Province offers relief for municipal OPP bills

[Michael Jack]

TORONTO – Increases in service calls and wages has caused the leaders of several rural municipalities in Ontario to experience sticker shock when civic leaders received the latest OPP billiing estimates for 2025.

Many municipalities, including SDG Counties, saw record increases to costs for Ontario Provincial Police services. Going into their budget, SDG was expecting a 2.25 per cent property tax increase just to cover the OPP contract. That amount will change as the Ontario government announced a reduction to bills received for the next year.

The change will lower the amounts invoiced for 2025 by 10 per cent, cut 44 per cent off the 2023 overtime costs already bills, and cut 3.75 per cent from the total 2023 bill.

In October, the SDG Counties police services board received the billing estimates for 2025. Those estimates saw an increase of $1.4 million to the billing for SDG, or 12.4 per cent. The estimated cost for OPP service in 2025 is $11.3 million. A 10 per cent reduction will bring the 2025 estimate closer to the 2024 estimate, accounting for an overall 2.9 per cent ($10.2 million).

“The financial relief we are proposing will help municipal leaders balance their budgets and invest in their communities while ensuring no change to the policing provided by the OPP that keeps families and businesses safe,” said Solicitor General Micahel Kerzner when making the announcement November 29.

The rising cost of OPP services has been top-of-mind for municipalities, drawing calls from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario for relief or review of the current billing.

“AMO is pleased that the government has listened to concerns about the increase in Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) billing recovery costs with this proposal,” said Westport Mayor and AMO President Robin Jones. “Without the provincial action, the rise in OPP costs would have significantly impacted small, rural, and northern communities serviced by the OPP.”

The Leader contacted SDG Counties Warden Jamie MacDonald for comment. None was received by publication deadline.

https://www.morrisburgleader.ca/2024/12 ... opp-bills/