What happens when a city switches to OPP policing?
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 12:56 am
As Sarnia council prepares to debate a study on OPP policing, this article explains how policing models work in Ontario and how municipalities make the change.
Across Ontario, municipalities periodically review how policing is structured and delivered in their communities. In some cases, those reviews have led towns and cities to dissolve local police services and contract policing through the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
That question is now emerging in Sarnia, where city council is preparing to debate a motion that would study the feasibility of transitioning from a municipal police service to OPP policing.
Councillor Bill Dennis has submitted a notice of motion asking the city to review the feasibility of transitioning from a municipal police service to contract policing provided by the OPP. The proposal comes amid debate over the estimated $120 million cost of a new Sarnia police headquarters.
If council approves the request, city staff would be directed to conduct a study comparing the financial and operational implications of maintaining the current municipal model versus contracting with the OPP.
While Sarnia currently operates its own police service, hundreds of municipalities across Ontario rely on the OPP for frontline policing. In several cases, towns and small cities have dissolved their local police services and transitioned to the provincial force.
How policing is structured in Ontario
Policing in Ontario operates under three primary models.
Large cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, and London maintain their own municipal police services. These services are governed locally through police service boards and funded primarily through municipal property taxes. This is the model currently used in Sarnia.
Other communities receive policing through the Ontario Provincial Police. The OPP provides services in areas without municipal forces, particularly in rural regions and small municipalities. Municipalities contract with the OPP for policing services and pay costs based on a provincial billing formula that includes both a base service cost and charges related to call volume. Nearby, this model is used by Corunna, Point Edward, Grand Bend, Forest, and Petrolia.
A third model exists in some regions where multiple municipalities share policing through a regional police service, such as the Waterloo Regional Police Service or Durham Regional Police Service. As an example, Waterloo Regional Police Service polices the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the surrounding townships.
According to provincial data, the OPP currently provides municipal policing services to more than 300 municipalities across Ontario, in addition to policing large areas of unorganized territory and provincial highways. In contrast, there are 43 municipal police services in Ontario.
Municipalities that have transitioned to the OPP
Over the past several decades, a number of Ontario municipalities have disbanded their local police services and contracted policing through the OPP.
One of the most recent examples is the Town of Orangeville. In 2018, Orangeville council voted to dissolve the Orangeville Police Service following a review of long-term costs and infrastructure needs. The transition to OPP policing took effect in October 2020.
At the time, town officials cited projected cost savings and the ability to access specialized policing resources through the provincial service. Local officers were given the opportunity to apply for positions with the OPP as part of the transition process. Approximately 80% of uniformed officers from the Orangeville Police Service were hired by the OPP after the transition.
Another example is the Town of Midland. Midland disbanded its municipal police service in 2018 after council approved a plan to transition to the OPP. The decision followed a review comparing the cost of maintaining a local service with the contract policing model offered by the province.
In southwestern Ontario, several smaller communities have also made similar transitions over time. The municipalities of Leamington and Kingsville now receive policing services from the OPP, replacing earlier municipal forces.
Other Ontario communities that have transitioned to OPP policing include St. Marys, Dryden, Shelburne, and a number of smaller towns across northern and rural regions of the province.
How OPP municipal contracts work
Municipalities that receive OPP policing do so through a formal municipal policing agreement with the province.
Under this model, municipalities pay for policing services through a standardized billing structure that includes costs for frontline officers, equipment, facilities, and administrative support. The billing model used today was introduced by the province in 2015 in an effort to create more predictable costs for municipalities.
Local oversight remains in place through a detachment board, which provides civilian governance and acts as the liaison between the community and the OPP detachment commander.
The OPP provides access to province-wide resources, including specialized investigative units, emergency response teams, forensic services, and aviation support.
What typically happens during a transition
When a municipality studies a transition to OPP policing, the process usually begins with a feasibility study comparing operational costs, infrastructure needs, and governance structures.
If council chooses to proceed, the municipality would work with the Ministry of the Solicitor General and the OPP to develop a transition plan. This typically includes timelines for disbanding the municipal police service, establishing a new OPP detachment structure, and transferring responsibilities.
In previous transitions, municipal police officers have often been given opportunities to apply for positions within the OPP, although employment outcomes depend on provincial hiring processes.
Existing municipal police service boards are dissolved and replaced with an OPP detachment board, which provides local civilian oversight of provincial policing services.
Why municipalities consider the change
Communities that have studied or implemented a transition to OPP policing often do so during periods of significant infrastructure investment or rising policing costs.
Building or replacing police facilities, upgrading equipment, or expanding staffing levels can prompt municipalities to evaluate whether maintaining a standalone police service remains financially sustainable.
Feasibility studies generally examine a wide range of factors, including long-term capital costs, staffing levels, service delivery models, and governance structures.
The results of those studies vary depending on the size of the municipality, the existing police infrastructure, and projected growth.
The discussion in Sarnia
The motion before Sarnia council does not propose an immediate transition. Instead, it calls for a study that would compare the current municipal policing model with the possibility of contracting services through the OPP.
According to the notice of motion submitted by Councillor Dennis, the goal would be to provide taxpayers and council with a transparent comparison of costs, governance, and long-term infrastructure requirements.
If council approves the motion, city staff would be expected to prepare a public report outlining the potential implications of a transition.
That report would provide council with additional information before any future decisions about policing models are considered.
For now, the discussion remains at the exploratory stage, with council scheduled to debate the motion at its upcoming meeting.
