Alberta moves ahead with bill laying groundwork for provincial police force
Posted Feb 24, 2026 4:00 pm.
The Alberta government is pressing forward with Bill 15, legislation that would formally establish a new provincial police service and create, officials say, a more efficient path to deploying additional officers on the ground.
The bill outlines the creation of the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service (ASPS), a move the province says will cut red tape and modernize frontline policing.
A central feature of the plan is a process that allows current sheriffs who already perform police‑style duties to transition into full ASPS officers upon completing the required training.
Government officials say the goal is to build a more specialized, modern police organization capable of responding to increasingly complex criminal activity.
The Alberta Sheriffs branch currently employs roughly 1,200 people, all of whom would shift into the new structure once the transition is complete.
At a news conference announcing the legislation, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, said that particularly smaller rural communities have been struggling with rising RCMP contract costs. He argued that the province wants to give local governments more choice in how they manage policing.
However, the minister also emphasized that no final decision has been made on whether Alberta will fully replace the RCMP. That determination, he said, depends on Ottawa clarifying how much federal funding it is prepared to provide.
