one of his officers.
Reduced safety?
Closer to home, some residents have worried that the detachment’s Sturgeon Landing duties reduce safety in Creighton by diverting officers and resources away from their home community.
But Sgt. Svaren said the allotment of officers in Creighton – six at the moment – takes into account Sturgeon Landing.
Dupont, the RCMP spokesperson, said that while the force is always looking at efficiencies, she is unaware of any plans to change the policing structure in Sturgeon Landing.
“However, the RCMP would be happy to discuss specific concerns with the community leadership,” she said.
Creighton is located 123 km from Sturgeon Landing, whereas Cranberry Portage is 70 km away and The Pas 95 km.
A spokesperson for the Saskatchewan government was asked to comment for this article but had not responded by press time.
Merger?
In addition to providing Sturgeon Landing with a closer police presence, some have advocated for the amalgamation of the Creighton and Flin Flon RCMP detachments.
But such an arrangement would make seemingly little sense for Creighton since the town budgeted $81,300 for policing in 2013 compared to $1.26 million in Flin Flon.
It’s not just that Creighton is smaller and needs fewer officers than Flin Flon. The large discrepancy is also a function of the RCMP’s way of billing the communities it serves.
Manitoba communities currently pay for RCMP services based on which population category they fall into. A difference of just a few people can raise or drop the price tag by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
