SAULT STE. MARIE—The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) took a clear stance at the recent FONOM and Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) annual conference held earlier this month in Sault Ste. Marie, calling on the provincial government to take over policing costs for all municipalities with a population less than 5,000.
A motion was carried by the FONOM members present, modeled after a motion put forward by Reeve Archie Boivin of Baldwin Township and Mayor Laurier Falldien of the Township of Nairn and Hyman that states, “whereas municipalities have been legislated to provide police services; and whereas municipalities have been paying inequitable costs for policing service; and whereas the Ontario Provincial Police have developed a model for billing their services to municipalities; and whereas there are a number of small municipalities who disagree with this funding model and do not believe that they will be beneficiaries of any proposed billing model; now therefore be it resolved that the Province of Ontario take back the responsibility for policing small municipalities with a population of 5,000 or less.”
“There was overwhelming support for the motion,” said Billings Mayor Austin Hunt, who attended the conference. “Two thirds (of the municipality representatives) voted in favour of the motion asking for the provincial government to take over policing costs for municipalities under 5,000.”
“Everyone supported the motion,” added Central Manitoulin Reeve Gerry Strong, who was also in attendance. “It was unanimous—everyone thinks that the model is unfair and that there needs to be further reductions.
“I was happy the motion was able to get through,” said Assiginack Township Councillor Paul Moffat. “I was surprised by the support, but pleased. Hopefully something will come of it down the road.”
“It was great the motion was passed directing the province to pick up the policing costs for small municipalities,” said Councillor Leslie Fields of Assiginack. “There have been way too many costs downloaded onto municipalities and small municipalities are having to stretch their tax dollars more and more to the limit.”
Mayor Hunt explained to The Expositor that originally a proposal had been forwarded by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) on the billing model, but that it wasn’t accepted by the Northern Ontario municipal representatives at FONOM.
The rising OPP costs and the new billing model, which is to come into effect in 2015, has been widely discussed at municipal council meetings across Manitoulin and Ontario in general with municipalities under 5,000 to see large increases under the new model, while larger municipalities will likely see a decrease.
See page 3 as the provincial candidates answer this week’s question based on the topic of rising OPP costs.
