New BrunswickA debate over the policing budget for the Moncton, N.B., region took another turn as the chair of the Codiac Regional Policing Authority announced his resignation Monday evening after presenting the spending plan to Moncton council.Don Moore says he had become a ‘distraction’ Shane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Nov 04, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesDon Moore speaking to reporters in Moncton city hall after announcing he would resign as the chair of the Codiac Regional Policing Authority board. (Shane Magee/CBC)The chair of the civilian board overseeing Codiac Regional RCMP resigned from the role Monday evening. Don Moore announced the decision after presenting the Codiac Regional Policing Authority’s contentious 2026 budget to Moncton city council.”Over the past several weeks, public discussion around the CRPA — including our budget process, officer resourcing, and recent commentary regarding my role as chair — has, in my view, begun to overshadow the real purpose of the police authority,” Moore said, reading from a prepared statement.While Moore is resigning from the chair position, he said he will remain as a board member until his term ends in January 2027.The development capped a series of council meetings over the past month where Moore faced questions over the board’s budget process, governance and transparency. After the board approves a budget, it goes to Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview councils to include as part of their municipal budgets.The policing authority board approved a 2026 budget in a 5-4 vote in September. The $66.5-million budget would add 15 Mounties to bring the force policing the three communities to 188 officers.That’s despite motions earlier in the year by the three municipal councils saying they won’t approve staffing increases without more crime data showing the impact of adding 17 officers this year. That data has yet to be gathered.The way the vote unfolded also became contentious. Riverview Coun. John Coughlan, who has been on the board for almost a decade, was told his appointment had yet to be renewed and was unable to vote. Coughlan hasn’t said how he may have voted, and previously declined to comment.It led to Riverview council members calling the board vote invalid and demanding an apology. Moore issued an apology last week.Minister reviewing investigation requestLast week, a board member asked the province’s public safety minister to investigate “concerns of political and procedural interference” within the policing authority.The specific details of the allegations and which board member made the request have not been made public.Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin told reporters at an announcement in Shediac, N.B., on Monday that he has received the request.”We’re taking this very seriously,” Gauvin said, adding there’s currently no investigation underway. New Brunswick Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin speaks to reporters at an announcement in Shediac, N.B., on Monday. (CBC)Moore’s announcement capped nearly an hour of questions about the 2026 budget from Moncton council, including why it came with no supporting data and was 11 officers more than what Codiac RCMP’s commanding officer recommended in July.Several councillors read a letter Supt. Benoit Jolette wrote saying the force was seeking four officers.The letter cited municipal budget pressures, the lack of data requested by the communities to justify a larger increase, and the challenges of integrating more staff. Moore was asked several times to explain why the policing authority went with a larger increase than the RCMP recommended. He said residents, and councils, have repeatedly asked for greater police visibility and traffic enforcement. The budget calls for 10 of the 15 new officers to be part of a new traffic enforcement unit.Adding 15 officers in 2026 was part of a three-year plan to add 46 officers in total based on the results of a consultant’s review of the police force last year.Jolette, who was at the Moncton council meeting, said despite the lower recommendation he still believes the force needs more officers.”I stand by my original comments that Codiac RCMP needs additional investment and I still stand by 46 new members that came out of the study in 2024,” Jolette said.The debate over the budget has come as residents and businesses have complained about crime. Councillors in Riverview and Dieppe have said they support police and want to address concerns about crime, but also want data to be accountable for spending decisions. A Moncton city staff report says the total policing authority budget has risen 100 per cent since 2020. Moncton covers about 70 per cent of the total policing budget, while Dieppe is almost 19 per cent and Riverview is near 11 per cent.Moncton council is expected to debate the policing budget this week as part of city budget deliberations.Several councillors in Riverview and Dieppe have indicated they will vote down the budget. If councils don’t approve the spending plan, the province’s Police Act says the local government minister may step in to set the budget.ABOUT THE AUTHORShane Magee is a Moncton-based reporter for CBC News.
Moncton-area police board chair resigns amid contentious budget debate
