This summer, the Toronto Transit Commission renamed the Peace Officers employed as fare inspectors. Their official designation is Provincial Offences Officers, or POOs. Needless to say, the new name raised some eyebrows and some spirits as jokes and social media comments flooded the internet. The new designation also offered an opportunity to explore an area of law enforcement that some may not fully understand. This blog post will explain who Peace Officers are and what authority and powers they are granted in Alberta.
Table of Contents
- Who are Alberta Peace Officers
- Powers of Peace Officers
- Authorized Equipment and Required Training
- Where Will You Interact with Peace Officers
- Oversight and Complaints
Who are Alberta Peace Officers
In Alberta, peace officers encompass a wide range of enforcement personnel, including:
- Community peace officers employed by municipalities, universities, transit systems, animal agencies, hospitals, and Indigenous communities
- Provincial peace officers employed by the Alberta Sheriffs Branch officers (court security, prisoner transport, highway safety, wildlife enforcement), as regulatory and investigative officers, and as correctional peace officers working in provincial corrections centres
Although the term “peace officer” legally encompasses police, Alberta’s non-police peace officers are those acting under specific provincial appointments, not members of the RCMP or municipal police.
Under the Peace Officer Act, all peace officers must be appointed by authorized employers and meet provincial training, age, education, and fitness requirements. Their roles, insignia, credentials, and tools are standardized across Alberta, regardless of employer.
Powers of Peace Officers
The specific powers granted to a peace officer will depend on who employs that peace officer and in what capacity. The statutory authority of a peace officer may be granted under the Peace Officer Act, the Municipal Government Act, or the Criminal Code.
The specific enforcement powers can vary depending on the role of the peace officer:
- Community Peace Officers (Level 1)
- Can enforce provincial laws (e.g. traffic safety, liquor laws)
- Often work for municipalities, Indigenous communities, or provincial agencies
- These officers may be authorized to carry batons, pepper spray, and, in some cases, firearms
- Community Peace Officers (Level 2)
- Have more limited authority – usually restricted to municipal bylaws and special provincial offences
- These officers do not carry firearms and have fewer enforcement powers than Level 1 officers
- Specialized Peace Officers
- Enforce specific legislation in areas like wildlife, fisheries, environmental protection, and transportation
- Examples: Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers, Alberta Sheriffs
All peace officers have a limited power to arrest individuals under s. 495 of the Criminal Code. The Peace Officer must have reasonable or probable grounds to believe the individual has committed, is committing, or is about to commit an indictable offence in order to lawfully make an arrest. That means that if a peace officer working in a transit station sees a person committing an offence such as mischief or uttering threats, that Transit Peace Officer can arrest the individual.
Authorized Equipment and Required Training
- Peace officers may be authorized (on appointment) to carry batons, OC/pepper spray, and in certain Crown or approved agency roles, firearms, shotguns, or conducted energy devices (e.g. tasers).
- Peace officers receive standardized training via the Community Peace Officer Induction Program (typically 7 weeks), followed by field training. More advanced roles like sheriffs undergo longer programs (~16 weeks).
- In cities like Edmonton and Calgary, peace officers carry OC spray, batons, handcuffs, radios, body armour, and sometimes vehicles marked like traditional law enforcement units.
Where will You Interact with a Peace Officer
The most common places that you will interact with a peace officer are public transit stations and government buildings where peace officers maintain security and on the highway where Sheriffs enforce traffic laws. In both of these cases, the role of the peace officer is similar to that of a police officer, including the power to issue tickets and to make arrests.
With winter approaching, it is likely that you will interact more and more with peace officers in locations open to the public where people may seek shelter and warmth. This can be a tense time of year between those who are tasked with enforcing local and provincial law and those looking for shelter. Conflicts are not uncommon.
Oversight and Complaints
The Peace Officer Act says that anyone can file a complaint against a peace officer with that officer’s employer. The Act then lays out the requirements of the employer to investigate and respond to the complaint.
Peace officers operate under multiple layers of oversight. Their appointments and authority are regulated provincially, and they must follow approved protocols. Failure to abide by the policies and protocols of their position can result in sanctions under the Peace Officer Act, regulations, and employer policies.
Cities such as Edmonton publish biannual reports on use-of-force incidents and public complaints and maintain professional standards units to investigate misconduct. You can find the report produced by the City of Edmonton at: https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/bylaws/peace-officers-standards.
Putting It in Perspective
Alberta’s peace officer system is structured, regulated and provincially consistent, granting community peace officers and sheriffs a clearly defined scope of duties—from traffic enforcement to wildlife protection to transit security. They are trained, issued equipment per appointment, and work under provincial oversight.
Understanding the roles peace officers fulfill and the authority they are granted under provincial law is important for all members of the public. It is also important that if you see such authority being abused, you bring it to the attention of the peace officer’s employer.