'Gross mismanagement' sparking shortage of RCMP 911 operators, union leader says

RCMP 911 operators are leaving in droves amid a shortage of staff, according to union president Kathleen Hippern, who says emergency dispatchers across the country are being overworked and under-compensated due to years of "gross mismanagement."

"We can't go any further," Hippern told CTV'S Your Morning on Monday. "There's a snowball effect that's happening now and it's due to gross mismanagement from the Treasury Board and the RCMP and we're raising the alarm."

CUPE 104, the union representing 1,100 operators at the RCMP, said 40 per cent of positions are currently vacant across the country. An internal survey also found that 93 per cent of staff say they've had their workload increase since the shortages and 86 per cent said they're considering leaving their jobs.

Regions across the country are currently struggling to retain staff, including Yukon at 67 per cent understaffed, Nova Scotia is nearly 50 per cent understaffed, and British Columbia 43 per cent understaffed.

Hippern says some large call centres that should be staffed with at least 20 people, instead have five people working at a time.

Since 2022, the union has been calling for improved recruitment and retention strategies to soothe the shortage, however Hippern says action needs to happen now before more Canadians are left at risk because they can't connect to emergency services.

"We can have police just a block away from a violent situation that's ongoing right now, that's in progress right now, and people are trying to call 911 but if we're short staffed that's gonna wait in the queue and if we don't answer that call in the queue, police won't move, it's awful," she said.

Hippern says the salary of an emergency dispatcher isn't enough of an incentive.

According to Hippern, staff are leaving for jobs that pay $20,000 to $30,000 more for less of a workload. Currently, emergency communication specialists are going through their first bargaining agreement and salaries between $51,000 and $67,000 are being reviewed by the federal government.

Employees have written to Prime Minister Trudeau's office, however Hippern says staff have been deflected and ignored, including their recruitment strategies. CTV's Your Morning reached out to the RCMP to comment on the shortages however they have yet to respond.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Edmonton