431-00036 (Public safety)

Whereas:

• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) made the announcement that they would move the Nova Scotia Operational Communications Centre (OCC) from Truro, NS to Dartmouth, NS effective February 2021.
• Retired MP Bill Casey expressed to Parliament, the RCMP and the responsible minister of very serious concerns and referred to studies regarding the potential risks to the Public Safety of Nova Scotian's by co-locating the RCMP OCC in the same area as the other largest Police Communications Centre in addition to other essential Communications centers which are all located in the Halifax Regional Municipality, NS.
• In direct response to MP Casey's concerns, the Minister of Public Safety, Ralph Goodale initiated an Independent study that he directed the RCMP to complete which was clearly understood to mean that the study would evaluate the previous studies and seriously evaluate the potential issues and risks of co-locating the largest and most essential emergency communication centers for Nova Scotia all in the same general area.
• The RCMP have since communicated that they will not be studying the risks or issues of moving the OCC from Truro, NS to Dartmouth, NS but will be in fact studying how to make improvements to the OCC once it is moved to Dartmouth, NS.
• Many of the employees have expressed that they will not be able to move with their positions nor be able commute as essential services in inclement weather and are looking for other work.
• The Government of Canada has made several commitments in support of jobs for rural communities and this move to Dartmouth, NS will in fact be taking many jobs and tax base dollars from the rural community of Truro, NS and moving it to the most populated area of Nova Scotia creating centralization of jobs.

We, the undersigned, residents of the Cumberland-Colchester federal electoral district, call upon the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to honour their commitment to have an independent study to thoroughly review the potential risks of moving the Nova Scotia's RCMP OCC from Truro, NS to Dartmouth, NS. We also call upon the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to immediately halt the move of the Truro, NS OCC to Dartmouth, NS and to immediately halt all work related to the move pending the outcome of a thorough Independent review & Risk Assessment.