MANITOULIN—Manitoulin Island municipalities, along with those around the province, are welcoming the news that the province is offsetting Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) cost increases for small and rural municipalities. As was reported previously, the increase in OPP costs to Island municipalities was projected to average 22 percent.
“The Town of Gore Bay was hit the hardest on the Island at a 28 percent increase and since we have one of the lowest assessments, therefore the town would be taking the largest hit on our property tax,” stated Harry Schlange, town manager and clerk for Gore Bay. “It seems the province has recognized that. It looks promising. Any relief is welcomed.”
He pointed out that recently the province had indicated that the annual Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) will see a substantial jump in funds for 2025, which would in some cases cover the shortfall caused by the huge increase in OPP billing costs, “but this has nothing to do with it. They are two separate things.
“This is good news,” stated Richard Stephens, mayor of the municipality of Central Manitoulin. “Some people thought that the increase in OMPF funding would take care of the OPP increases and in our case it would. But I didn’t see the correlation between the two, it didn’t make sense to me. Obviously the province is listening to the municipalities concerns,” said Mayor Stephens.
Dave Williamson, CAO of the Town of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI) said of the provincial announcement last week, “this is great news. I’m not sure how this will take place, but we appreciate anything as these (OPP increases) would have impacted all of us. I am anxiously waiting to see what the numbers look like, but whatever the province is going to provide will help us.”
“This would be great news,” said Alton Hobbs, CAO for Assiginack Township. “The devil is in the details, but this is nothing that we’re going to sneeze at, every little bit helps.”
The Ontario government announced November 29 that is proposing to provide over $77 million in financial relief to municipalities to help offset the increased cost of municipal police services provided by the OPP. This investment will help these predominantly small and rural communities address the budget impacts resulting from the collective bargaining agreement that was reached between the province and the Ontario Provincial Police Association in July.
“Our government is working closely with our municipal partners and our women and men in uniform to keep communities across Ontario safe,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “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.”
The government’s proposal would support small and rural municipalities by offsetting the 2025 impacts of OPP salary increases. This includes a 3.75 percent bill reduction on 2023 total reconciled costs, a 44 percent bill reduction on 2023 reconciled overtime costs and a 10 percent bill reduction on amounts invoiced for 2025 policing costs. In addition to these changes the province is continuing its annual $125 million Court Security and Prisoner Transportation Transfer Payment Program for the 2025 calendar year. The province will also be examining options for reviewing the OPP billing model to ensure that it meets the needs of communities across the province.
Chelsea McGee, director of communications and issues management of the Office of the Solicitor General told The Expositor, “The financial relief is designed to offset the costs of the collective agreement in the OPP union contract settlement (that saw a 4.7 percent retroactive increase in salaries, while 2024 will see a 4.5 percent increase). The wage increase for 2025 and 2026 is at 2.75 percent.
Robin Jones, president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) said in a release, “AMO is pleased that the government has listened to concerns about the increase in Ontario Provincial Police billing recovery costs with this proposal. Without the provincial action, the rise in OPP costs would have significantly impacted small, rural and Northern communities serviced by the OPP. Municipal fiscal sustainability is under pressure across Ontario, and municipalities struggle to balance their budgets. This proposition is an important recognition of this challenge and will help support quality of life for residents across the province.”
Christa Lowry, chair of the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) and mayor of the Municipality of Mississippi Mills said, “ROMA welcomes provincial action to reduce the impact of increasing OPP costs on rural municipalities. In the context of inflation, infrastructure pressures, and a growing homelessness crisis, rural municipalities simply cannot afford a 20 percent increase in OPP costs. This provincial investment acknowledges the escalating fiscal challenges municipalities face. We look forward to ongoing partnership to put rural municipalities on a sustainable path.”
