New county police service being assessed in response to rising OPP costs

A change to policing in Simcoe County could be on the horizon.

In response to Ontario Provincial Police costs skyrocketing next year, the County of Simcoe is assessing the feasibility of creating a County police service.

Municipalities in the region policed by the OPP are facing increased service costs, ranging between 20 to 26 per cent and in the case of Collingwood, a walloping 37 per cent.

Town officials outraged by the increase have called it unsustainable, forcing each to make difficult decisions for their budgets.

During Tuesday's County Council meeting, Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith introduced a motion, asking County staff to report on the feasibility of creating a new service.

"I'm not so certain that we can't do this ourselves," Smith said. "We have a police force that's already in place, an amazing police force in South Simcoe. I look at this and say perhaps we just have to build upon that."

Council was cautioned by Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin that doing away with the OPP in favour of a municipal service comes with a higher price tag.

The cost per household for South Simcoe Police is around $700, whereas the OPP costs roughly $400 per household.

Smith said while the cost might be higher, the value of service could be worth it.

He pointed to Huronia West OPP, the catchment area that Wasaga Beach is in, and stated he's heard staffing levels, and the vast region that police cover, has led to challenges.

"Any municipality, if you ask them, would you prefer to pay a little bit more but have much more superior service, they'd absolutely say yes," he added.

Smith's motion also tasked Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke with writing a letter, notifying the province of their concerns.

“We understand that some municipalities face additional costs due to their existing agreements with the OPP," reads a statement from the office of the Solicitor General. "We will work with these municipalities to ensure they are not negatively financially impacted by this.”

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Midland Mayor Bill Gordon added to Smith's motion, requesting that the province forward a request to the auditor general to audit the OPP's billing services.

"It's to pick apart this model and see whether the OPP and the province are passing along costs to the municipalities that really should be born as part of the provincial side of the police service," Gordon told CTV News.

Gordon said he takes particular issue with how the OPP separates calls for service, from base level service.

The OPP currently bills municipalities at a base rate and adds an additional rate for service calls, which is often higher.

"No municipal service goes to their board and simply says here's the cost for the whole police department, oh, and by the way, we were really busy this month, so you know, the costs are going up," Gordon added. "That's just not how it works. It's not a commission-based system."

The OPP have told municipalities that a large component to the increases can be attributed to a new policing contract and a return to pre-pandemic levels of calls for service.

The OPP did not return CTV News' request for comment.