UPDATE: January 23, 2023

Council heard a presentation from Colliers on January 19 and from West Shore RCMP Superintendent Todd Preston during the January 23rd meeting, and ultimately approved the recommendation to move forward with the West Shore Policing Facility validation process.

ORIGINAL RELEASE: January 12, 2023

West Shore RCMP services are jointly delivered by the municipalities of Colwood, Langford and View Royal through the Municipal Police Service Agreement. The three communities are fiscally responsible for their portion of the officers and civilians who serve their populations, as well as the detachment, offices, garage and jail facilities.

Outgrowing the West Shore RCMP facility

The West Shore RCMP detachment has been determined to be undersized to support the police force needed to serve the growing population of the West Shore and is quickly running out of space. Feasibility study findings indicate that redeveloping and expanding the existing facility is the recommended approach. 

The total estimated capital cost to expand the West Shore RCMP policing facilities is $82.4M. The estimated contribution required from the three municipalities, based on population and property assessment data, is $49.6M for Langford, $12.8M for View Royal and $20.1M for Colwood.

Considering funding for a project validation phase

At their meeting on January 9, 2023, Colwood Council considered whether to approve a budget of $291,720 from the City of Colwood's Police Building Reserve fund, to advance the Policing Facilities Expansion Project and help the City to arrive at a point where a decision on whether a project should proceed can be made. This budget represents Colwood's proportionate share (24.31%) of the total budget of $1,200,000 required to bring the Policing Facilities Expansion Project to a validation stage.

Colwood Council requested additional information and directed staff to schedule presentations from the West Shore RCMP and Colliers, the advisors who conducted the feasibility study.

Read the Policing Facilities Expansion Project report for more details and watch video of the January 9 Council discussion.

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Media Contact

Sandra Russell, Communications Manager
srussell@colwood.ca

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