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
Trump charged over classified documents in 1st federal indictment of an ex-president
Donald Trump said Thursday that he was indicted for mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, a remarkable development that makes him the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges by the federal government that he once oversaw.

Freeland's budget bill passes House after Poilievre pledges to block it
The federal budget implementation bill passed the House of Commons on Thursday, after days of Conservative attempts to block it.
Supreme Court of Canada won't hear unvaccinated woman's case for organ donation
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of an Alberta woman who was unwilling to be vaccinated in order to get a life-saving organ transplant.
Special rapporteur David Johnston cuts ties with crisis management firm Navigator
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference has ended ties with crisis communications firm Navigator, his office confirmed on Thursday.
Are more interest rate hikes on the way? Here's what experts say
In the wake of the Bank of Canada’s unexpected rate hike, economists are pointing to further tightening in the near term.
How the lack of gravity in space impacts astronauts’ brain
What happens to the brain when you take gravity away? According to a new study looking at astronauts both before and after space travel, that experience causes physical changes that researchers believe requires at least three years between longer missions to recover from.
Panthers rally, top Golden Knights 3-2 in OT of Game 3 of Stanley Cup final
Carter Verhaeghe scored 4:27 into overtime and the Florida Panthers pulled off some more postseason dramatics to beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night.
'Unmitigated gall': Senator rejects minister's call to pass Liberal guns bill quickly
A battle appears to be brewing between senators and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, as he tries to see the Liberals' controversial gun legislation passed swiftly into law.
Trudeau Foundation board chair says donation from Chinese company has been returned
The chair of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation's board says the organization has returned a $140,000 donation to Millennium Golden Eagle International.