Landowners mailing letters to protest OPP billing change

Obscenely high and unsustainable policing costs. OPP bills are destroying communities its officers are supposed to protect. Apparent self-interest is cloaked in the guise of public safety needs. Where is the political outrage while OPP costs continue to climb? Who is going to bring policing costs in this province under control?

Landowners mailing letters to protest OPP billing change

Postby Thomas » Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:01 pm

SEGUIN TWP. – Seguin landowners are taking the time to forward letters opposing a proposed OPP billing change that could hit their local tax bills.

Last month Seguin Township mailed landowners and posted on its website a draft letter to Ontario’s premier and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services opposing a proposed OPP billing change and asked residents to post or email it.

The province has proposed changing the OPP billing methods from per-call charges to a mix of fixed and per-call.

The ministry said the change brings fairness to billing where some municipalities currently pay $9 per household, and others up to $900.

The change would increase rural West Parry Sound municipalities’ bills by millions of dollars. In Seguin Township the bill could send taxes up by 11 per cent, or force the township to reduce services. In the region, it amounts to $3 million more in OPP costs for rural municipalities, while Parry Sound’s OPP bill would drop by $1 million if the change went through.

Whitestone, McKellar, Carling, Archipelago, and McDougall townships joined Seguin in the campaign.

“Officially we know there’re 500 (letters sent) from Seguin alone, I’m sure there’s a lot more,” said Seguin Mayor David Conn.

The ministry reports it’s received about 330 from Carling, Archipelago, Seguin and Whitestone.

The letter campaign, which included a push to copy area MPPs, has been just one tactic the townships have taken in opposing the proposed change. The rural West Parry Sound municipalities, and others, had also met with the former minister this winter and wrote their own letters of opposition to the premier, ministry and OPP brass.

With some municipalities standing to save and others pay more, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) formed a committee to consider the matter. Mayor Conn sat on the committee.

“The ball’s in their court,” said Conn. “I know they will be awaiting the report from AMO committee and then it’s up to them to make an announcement of what in fact they are going to do.”

The report is expected out within two weeks.

The new OPP billing method is set to take effect next year.

http://www.parrysound.com/news-story/44 ... ng-change/
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