OPP costs rise significantly for SDG counties, province

[Michael Jack]

On Monday, October 21, the 2025 annual billing statement from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) caught United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) council members by surprise as fees associated with police services increased by 13.19 per cent from the budgeted 2024 amount. A year-end adjustment amount was added to the 2025 annual statement for SDG and will see OPP costs rise by 20.40 per cent, or an additional $2,036,153.

Expected 2025 costs for police services will now cost SDG approximately $11,297,878, excluding any additional year-end adjustments for 2024 and beyond.

Total 2024 costs for SDG were originally budgeted at approximately $9 million. However, 2023 year-end adjustments showed an added cost of $719,316. The 2023 adjustment costs were then included in the 2025 billing statement provided by the OPP, bringing the annual total to $12,017,195.

Councillor Steve Densham found it difficult to comprehend such an increase from one year to the next, “What I’m struggling to understand is what the driver is in the numbers. They’ve identified a 5 per cent increase in salaries but that doesn’t make up the 21 per cent.”

Council was informed at their October 21 meeting that drastic increases to OPP costs would be expected for 2025 and beyond. The report presented to council also highlighted that the increases were felt throughout the province and were not solely impacting SDG. A lack of policing resources, officers being off or on leave, and having officers working overtime to accommodate the needs of the region all contributed to additional costs billed to the counties.

“We’re very much kept in the dark about these kinds of things. As far as [police] budgets, we have zero say,” Wardon Jamie MacDonald told council.

Frustration and concern were also shown by other council members as a similar year-end adjustment deficit was likely to occur year by year moving forward.

“If this is something we’re going to expect going up year by year, I think it’d be prudent to start having those conversations and looking at whether there are any alternative options. It’s hard to bargain when you’re the smaller party and they know that there’s no other options available,” Councillor Andrew Guindon commented.

He further suggested that it may be a good idea to open a dialogue with the City of Cornwall or elsewhere to see if there was any cost-saving potential. The City of Cornwall has a municipal police service.

The financial impact of the increase for police services will impact the 2025 budget, adding $1,403,128, or a levy increase of 2.41 per cent. The cost per residential and/or commercial property would be $354.30 for 2025.

Councillor Densham concluded, “We’re looking at another deficit for the next coming years and what we want to do is get on the right trend. We want to recognize what the true cost is.”

A webinar to gather more information on the OPP budget and financial impacts is scheduled for a later date and further updates will then be presented to council.

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