Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, 2025*

Summary#

• Bill 49 updates several Alberta laws on emergencies, policing, police oversight, and scrap metal sales. Its main goals are to clarify emergency powers and aid, set rules for new provincial police agencies, streamline the police complaint system, and close a loophole in scrap metal rules.

• Some parts take effect later on a date set by the government.

• Key changes:

  • Defines an emergency as a “sudden and temporary” event and adds a preamble balancing powers with individual rights.
  • Shifts disaster “compensation” to broader “financial or other assistance,” including help for risk‑reduction measures, and allows related rules to apply back to April 1, 2025.
  • Requires the Minister to consult the Premier or Cabinet before using extraordinary emergency powers (unless immediate action is needed), and to make emergency orders public as soon as possible; local authorities must do the same.
  • Lets the province create independent agency police services (provincial police corporations) and allows municipalities to contract with them; requires local policing committees for those contracts.
  • Clarifies that political and oversight bodies cannot direct specific police investigations or day‑to‑day operations; sets budgeting, reporting, and record‑keeping for these police services.
  • Overhauls police complaints: the Police Review Commission becomes the main intake; complaints are sorted into five levels; timelines for updates move from 45 to 60 days; alternative dispute resolution is allowed; some investigators may be non‑police with limited police powers for the case.
  • Allows a police chief to terminate an officer for non‑disciplinary reasons or unfitness, if confirmed by the local commission within 30 days.
  • Expands reporting and outside investigation of serious incidents involving peace officers (non‑police law enforcement).
  • Removes a scrap‑metal rule that exempted purchases from corporations, so ID and record rules apply to all sellers.

What it means for you#

• Residents

  • You should see faster, clearer public updates when emergency orders are made by the province or your municipality.
  • Disaster help may be offered in more ways than cash payouts, including funding for prevention work (like flood or fire mitigation).
  • During pandemics, local emergency declarations can last up to 90 days unless ended sooner.

• Municipalities and local authorities

  • Must send local emergency declarations to the Minister right away and make details of certain emergency powers public promptly.
  • Can choose to contract with a provincial independent agency police service; if you do, you must set up a local policing committee.
  • Will deal with new budgeting and reporting expectations if using an independent agency police service.

• People filing police complaints

  • There is a single “front door” through the Police Review Commission, which categorizes complaints into five levels (from serious injury/death to service/policy issues).
  • Some low‑level or bad‑faith complaints can be dismissed early. You should receive regular status updates (at least every 60 days) and may be offered mediation or another dispute‑resolution option for some cases.

• Police officers and police staff

  • Chiefs can terminate an officer for non‑disciplinary reasons or unfitness, but only if the local commission confirms within 30 days.
  • Your statements in internal investigations and hearings generally cannot be used against you in other court proceedings (except for perjury or contradictory evidence).
  • Political or oversight bodies cannot direct specific investigations, discipline of specific members, or day‑to‑day operations.

• Peace officers and their employers

  • Employers must report serious incidents, deaths, or serious/sensitive matters to provincial officials and the Police Review Commission. These cases will be investigated, often by an outside unit. Peace officers and employers must receive status updates at least every 60 days.

• Scrap metal dealers, recyclers, and sellers

  • The corporate seller exemption is removed. Dealers must follow ID and record‑keeping rules for purchases from all sellers, including companies.
  • Expect more paperwork checks, which aim to reduce metal theft and resale.

• Timing

  • Several policing sections (including parts on independent agency police services and complaint processes) take effect later when proclaimed by the government.

Expenses#

• No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• Improves transparency and trust: public posting of emergency orders and clear complaint handling with regular updates.
• Modernizes disaster aid: allows flexible assistance, including prevention and mitigation, not just after‑the‑fact payouts.
• Keeps politics out of policing: bars the Minister and oversight bodies from directing specific investigations or day‑to‑day policing.
• Gives municipalities more choice: lets them contract with a provincial police service while keeping local input through policing committees.
• Strengthens accountability: clearer complaint levels, the ability to use outside investigators, and a standardized process across Alberta.
• Fights metal theft: closing the corporate seller loophole makes stolen metal harder to pass through dealers.

Opponents' View#

• Less certainty for disaster victims: replacing “compensation” with broader “assistance” could make payouts less clear or more discretionary.
• Retroactive rules: allowing aid regulations to reach back to April 1, 2025 may unsettle expectations for some past events.
• Centralization concerns: new provincial police corporations and broad regulation‑making powers could shift control from local bodies to Cabinet.
• Employment fairness: allowing non‑disciplinary termination of officers, even with commission confirmation, may be seen as open to misuse.
• Fewer, slower updates: moving many status reports from every 45 days to every 60 days reduces how often complainants hear back.
• Privacy and data: collecting demographic and race‑based data with complaints may raise privacy and data‑use concerns.
• Business burden: scrap‑metal dealers and corporate sellers face added compliance costs and paperwork.