RCMP Detachment

The previous Fort St. John RCMP Detachment was over 35 years old and nearing the end of its useful life as a detachment. The new detachment, completed in mid-2023, is owned by the City of Fort St. John and leased by the RCMP in what is known as a Post-Detachment model combining both municipal and provincial RCMP staff.

Design & Construction Process

The conceptual building design focused on three energy performance targets: net zero energy (NZE), PHIUS+ (Passive House Institute US) and PHI Passivhaus (Passive House Institute, Germany). Several energy models and estimates were completed, and based on these models, a Net-Zero Energy target was recommended to be adopted for the replacement detachment to maximize economic and environmental benefits.

The roof has a 145 kW photovoltaic system installed to allow for on-site energy generation and help the building achieve annual net-zero energy consumption. It is estimated that the building will consume 149,507 kWh of energy per year. This is much lower than the estimated 994,071 kWh that would be consumed per year if the building was constructed to the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB), 2011. This reduced energy consumption is associated with a $17,941 annual operating cost, as compared to $82,397 in annual operating costs for a building built to NECB 2011 targets; or an estimated annual savings of $64,457. 

The energy consumption of the current RCMP building will be measured per staff member and per square metre. Then, the energy consumption of the new building will be compared to measure the difference in consumption. 

In addition to the building performance targets, the City utilized an Integrated Design Team process to design the detachment. In this process, a team of professionals, including architects, engineers, and project managers, worked collaboratively to design the building. This values-based approach, instead of a cost-based approach in typical construction projects, led to greater efficiencies, improved designs, and a higher quality project.

Project Financing & Costs

This project was jointly funded by the City of Fort St. John and the RCMP, with the RCMP funding roughly a third of the project through yearly lease payments. Initial cost estimates put construction estimates between $42.15 million and $60.65 million ($51.4 million being the halfway mark), and when construction was completed, the final cost was $51.6 million. 

The City successfully applied to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund for a loan of $10 million and a corresponding grant of $1.5 million or 15% of the loan amount. Additionally, we received $100,000 in funding from the BC Clean Grant program.

Following the completion of the project, the City applied for loans in the amount of $16.53 million that will be repaid through the RCMP's yearly lease payments.