Canadian RCMP Paid Over $50k For Security While Meghan & Harry Were In BC

Having the royal family here in B.C. caused quite the commotion and apparently it came at a cost to taxpayers. Records released by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation claim that the Canadian RCMP paid over $50,000 to make sure Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were safe. 

The general public was going wild for the royal family when they were first photographed in B.C. The couple even spent their Christmas in our beautiful province before making the move. 

The royal duo must have loved staying on Vancouver Island and how can you blame them? B.C. is gorgeous and they loved all the outdoor activities. Meanwhile, it appears that they were wracking up quite the security bill. 

To be exact, it cost $56,384 to make sure the couple were not in harm's way from Monday, November 18, 2019, to Sunday, January 19, 2020.

The document explains that the RCMP paid for the Royals' security bill, meaning that the money came from taxpayers. 

In B.C., there are 12 municipalities policed by 11 independent municipal departments. The provincial government states that these municipalities pay 100% of policing costs from property taxes. 

This means that the entire bill was paid for by taxpayers. 

In the document, there is an email chain from the RCMP, explaining concerns that the royal visit would “cost us huge.”

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation called this cost "nothing to sneeze at." 

They noted that if the government had not cut them off and the couple decided to stay in Canada, the bill could’ve ended up in the millions. 

The online bill doesn't include the salaries paid to the RCMP officers on duty, rather it only shows the costs including overtime, travel, meals, accommodations and incidentals. 

The document explains that the RCMP’s overall approach to protecting the royal family was to assess the threat and risk of the environment. 

While their stay was short-lived, the couple eventually left our beautiful province and moved to Los Angeles.