Moncton policing costs from RCMP shootings $9M

The final bill for the costs associated with the RCMP shootings in Moncton in June, 2014 is $9 million.

The total was revealed at a meeting of the Codiac Regional Policing Authority on Wednesday night.

Moncton Coun. Charles Léger, who is a member of the policing authority, says both the provincial and federal governments have come through with financial help to cover the costs.

"What that means is a bill of $3.5 million and so therefore of the total of $9 million that's what the Codiac region of Riverview, Moncton and Dieppe will be responsible for," Léger said in an interview Thursday on Information Morning Moncton.

A breakdown of the costs shows $2 million was spent on investigating the five different crime scenes where officers were shot, three of them fatally.

Nobody foresaw this and there was nothing in writing that said who had to pay what.- Coun. Charles Léger

Another $4 million was spent on "base salary costs" of the additional police officers who were brought in from other departments.

The final $3 million went towards overtime, meals and accommodations for officers who filled in for Codiac RCMP officers who were on leave following the shootings.

Léger says the final tally is not surprising.

"If you look at some of the other large events that have taken place in Canada it wouldn't be unusual to think that the bill would be somewhere close to $10 million."

Léger says the Codiac Regional Policing Authority expects to be able to pay $2 million of the bill from its own budget, while Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe will have to pay the remaining $1.5 million.

"Currently looking at the budget … it does appear that within the $27.5 million annual budget the Codiac Regional Policing Authority expects that it will be able to capture $1 million each year in the calendar year 2014 and 2015."

Léger says the final bill for Moncton taxpayers will be $1 million, Riverview will pay $200,000 and Dieppe will pay $300.000.

Ottawa and Fredericton pay 'fair' share of costs

According to documents from the Codiac Regional Policing Authority, the New Brunswick government is paying for all of the incremental costs from the time of the first shooting to the time of the arrest of convicted murderer Justin Bourque.

Those costs, which total $1.5 million, are covered "as costs of a provincial emergency."

In addition the provincial government has agreed to pay one half of overtime, meals and accommodation costs for officers who came to Moncton to fill in for officers who were on leave.

According to the documents, the federal government will pay approximately $1 million under the terms of their policing agreement with the province.

The costs of the regimental funeral for the three officers who were killed on June 4 are not included in the $9 million and have been fully covered by the federal government.

Léger says it took nearly a year to come up with the final bill for the events surrounding the shootings because it was so unusual.

"Nobody foresaw this and there was nothing in writing that said who had to pay what," he said.

"I think what this shows is the determination of three levels of government to have discussions and understand that this was something that no one expected … and to try to make it so it was fair and I think that is what we have today."