OPP policing cost increases capped at 11 percent for 2027
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2026 4:49 am
The Solicitor General has given municipalities that rely on OPP policing notice that it plans to cap increases again.
No municipality will see its total cost rise more than 11 percent from 2026. That excludes special contracts for extra policing, which some municipalities have.
The OPP is getting the 2027 annual billing statements ready. They’re expected to go out to municipalities this fall and have a big influence on municipal budgets.
The letter, dated Aug. 14, is included in the Township of Melancthon’s agenda this week.
“Our government recognizes the importance of providing municipalities with predictability as you plan your budgets,” the letter said, “while ensuring the OPP has the resources it requires to continue delivering high-quality policing services and keeping communities safe.”
After an outcry from municipalities about the size of billing increases received for the 2025 year, the province intervened.
In November of 2024, the Ontario government announced more than $77 million in financial relief – mostly to small and rural municipalities – to help offset rises in Ontario Provincial Police billing.
Each year, the billing includes an estimated amount for the next year, and a charge reconciling the actuals of the year prior to what had been charged in advance.
The 2025 increase was capped at 10 percent. For the 2026 billing, received in late 2025, there were changes to the formula and a cap of 11 percent. The cost includes a portion based on the number of properties, and the formula was changed so that commercial and industrial were included in the count.
This year’s letter from the province states that “this is a time-limited measure for the 2027 OPP billing cycle”.
The government said that it recognizes how important it is that “policing costs are sustainable and predictable for municipalities”.
Ontario pledged to continue working with municipal partners.
https://www.pentictonherald.ca/spare_ne ... 4aa2f.html
No municipality will see its total cost rise more than 11 percent from 2026. That excludes special contracts for extra policing, which some municipalities have.
The OPP is getting the 2027 annual billing statements ready. They’re expected to go out to municipalities this fall and have a big influence on municipal budgets.
The letter, dated Aug. 14, is included in the Township of Melancthon’s agenda this week.
“Our government recognizes the importance of providing municipalities with predictability as you plan your budgets,” the letter said, “while ensuring the OPP has the resources it requires to continue delivering high-quality policing services and keeping communities safe.”
After an outcry from municipalities about the size of billing increases received for the 2025 year, the province intervened.
In November of 2024, the Ontario government announced more than $77 million in financial relief – mostly to small and rural municipalities – to help offset rises in Ontario Provincial Police billing.
Each year, the billing includes an estimated amount for the next year, and a charge reconciling the actuals of the year prior to what had been charged in advance.
The 2025 increase was capped at 10 percent. For the 2026 billing, received in late 2025, there were changes to the formula and a cap of 11 percent. The cost includes a portion based on the number of properties, and the formula was changed so that commercial and industrial were included in the count.
This year’s letter from the province states that “this is a time-limited measure for the 2027 OPP billing cycle”.
The government said that it recognizes how important it is that “policing costs are sustainable and predictable for municipalities”.
Ontario pledged to continue working with municipal partners.
https://www.pentictonherald.ca/spare_ne ... 4aa2f.html