A spike in the cost of contracting the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is causing concern for some municipalities in Ontario, with towns like Collingwood and the Town of Greater Napanee feeling caught off guard by the unexpected increase in fees. The OPP, which provides policing to 329 municipalities in the province, cited an increase in workload and a major pay bump for its officers as reasons for the price hike. Collingwood Mayor Yvonne Hamlin expressed shock and disgust at the significant increase in fees, indicating that the town will be pursuing the matter further.
During a council meeting, Collingwood chief administrative officer Sonya Skinner revealed that the town had received a billing notice that was $1.94 million higher than expected. The bill for policing services had increased by 37 percent from the previous year, leaving municipal officials scrambling to figure out how to cover the additional costs. The OPP and the Ontario Provincial Police Association recently ratified a four-year deal that makes OPP officers the highest paid in the province, with salary and benefits accounting for approximately 90 percent of municipal policing costs.
The increase in OPP fees for municipalities is attributed to a return to pre-pandemic workload levels, which has led to higher costs for services like cleaning, prisoner transportation, court security, and accommodations. Under the current billing model, municipalities pay a base services cost per property, as well as additional charges for various services provided by the OPP. The average cost per property for 2025 is estimated to be $399, which is the highest amount since the implementation of the OPP Billing Model in 2015, but still compares favorably to other police services in Ontario.
Terry Richardson, the mayor of Napanee, expressed concern over the 23 percent increase in OPP costs for the town, which amounts to a $928,000 jump and a six percent tax increase on the town’s levy. Richardson highlighted the challenges of balancing efficiency with service levels in order to keep the levy low, and noted that the OPP fees represent the largest line item on the town’s operating capital budget. In Collingwood, the potential seven percent tax increase due to the OPP cost hike adds to the financial strain on residents, particularly in light of other rising expenses.
Municipalities like Collingwood and Napanee are facing significant financial challenges as a result of the unexpected increase in OPP fees, which are threatening to push up property taxes and strain operating budgets. The lack of communication and transparency regarding the fee hike has left officials feeling blindsided and struggling to find ways to cover the additional costs. The impact of the rise in OPP expenses is expected to be felt by residents in the form of higher taxes and potential cuts to services, as municipalities grapple with the financial implications of the price increase.
