RCMP Depot model may be phased out following recommendations made by mass casualty report
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
The Mass Casualty Commission’s final report released in Truro, N.S. on Thursday, is filled with criticisms of the RCMP’s actions before, during, and after the tragedy, a 13-hour killing rampage on April 19 and 20, which took the lives of 22 people.
"The Depot model of police training is inadequate to prepare RCMP members for the complex demands of contemporary policing, and the RCMP’s failure to embrace a research-based approach to program development and police education and its lack of openness to independent research impairs its operational effectiveness," read the report.
The Commission recommended that the Depot model of RCMP training be phased out by 2032, and the RCMP should consult with the Métis and Saskatchewan Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) with respect to how the land and the facility should be used in the future.
Every Mountie in Canada receives basic training at RCMP depot division in Regina.
Premier Scott Moe is concerned about the possible loss of the training academy.
"We need more officers to actually go through Depot so that they can then provide that service of providing safety to Saskatchewan people,” he said on Thursday.
Closure of the depot division would see the loss of hundreds of instructors, staff, and recruit positions in Regina.
“If there are concerns with training you know that is certainly something to look at but I think this seems an extreme measure,” said NDP leader Carla Beck.
Depot division has been the training ground for RCMP recruits since the police force’s establishment in 1885.
With files from CTV News Atlantic Reporter Heidi Petracek
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
China rebukes U.S., Canadian navies for Taiwan Strait transit
China's military rebuked the United States and Canada for 'deliberately provoking risk' after the countries' navies staged a rare joint sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Alcohol policies in every province, territory receive failing grade in meeting public health standards: report
A new report has found that alcohol policies in all provinces and territories are failing to meet public health standards.
Four kids and one man drown after Quebec fishing accident: provincial police
A fishing excursion ended in tragedy on Saturday when four children died in a village in northeastern Quebec, provincial police said.
Antipsychotic drugs use increased in Canadian long-term care homes, pointing to possible quality-of-care issues: study
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
Officials declare Halifax-area wildfire largely contained as rain brings relief
Heavy rain and some military reinforcements arrived to assist efforts on Saturday to quell the wildfires that have destroyed homes and caused the evacuation of thousands of people across Nova Scotia.
Forest fires in Northern Quebec: Another 2,000 evacuated from their homes
Another northern Quebec town was evacuated due to an out of control wildfire on Saturday as the federal government confirmed that Canadian Forces personnel would be deployed to help combat forest fires in the province.
'Very good outcome' for sale of Ottawa Senators expected in the next few weeks, NHL Commissioner says
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the process to sell the Ottawa Senators is moving forward as "quickly as possible," and the New York-based company overseeing the sale is advising to "expect a very good outcome in the next few weeks."
Fighting climate change or funding fossil fuels? America wants it 'both ways': U.S. ambassador
The U.S. Ambassador to Canada says America 'absolutely wants to have it both ways' when it comes to fighting climate change while pursuing fossil fuel projects.
More than 5,000 new species discovered at future deep-sea mining site in Pacific Ocean
More than 5,000 new species have been discovered at an expansive future deep-sea mining site in the Pacific Ocean.