Vernon City Council Approves Next Steps for RCMP Detachment Expansion

June 23 2026 - The Okanagan North (Vernon) RCMP have outgrown their current detachment. On Monday, Vernon City Council was presented with three possible solutions for replacing or expanding the existing facility.

The current detachment, originally constructed in 1966 and last renovated in 1992, totals 2,655 square metres (including a 175 sqm annex at City Hall). It already falls short of the 3,138 sqm required to meet today’s needs.

Image shows two of the options presented to Vernon Council

KMBR Architects presented three options to Council:

• Option 1 (10-year expansion): A single-storey addition over the existing fleet parking lot plus a 100 sqm addition on the east side of the building. Cost: $32.7 million. The detachment would continue to use the City Hall annex and would still fall short of the projected 2035 space needs.

• Option 2 (20-year expansion – recommended): A two-storey addition over the fleet parking lot, plus a 100 sqm east-side addition and 35 sqm adjacent to the garages. Cost: $50.3 million. This option would increase the building to 4,045 sqm, eliminate the need for the City Hall annex, and exceed the projected 2045 space requirement of 3,812 sqm.

• Option 3 (New Build): Construction of an entirely new RCMP detachment. Estimated cost: $103.4 million (not including land acquisition). This would provide a modern facility well beyond 20-year needs.

Council approved the staff recommendation to move forward with Option 2.

Administration will now conduct further analysis on parking solutions, construction phasing, detailed costing, and will begin preliminary discussions with potential funding partners.

The City is expected to fund the bulk of the project through local taxpayers, reserves, and borrowing, with possible contributions from senior levels of government.

Administration is scheduled to report back to Council with a full funding strategy and recommended next steps in late fall or winter 2026.

Vernon City Council Approves Next Steps for RCMP Detachment Expansion