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Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) — funding

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Law_Enforcement_Response_Teams

Local snapshot (archived 2026-07-03): full-page PDF committed at sources/budgets/_archive/alert-alberta-funding/alert-alberta-funding.pdf.

ALERT is a provincially funded integrated police unit combating organized/serious crime. EPS seconds officers to ALERT but ALERT is NOT part of the EPS budget — its money is a separate provincial stream. Relevant because ALERT does policing work in Edmonton but sits outside the EPS ledger.

Annual budget (verbatim)

  • 2011-2012: annual ALERT budget $55 million, of which $49 million was spent; operating budget "over $38 million" in 2012.
  • 2015: $26.5 million.
  • 2016: Alberta increased ALERT funding by $2.6 million for an operating budget of $29.1 million.
  • 2026 budget: ALERT allocated $56.3 million for organized crime, child exploitation, gun violence, drug trafficking.
  • 2024 one-time organized-crime grant: ALERT received $1,505,000 (part of nearly $8M package).

Funding sources

"Funding for ALERT, including the cost of policing resources, is provided primarily by the Government of Alberta, with significant contributions from the Government of Canada." EPS is a member organization providing seconded officers.

Note

ALERT funding is a separate provincial (+ federal) stream, not counted in EPS's municipal budget. Officers seconded from EPS are typically backfilled/funded through ALERT. This is "off-ledger" policing money active in Edmonton.