Ottawa police get 19.35% raise over 5 years under new labour deal

Ottawa police officers are in for a significant raise and improved parental benefits after the city's police services board reached a new labour agreement with their union on Friday.

In a news release, the board confirmed it has reached a five-year agreement for both sworn and civilian members.

According to numbers provided by the Ottawa Police Association (OPA), members will see their salaries increase by 19.35 per cent between now and 2029:

• 2025: 6.85 per cent.
• 2026: 3.5 per cent.
• 2027: 3.5 per cent.
• 2028: 3 per cent.
• 2029: 2.5 per cent.

Under the agreement that's about to expire, a first-class constable with the OPS earned a base salary of over $111,000. The current agreement expires Dec. 31.

Members will also be eligible for parental leave of up to 35 weeks at 93 per cent of their salary. OPA president Matthew Cox said the previous agreement allowed just 10 weeks of paternity leave and 15 weeks for maternity leave.

OPA president 'excited' about deal

Cox said he's "excited about this new agreement," confirming members ratified it on Friday. He said 1,975 of 2,258 members voted. Sworn members voted 91.8 per cent in favour, and civilian members voted 90.3 per cent in favour.

He said the additional weeks of parental leave will help recruit more women to the organization, and also aligns with what RCMP officers have.

"I see it as a recruitment tool as well as a retention tool, which was what our main focus was at the beginning of this deal," Cox said.

OPS board chair Salim Fakirani said in a statement that the agreement is about "valuing the dedicated people who protect our community every day."

Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr, who is also vice-chair of the police board, said collective agreements with other police services are typically for shorter terms and that a five-year agreement offers more predictability.

Carr added that the negotiated agreement is "fair and consistent with what we're hearing from other police services." She also reiterated the importance of the new benefits around parental leave.

"It certainly will help provide stability in the police service and show that support to young families, that they can continue to work in the Ottawa Police Service and receive benefits while they're at home with children, so that was really important," she said.

The board still has to come to a new agreement with the Senior Officers Association, as its collective bargaining agreement is also set to expire by the end of the year. Carr said discussions could begin in the new year.

In November, the board tabled a net operating budget of $388.7 million, up $16.3 million from 2024. 

More than 80 per cent of the 2025 police budget is allocated to compensation, including overtime pay.

New hires coming

In 2025, OPS will create 50 new positions paid for through the municipal tax base, including 28 civilian and 22 sworn members. That's over and above the hiring that was already planned, bringing the total number of newly sworn officers next year to 145.

The budget also includes $9 million in efficiencies, to be paid for mainly by reducing the police service's pay-as-you-go capital contributions.

Carr said the increases in salaries for officers is being absorbed into the 2.9 per cent increase to the annual tax levy that was in the draft police budget.

Cox said the OPS board factored in the new collective agreement when it prepared its budget last month, and that it was likely one of the reasons the service decided to delay body-worn cameras for officers.

"They knew that we were going to be hopefully able to come to an agreement for this collective agreement, and therefore they had to put some things to the backside in order to pay for this deal," he said.