Public Safety and Downtown Order in The Record

Public Safety and Downtown Order

Police and bylaw positions

From 2018 to 2026, RCMP authorized strength rose from 43 to 55 and budgeted front-line bylaw positions rose from 3 to 8. The 2026 RCMP funded complement is 44, not 55.

2018-2026 / authorized and budgeted positions · Positions

RCMP regular members

Authorized is the recruitment ceiling. Funded is the City budget.

552026 · RCMP authorized
404856201820222026
  • RCMP authorized55
  • RCMP funded44

Bylaw enforcement

Budgeted front-line officers; manager and contracted security excluded.

82026 · Bylaw officers
048201820222026

Available-for-duty strength is not reported in this series.

Sources & methods

Authorized, funded and available-for-duty are different measures. Vacancies, leave, training and RCMP deployment affect actual police presence; the 2026 bylaw complement includes temporary operating-project positions.

Budget yearRCMP authorizedRCMP fundedBylaw officers
201843423
201944423
202044433
202145433
202245433
202345434
202449466
202549466
202655448

Method notes

  • The 2018 plan approved a staged increase from 43 authorized members: one position took effect in 2019 and the second in 2021. That 45-member ceiling stayed in place until the four-member increase approved for 2024; Council raised it to 55 in April 2026 as a recruitment buffer without increasing the funded complement of 44.
  • The bylaw series counts front-line Bylaw Enforcement Officer positions, not the Bylaw Services Manager, clerical staff, animal control or contracted security. The fourth officer was added in 2023, two more in 2024, and the adopted 2026 operating project continued those two positions while funding two additional officers.
  • The 2025 Annual Report states that the City funded 46 RCMP members. The April 2026 resourcing decision describes 44 as the existing funded complement. The chart reports each official publication's stated figure and does not infer why the published count changed.
  • Where an annual report did not restate RCMP authorized strength, the last Council-approved ceiling is carried forward. Funded values use the corresponding annual financial plan or annual report.

What should be measured next: Publish authorized, funded and available-for-duty RCMP numbers beside budgeted and filled bylaw positions in one annual public dashboard.