As council considers whether to pursue a study, the discussion places Sarnia among a growing number of Ontario municipalities examining how policing is structured, funded, and delivered in their communities.
https://www.thesarniajournal.ca/news/wh ... g-11959861
Across Ontario, municipalities periodically review how policing is structured and delivered in their communities. In some cases, those reviews have led towns and cities to dissolve local police services and contract policing through the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
That question is now emerging in Sarnia, where city council is preparing to debate a motion that would study the feasibility of transitioning from a municipal police service to OPP policing.
Councillor Bill Dennis has submitted a notice of motion asking the city to review the feasibility of transitioning from a municipal police service to contract policing provided by the OPP. The proposal comes amid debate over the estimated $120 million cost of a new Sarnia police headquarters.
If council approves the request, city staff would be directed to conduct a study comparing the financial and operational implications of maintaining the current municipal model versus contracting with the OPP.
While Sarnia currently operates its own police service, hundreds of municipalities across Ontario rely on the OPP for frontline policing. In several cases, towns and small cities have dissolved their local police services and transitioned to the provincial force.
How policing is structured in Ontario
Policing in Ontario operates under three primary models.
Large cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, and London maintain their own municipal police services. These services are governed locally through police service boards and funded primarily through municipal property taxes. This is the model currently used in Sarnia.
Other communities receive policing through the Ontario Provincial Police. The OPP provides services in areas without municipal forces, particularly in rural regions and small municipalities. Municipalities contract with the OPP for policing services and pay costs based on a provincial billing formula that includes both a base service cost and charges related to call volume. Nearby, this model is used by Corunna, Point Edward, Grand Bend, Forest, and Petrolia.
A third model exists in some regions where multiple municipalities share policing through a regional police service, such as the Waterloo Regional Police Service or Durham Regional Police Service. As an example, Waterloo Regional Police Service polices the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the surrounding townships.
According to provincial data, the OPP currently provides municipal policing services to more than 300 municipalities across Ontario, in addition to policing large areas of unorganized territory and provincial highways. In contrast, there are 43 municipal police services in Ontario.
Municipalities that have transitioned to the OPP
Over the past several decades, a number of Ontario municipalities have disbanded their local police services and contracted policing through the OPP.
One of the most recent examples is the Town of Orangeville. In 2018, Orangeville council voted to dissolve the Orangeville Police Service following a review of long-term costs and infrastructure needs. The transition to OPP policing took effect in October 2020.
At the time, town officials cited projected cost savings and the ability to access specialized policing resources through the provincial service. Local officers were given the opportunity to apply for positions with the OPP as part of the transition process. Approximately 80% of uniformed officers from the Orangeville Police Service were hired by the OPP after the transition.
Another example is the Town of Midland. Midland disbanded its municipal police service in 2018 after council approved a plan to transition to the OPP. The decision followed a review comparing the cost of maintaining a local service with the contract policing model offered by the province.
In southwestern Ontario, several smaller communities have also made similar transitions over time. The municipalities of Leamington and Kingsville now receive policing services from the OPP, replacing earlier municipal forces.
Other Ontario communities that have transitioned to OPP policing include St. Marys, Dryden, Shelburne, and a number of smaller towns across northern and rural regions of the province.
How OPP municipal contracts work
Municipalities that receive OPP policing do so through a formal municipal policing agreement with the province.
Under this model, municipalities pay for policing services through a standardized billing structure that includes costs for frontline officers, equipment, facilities, and administrative support. The billing model used today was introduced by the province in 2015 in an effort to create more predictable costs for municipalities.
Local oversight remains in place through a detachment board, which provides civilian governance and acts as the liaison between the community and the OPP detachment commander.
The OPP provides access to province-wide resources, including specialized investigative units, emergency response teams, forensic services, and aviation support.
What typically happens during a transition
When a municipality studies a transition to OPP policing, the process usually begins with a feasibility study comparing operational costs, infrastructure needs, and governance structures.
If council chooses to proceed, the municipality would work with the Ministry of the Solicitor General and the OPP to develop a transition plan. This typically includes timelines for disbanding the municipal police service, establishing a new OPP detachment structure, and transferring responsibilities.
In previous transitions, municipal police officers have often been given opportunities to apply for positions within the OPP, although employment outcomes depend on provincial hiring processes.
Existing municipal police service boards are dissolved and replaced with an OPP detachment board, which provides local civilian oversight of provincial policing services.
Why municipalities consider the change
Communities that have studied or implemented a transition to OPP policing often do so during periods of significant infrastructure investment or rising policing costs.
Building or replacing police facilities, upgrading equipment, or expanding staffing levels can prompt municipalities to evaluate whether maintaining a standalone police service remains financially sustainable.
Feasibility studies generally examine a wide range of factors, including long-term capital costs, staffing levels, service delivery models, and governance structures.
The results of those studies vary depending on the size of the municipality, the existing police infrastructure, and projected growth.
The discussion in Sarnia
The motion before Sarnia council does not propose an immediate transition. Instead, it calls for a study that would compare the current municipal policing model with the possibility of contracting services through the OPP.
According to the notice of motion submitted by Councillor Dennis, the goal would be to provide taxpayers and council with a transparent comparison of costs, governance, and long-term infrastructure requirements.
If council approves the motion, city staff would be expected to prepare a public report outlining the potential implications of a transition.
That report would provide council with additional information before any future decisions about policing models are considered.
For now, the discussion remains at the exploratory stage, with council scheduled to debate the motion at its upcoming meeting.
As council considers whether to pursue a study, the discussion places Sarnia among a growing number of Ontario municipalities examining how policing is structured, funded, and delivered in their communities.
https://www.thesarniajournal.ca/news/wh ... g-11959861