Budget 2026, Bill 15, and Launching the Alberta Sheriff’s Police Service
The provincial budget sets the tone for government priorities in the year ahead, and Budget 2026 is no exception. Among the various budget lines was a significant allocation toward a long-embattled priority of Premier Danielle Smith: the establishment of a provincial police force. In light of recently tabled legislation, the Alberta Sheriff’s Police Service (ASPS) is now close to becoming operational. Structured as an independent Crown corporation since July 2025, the ASPS has been the focus of a series of legislative changes and, as of Budget 2026, additional operating funding to advance the service toward full implementation.
Legislatively, the ASPS is a matter of weeks away from becoming a functioning police service, pending the anticipated passage of Bill 15, the Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, 2026. As of March 9, the bill sits in Committee of the Whole. If passed, Bill 15 would implement the framework required for the ASPS to become operational. Provisions of Bill 15 include transfer opportunities for all 1,200 currently serving Sheriff’s personnel into policing positions contingent on training and qualification requirements.
It should be noted that prior legislative groundwork was laid for the future of the ASPS during the Fall 2025 session with the passage of Bill 4, the Public Safety and Emergency Services Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 No. 2, on November 26, 2025. Bill 4 permitted the formation of a new collective bargaining organization for future ASPS officers in line with the Police Officers Collective Bargaining Act.
Budget 2026 complemented the legislative advances of the ASPS by providing substantial funding for the practical work now required to establish a new police service. Managed under the Public Safety and Emergency Services Portfolio, the ASPS was allocated a total operating budget of $200.9 million in Budget 2026, with approximately $36.9 million earmarked for the implementation of Bill 15. Additionally, Budget 2026 forecasts that a total of $644.7 million will be spent on the service by 2029, with average operating budget increases of $15 million year over year.
Although the budget for the ASPS is not itemized in detail, it can be assumed that the costs the service will incur include expansion of operational capabilities such as vehicles, stations, and equipment, as well as ancillary functions such as training, oversight, and administration.
Among the accountability considerations for the establishment of the ASPS is the requirement for an oversight and complaints capacity. Notably, the official launch of the Police Review Commission (PRC) on December 1 of last year answered this need. For the PRC, Budget 2026 provides a jump in operational funding from approximately $21.5 million to just over $26 million, a level that is anticipated to remain over the next two years. As the ASPS moves toward becoming operational, the presence of a robust oversight body may provide the legitimacy needed to counter complaints surrounding the creation of the force.
Overall, recent legislative activity and the allocations contained in Budget 2026 highlight the importance the current government places on establishing the ASPS. Significant budgetary commitments of more than $644 million over the next three years, in tandem with numerous legislative amendments, indicate a sustained effort to build the institutional framework required for a provincial police service. Although the final passage of Bill 15 remains a necessary step before the ASPS can formally begin operations, the long-term success of the service is now likely to depend on its ability to develop operational capacity, recruit and train personnel, and demonstrate public credibility as a new policing institution within Alberta.