Internal Calgary Police Service memo reveals $28M budget shortfall, chief blames end of photo radar

Calgary’s top cop says the service is facing a $28 million shortfall in its operating budget for 2025, and there is no easy fix for the financial fiasco.

In a video message to staff on Tuesday, police Chief Mark Neufeld said the budgetary blow is being fueled by the province pulling automatic traffic enforcement — photo radar.

Neufeld says, as a result, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) is limiting travel and training and freezing civilian hires while looking for strategies to deal with the issue, adding it’s a tough task for an already-lean organization.

“It’s not going to be an easy process, for sure, but it’s also doable,” he assured the workforce. “We’ll have to change the way we do some things.”

The service was blindsided late last year when the province revealed it was — for the most part — pulling the pin photo radar.

The UCP government says sites have been relied on as a revenue grab.

But, some politicians and police, including Neufeld, who is president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, argue it’s a tool to reduce collisions and improve safety.

It’s also a significant source of revenue.

Neufeld says a report in mid-January showed the net impact of the provincial decision to CPS will be about $28 million.

“In terms of context, the CPS [operating] is actually about 85 per cent personnel costs, so salary and benefits,” he says. “So 15 per cent is for equipment and facilities and maintenance.

“When we talk about $28 million, it’s a big number. When you’re trying to find it in the 15 per cent that’s very challenging. We are looking at doing things very differently.”

He says that includes a deep dive into how the service manages human resources and revisiting its deployment model.

The financial dilemma comes as the force serves a growing population and works to mitigate the impact of other issues. 

Last year, for instance, the budget for call-outs and overtime was about a million dollars a month, a number which has now doubled. 

Neufeld notes the timing is also problematic given the service learned of the revenue hit while in the middle of a four-year budget cycle .

In a statement, CPS says it’s balancing the urgent need to find savings with continuing to work for the community it serves.

“Based on analysis we know we will be facing a $28 million shortfall in our operating budget in 2025 and beyond. We are examining strategies to maintain core services to address public safety but recognize there will be impacts across the organization,” it says.

“We will continue to evaluate and monitor to determine the full scope of how this will impact our service to Calgarians.”

While Neufeld says he has spoken to the city, the province, and the police commission, he also urged rank and file and other members of the service to share their cost-cutting ideas. 

“We cannot continue to spend money in 2025 that we don’t have,” he says.

Photo radar in Alberta generated $171 million last year.