New BrunswickThe Codiac Regional Policing Authority narrowly approved a 2026 budget that’s looking to hire 15 more RCMP officers to police Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview, despite council motions saying they won’t approve higher spending and additional staff until they get more crime data.Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview councils still need to approve budgets this fallShane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Sep 12, 2025 7:44 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoDon Moore, chair of the Codiac Regional Policing Authority board, shown Thursday during the board’s budget discussion at Dieppe city hall. (Shane Magee/CBC)The Codiac Regional Policing Authority has narrowly approved a 2026 budget that includes 15 more RCMP officers to police Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview.That’s despite councils in those communities passing motions earlier this year saying they won’t approve higher spending and additional staff until they get data showing the results of previous increases.The policing authority budget calls for spending $66.5 million next year, up 16.5 per cent from 2025. It would bring the total number of budgeted officers to 188, with 10 of them part a new traffic unit. The budget also calls for an additional civilian staff position in the dispatch centre.The civilian policing authority board overseeing the Codiac Regional RCMP voted 5-4, with one abstention, to approve the budget at a meeting Thursday evening. Don Moore, the policing authority board chair who didn’t cast a vote on the budget vote, said in an interview one of the biggest components of the new spending next year relates to a new $59-million police station. The City of Moncton is building it and will lease it to the policing authority.”The largest component of the budget is something that we can’t control, which is the leasing cost for the new police station,” Moore said.New station ready soonFigures presented Thursday indicate the lease cost represents $2.5 million of the $9.5-million increase from the 2025 budget. The 15 additional officers cost $1.2 million, though there are other indirect costs.Moore said the keys to the new building should be in hand by late November, and it will take the force about six months to fully move in.The policing authority budget is split between the three municipalities, with Moncton covering 70.4 per cent, Dieppe 18.8 per cent and Riverview 10.7 per cent.The policing authority’s budget now goes to the municipalities to consider as part of their own budgets later this year. It sets up a question of whether they will follow their previous motions.In the case of a disagreement, the Police Act says the province’s local government minister steps in to set the budget.Motions sought crime dataThe previous council motions say “prior to any future substantial Codiac Regional Policing Authority budget requests, including further staffing increases, being proposed,” the board must provide the communities data showing the impact that adding 17 officers in 2025 had on crime.”This information must be provided before we consider approving even more positions in future budgets,” a Riverview staff report to its town council states. The report says the motion means no additional staff before 2027.Last year, the Codiac RCMP proposed adding 46 officers over three years as the existing force wasn’t adequate. That plan called for 17 officers in 2025, with seven of those positions filled as of Thursday, 15 in 2025, and 14 more in 2027.Because the 17 positions weren’t expected to be filled until the end of 2025, the motions Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview approved mean 2026 would be the year when the impact would be measured. On Thursday, Codiac RCMP’s commanding officer, Supt. Benoit Jolette, told the board he stands by the request for all 46 officers. He told board members the additional officers could help raise the rate of crimes being solved in the community. “We owe it to the residents of the Codiac region,” Jolette said.Board members Nagesh Jammula, Corinne Godbout and Matt Carter shown voting against the 2026 budget Thursday. (Shane Magee/CBC)In an interview after the vote, he said he was happy the three-year plan is being implemented. “We’re excited about it because you just have to look outside your window to see the tremendous growth in the community,” Jolette said. “This is just another step to getting an adequate police force.”The policing authority board is a mix of members of the three municipal councils, members appointed by those councils, and members appointed by the provincial government.Codiac Regional RCMP Supt. Benoit Jolette says he’s happy the three-year plan is being implemented. (Rhythm Rathi/CBC)The Moncton and Dieppe city councillors who sit on the policing authority board both voted against the budget. Dieppe Coun. Corinne Godbout said she wouldn’t answer a reporter’s questions after the meeting. Moncton Coun. Marty Kingston initially said he would provide an interview, but then left the building.During the meeting, Godbout said in French that municipalities wanted more data to make spending decisions. “It’s not that municipalities don’t support this funding,” Godbout said. “We support our police forces.”ABOUT THE AUTHORShane Magee is a Moncton-based reporter for CBC.
15 more Codiac RCMP officers sought for 2026, despite council motions demanding crime data
