Northern Ont. municipalities worry about skyrocketing policing costs

Spike in policing costs worry northern communities Towns and municipalities in northern Ontario are concerned about the increased costs of Ontario Provincial Police services.

Towns and municipalities in northern Ontario are concerned about the increased costs of Ontario Provincial Police services.

Rates for OPP services are skyrocketing and several municipalities are reporting large increases to their budget.

This follows a new OPP contract that makes them the highest-paid police agency in the province.

Callander’s police costs are rising 11 per cent, from around $375,000 annually to $435,000.

"The disappointing thing is you can’t move your municipality forward as quickly as you want because you have these increases that we have to pay," said Mayor Robb Noon.

Most towns and municipalities are reporting a 15-25 per cent increase in their OPP annual billing.

The Town of Kirkland Lake will see an increase from $2.8 million to $3.5 million, a 22 per cent spike in costs.

"Our ratepayers, I think they need to know what's coming during budget talks this year," said Mayor Stacy Wight.

"This increase will (mean) a five per tax rate increase before we even start plugging in our local numbers."

Mattawa council recently noted its municipality is facing a 21 per cent increase in its OPP service rates. Council in that town has asked the Ford government to absorb policing costs into the provincial budget, especially for small towns.

Wight is drafting a similar motion for Kirkland Lake council’s approval.

"That is something that I will be bringing at our Nov. 5 meeting," she said.

"We are aware that (Rural Ontario Municipal Association) and (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) are also having their policy advisors work on this file, as well."

In July, the OPP ratified its new contract that covers 2023 to 2026. Officers will see raises of 4.75 per cent retroactive to the first year of the deal, followed by an increase of 4.5 per cent in the second year and 2.75 per cent in each of the final two years.

Salary and benefits account for roughly 90 per cent of OPP municipal policing costs.

An essential service

"Policing is an essential service that ensures the continued safety and security of Ontario’s communities. Under the current OPP billing model, all municipalities are paying the same base services cost per property, plus additional costs for calls for service, overtime, accommodations, cleaning services, prisoner transportation, court security and enhancements," OPP spokesperson Erin Cranton wrote in a statement.

"The latter charges are added to the municipal bill only if applicable and/or are specified in the contract."

Cranton said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, activity levels in billing components such as court security, prisoner transportation and, in some cases, calls for service saw an average decline, primarily caused by pandemic-related restrictions and closures.

"The decline in activity in these components was reflected in reconciled costs, which, on average, were lower than what would have been expected based on data trends," she wrote.

The Office of the Solicitor General said it is working with municipalities to ensure "they are not negatively financially impacted" by the rising costs for police.

"It is what it is. But we’re prepared. We’ve saved money and we’re able to deal with these things," Noon said.

After 16 years of service, Callander and the North Bay Police Service cut their ties, deciding not to enter into another contract in 2021.

The town’s last contract with the city police force was for $565,000.

As of Jan. 2022, the OPP took over policing in Callander, charging around $375,000 for the first three years.

Despite the cost increase, Noon said Callander residents are satisfied with the OPP’s service and credits a strong relationship the municipality has with the police force.