ON Thursday, both the federal government and the province stepped back from the edge of the precipice and proceeded to shake hands on a new RCMP deal.
That the two sides waited until Nov. 30 - the last day a deal was possible - is indicative of how political the issue has become over the past several months. Back in September, ministers in Ottawa and Victoria publicly traded barbs over the policing issue.
For the feds, the RCMP represents on-the-ground crime fighting that has become such a favourite cause in Conservative quarters.
For the province and local municipalities, ballooning policing costs combined with little ability to control how that money is spent have added up to an untenable situation.
Money is also the reason why negotiating a new RCMP contract was the only likely conclusion to this standoff. Because despite the annoyance of having to pay policing bills with little say in how the money is spent, reinventing a provincial police force was likely to prove a much more expensive option. Especially when negotiations began at what was essentially the end of a 20-year time span.
Solicitor General Shirley Bond has said the new deal contains greater ability for those paying for police to oversee how that money is spent. Of course, "overseeing" does not equal controlling. But it's a step in the right direction.
The devil will be in the details of the new deal.
For now, however, the Mounties have got their man.
