On Thursday, January 29, Champlain Township Council unanimously rejected a proposal to explore a regional governance model for Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) services in Prescott and Russell, citing uncertainty and a lack of clarity around potential regional impacts.
The original proposal came from Clarence-Rockland, which called on the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) to conduct a feasibility study on replacing the current two OPP detachments—one for Prescott County and one for Russell County—with a single, regional administrative body.
Clarence-Rockland’s proposal argues that policing, similar to paramedic services, functions as a regional service and could benefit from centralized administration.
Champlain Township Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Kevin Tessier told council that there were “too many unknowns” associated with the proposal, including governance and service implications. As a result, council declined to support the resolution, indicating that further information and analysis would be required.
Other municipalities have expressed caution about moving forward with the proposal, while Alfred and Plantagenet Township has endorsed it.
During a recent UCPR council meeting, several mayors said the proposal required further discussion and broader municipal input before any decision is made. UCPR Council deferred its decision on whether to proceed with a feasibility study.
No timeline has been set for further discussion, and Champlain Township has rejected the proposal at this time.
