A $40 fee for employment-related criminal record checks and vulnerable sector checks will likely come into effect at both the Warman and Martensville RCMP offices early in 2022.
There is currently no charge for the service.
The RCMP detachment offices also provide criminal record checks and vulnerable sector checks for members of the public looking to volunteer with community organizations. This service for volunteers is also currently free of charge, and will likely remain that way.
Warman and Martensville City Councils will make their final decisions on whether to implement a fee for employment-related criminal record checks in mid-December.
Warman City Council gave first reading to a bylaw authorizing the implementation of a $40 fee for employment-related criminal record checks only at a council meeting on Monday, November 22. Second and third readings of the bylaw are slated to be on Warman City Council’s agenda at the December 13, 2021 meeting.
Martensville City Council will deal with the question for the first time at a committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, December 14. A final decision by councillors will be made at their regular meeting on December 21.
If adopted by both councils, the fees will be uniform for both cities. There is currently no date projected for when the fees, if adopted, will take effect.
Criminal record checks and vulnerable sector checks account for a large percentage of the workload of staff at both detachment offices, according to the RCMP. Last year, the RCMP detachment conducted a total of 6,640 checks at the two offices.
In Warman in 2020, 3,560 criminal record checks and vulnerable sector checks were conducted for employment purposes. In addition, the Warman office conducted 1,484 criminal record checks and vulnerable sector checks for volunteer purposes.
In 2020, the Martensville detachment office conducted 396 criminal record checks and vulnerable sector checks for employment purposes, and 1,200 criminal record checks and vulnerable sector checks for volunteer purposes.
Earlier this fall, the RCMP Advisory Board recommended the two cities introduce fees for employment-related criminal record and vulnerable sector checks. The advisory board recommended against any fees for volunteer-related checks.
Warman and Martensville City Clerks surveyed other cities across Saskatchewan to determine whether fees were charged for their police detachments providing similar services. Most, but not all, cities charged fees for both employment-related and volunteer-related checks. The fees ranged from $10 to $75.