The cost of contracting the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is on the rise, leaving some municipalities in Ontario surprised and frustrated. The price for OPP services is increasing next year due to an increase in workload and a major pay raise for officers. This spike in costs has caught towns like Collingwood and the Town of Greater Napanee off guard, with one mayor describing the situation as unfair to the community. Collingwood Mayor Yvonne Hamlin expressed shock and disgust at the unexpected increase in the bill, which was roughly $1.94 million higher than the previous year.
During a council meeting, Collingwood’s chief administrative officer Sonya Skinner revealed that the town’s billing notice was significantly higher than expected. The bill for OPP services jumped from $5.71 million to $7.11 million, marking a 37 percent increase from the previous year. The OPP and the Ontario Provincial Police Association recently ratified a four-year deal that made its officers the highest paid in the province. This agreement, covering 2023 to 2026, includes substantial raises for officers, with salaries projected to increase to $123,194 for first-class constables by the end of the deal. The majority of OPP municipal policing costs are attributed to salaries and benefits, with the return to pre-pandemic workload levels influencing the 2025 bills.
Under the current OPP billing model, all municipalities pay the same base services cost per property, along with additional costs for various services such as calls for service, overtime, accommodations, cleaning services, prisoner transportation, court security, and enhancements. The pandemic led to a decrease in certain billing components, but costs are now returning to normal levels as restrictions are lifted. Each municipality receives an annual billing statement before the start of the following year, with the estimated average cost per property for 2025 set at $399. Despite this being the highest per property cost since the implementation of the OPP Billing Model in 2015, it is still favorable compared to other police services in Ontario.
Terry Richardson, the mayor of Napanee, shared that the town’s OPP costs have increased by 23 percent, resulting in a $928,000 rise and a potential six percent tax increase. The financial strain of these increased costs is significant for municipalities like Napanee and Collingwood, where officials are already struggling to manage their operating budgets. Collingwood faces the possibility of a seven percent property tax increase in addition to rising staffing costs. Mayor Hamlin expressed concern over the financial burden this unexpected hike in OPP costs will place on the community, highlighting the challenges they will need to address. Despite efforts to find efficiencies and keep levies low, municipalities are now forced to contend with the added expense of policing services.
