Some small towns in northern Ontario face up to 21 per cent increases to their OPP contracts

Small town mayors in northern Ontario have been frustrated to learn the cost of their contracts with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will increase by as much as 21 per cent in the next fiscal year.

"Now for a community the size of Kapuskasing, that represents a 4 per cent tax increase rate from the get-go," said Mayor Dave Plourde, whose policing budget is slated to increase by 21 per cent.

Plourde says the OPP uses a complex formula to determine what it charges municipalities, based on calls for service, salaries and many other factors.

"I can't wrap my head around a 21 per cent increase," he said.

Like many smaller and rural communities, Kapuskasing had its own police service decades ago, but switched to contracts with the OPP when that became a less expensive option.

Now it's locked into a contract with the OPP that has left council with no option but to absorb the increased cost through cuts to other services and raise taxes, while trying to understand the reasons for the increase.

Plourde says the municipality's costs for the OPP contract will go from around $2 million this year to nearly $2.5 million next year.

In the town of Mattawa, east of North Bay, Coun. Garry Thibert voiced his frustration about their policing budget increase at a council meeting on Oct. 15.

"I've been sitting at this table for 20 years and the same thing happens every year. Increases in this and increases in this," he said.

"I'm frustrated. I don't know what to do, you know, other than raise taxes."

Mattawa's OPP contract is projected to increase by 21.5 per cent in the next fiscal year.

In Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands the police budget will increase by about 20 per cent next year.

Mayor Al MacNevin says they would need a three per cent tax levy to cover those new costs.

MacNevin says municipal staff looked at increases in policing costs at other small municipalities, and they were almost all in the 19 to 25 per cent range.

"If you're an optimist, you hope that you're going to get increased funding from the province that might offset this, and hopefully not too big an increase from the service board," he said.

As for answers about why the spike in costs this year, MacNevin said municipalities were invited to a seminar with OPP last week to explain, but it was cancelled.

Working with municipalities 

Jeff Laferriere, the mayor of Temiskaming Shores, says he's fortunate his municipality's OPP contract is only increasing by nine per cent in the next year.

That's because the detachment was short an officer this year, which resulted in a 10 per cent decrease to the policing budget.

"They do have the full complement now, which is really nice to see," Lafferriere said.

As with many communities, Lafferiere said police in Temiskaming Shores are dealing with more calls for service and face challenges in relation to the toxic drug and homelessness crises.

In an email to CBC News, Sydney Dubin, a spokesperson for the Office of the Solicitor General of Ontario, said the office understands that some municipalities face additional costs due to their agreements with the OPP.

"We will work with these municipalities to ensure they are not negatively financially impacted by this," Dubin said.