Public Safety

Our Public Safety Advisory Committee handles issues concerning policing services, fire prevention, and emergency response. Ensuring indispensable services while managing costs.

Committee Members:

Fraser Patterson, Councillor Victoria County
David Mitchell, Mayor Town of Bridgewater
James Fuller, Deputy Warden District of St. Mary's
Andy Thompson, Councillor Pictou County
Christine Blair, Mayor Colchester County

Requests Under Review:

A province wide vulnerable persons registry
Rural cell phone coverage for emergency preparedness

NSFM represents all municipalities in Nova Scotia and works on their behalf to support strong, sustainable, safe communities. Providing policing services is primarily a municipal responsibility in Nova Scotia and NSFM has been engaged in recent developments related to the RCMP.

Important Updates: RCMP Contract Management Committee (CMC) and Collective Bargaining

RCMP CMC Officials Meeting in October: Record of Decision (RoD)

To access the Record of Decision (RoD) for the CMC Officials Meeting in October, please pdf Click Here (144 KB) . It outlines the Preliminary Findings of the Consultation on Contract Policing and provides essential Updates on Collective Bargaining.

CMC Officials Committee: Key Details

The “CMC Officials Committee" is a standing committee of the full CMC. The full CMC convened in November, and the RoD from this meeting will be distributed once available.

Collective Bargaining Highlights: Current Status and Next Steps

Collective Bargaining Update - Contract Management Committee Meeting PowerPoint Presentation

Since November 2022, the Treasury Board (TBS) has provided updates on Collective Bargaining to the CMC. The current status includes five pending issues, with wages and positioning around base salary and total compensation being the main focus. Although an agreement has not been reached, TBS and the National Police Federation (NPF) are not at an impasse. A mediator has been engaged to facilitate the process. The summaries are captured in multiple Records of Discussion (RODs) as indicated below:

CMC Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Meetings: November 22, 2022; February 14, 2023 (Ad Hoc) and June 13, 2023
CMC Officials Meetings: May 16, 2023; and October 4, 2023
CMC Governance and Strategic Issues Committee Meetings: April 5, 2023; and July 12, 2023
May 8, 2023: The CMC Secretariat shared an update via email
CMC Meeting on November 14, 2023

Current Status:

There are five (5) pending issues since TBS’ meeting with the NPF on June 8-9 and on August 30-31, 2023, with the main one being wages and positioning around base salary and total compensation. While an agreement has not been reached, TBS and the NPF are not at an impasse, however, the two parties have sought the help of a mediator to advance the process. The most recent meeting between TBS and NPF took place on December 5^th, for more details pdf Click Here (301 KB) .

Conclusion and Next Steps:

TBS is cognizant of Contract Partners’ concerns on retroactive pay. However, they note that the impact will be minimal compared to the first round of collective bargaining. Once a tentative agreement is reached, TBS will convene a meeting to update members on preliminary outcomes, followed by a more detailed overview once the agreement is ratified.

Contact Information:

For any inquiries about Collective Bargaining, please reach out to Public Safety Canada at: ps.cmcsec-cgesec.sp@ps-sp.gc.ca

Policing Meeting

Here's an update from the November 7, 2023 Policing Meeting

Consultation on Contract Policing

Please see the overview of the current federal assessment on contract policing. This assessment began prior to the release of the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) Report and is not directly connected to the MCC recommendation of an independent review of the RCMP. Please note that some of the planned dates have changed due to unanticipated delays.

NSFM has written letters to both the provincial Department of Justice and the federal Department of Public Safety asking when Nova Scotian municipalities will have a chance to participate in this consultation. As 39 municipalities in Nova Scotia use contract policing, they certainly have valuable insights to contribute to this assessment.

NSFM has recently confirmed with the Department of Justice that the Province will include NSFM in their consultation sessions with the federal government. NSFM has also received a response from the Department of Public Safety Canada stating they will be engaging with municipalities, grouped by jurisdiction, as part of the upcoming second phase of their engagement. Public Safety Canada has also informed NSFM that they welcome a written submission to this consultation by the end of this summer. NSFM plans to make a written submission to this consultation based on staff research and direct engagement with NSFM members. NSFM will continue to keep members informed of opportunities to contribute to this assessment.

Retroactive Pay for RCMP Officers

The first round of collective bargaining between the federal government and the National Policing Federation (NPF) resulted in retroactive payments for RCMP officers below the rank of Inspector. The federal government indicated that contract partners should prepare for these costs. NSFM worked with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to challenge this decision while we awaited further clarification on what these costs would be and how they would be paid. In the presentation of the 2023 budget, the federal government indicated the decision to distribute these costs with the regular cost-share formula. NSFM worked closely with municipalities that have Municipal Policing Service Agreements (MPSA) as they received invoices for retroactive pay amounts shortly after the federal budget was announced. Minimal details were again provided by the federal government about when payment was due and how municipalities could apply for the optional two-year extended payment plan being offered by Public Safety Canada. NSFM continued to work with FCM and with counterparts across the country on the RCMP Contract Management Committee (CMC) to urge the federal government to rethink this decision and provide financial relief to municipalities. NSFM sent a letter to the Minister of Public Safety on behalf of MPSAs to make this request directly. In the end, municipalities were given the option of a two-year extended timeline ending March 2025 to pay these amounts.

The Province of Nova Scotia has also challenged this decision. The Province, as the contract holder of the Provincial Policing Service Agreement (PPSA) in Nova Scotia, received an invoice for retroactive pay costs. NSFM has written letters to both the Minister of Justice, Hon. Brad Johns, and to the Deputy Minister of the Department of Justice, urging them to absorb this cost rather than pass it on through the regular cost-sharing mechanisms. In response to these letters, Department of Justice staff have informed NSFM that the Province is pushing back on these costs by using the PPSA dispute resolution mechanism. Department of Justice staff have further informed NSFM that they have not received any response from the federal Department of Public Safety yet. NSFM will continue to keep members who are party to the PPSA informed as this dispute process develops.

After meeting with the Department of Public Safety Canada directly, FCM reported that it is not likely that the federal government will reverse this decision. While NSFM stands with the Province in questioning these costs, we believe that our time and efforts will be best used preparing for other concerns that are more costly and apply to all policing models in Nova Scotia.