There will be no study of transferring administration of policing in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) to the regional level of government.
On Wednesday, February 25, UCPR Council defeated a motion to have the feasibility of the counties taking on the oversight of policing.
Currently, the UCPR is served by two Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachments with separate boards. The Hawkesbury Detachment serves the areas within the historic boundaries of Prescott County, and the Russell County Detachment serves the area within the historic boundaries of Russell County with stations in Embrun and Rockland. A motion requesting the UCPR undertake the feasibility study was initially adopted by Clarence-Rockland City Council on December 10, 2025. The motion was shared with the other seven municipalities in the UCPR. Councils in Champlain Township, The Nation Municipality, and Russell Township voted to not endorse the Clarence-Rockland decision.
Councils in the Town of Hawkesbury and Alfred and Plantagenet voted in support of the Clarence-Rockland motion.
According to township council documents, no record of East Hawkesbury Council receiving or voting on the Clarence-Rockland motion exists. Casselman Council received the motion but did not vote on it.
At the UCPR Council meeting on February 25, Warden Mario Zanth, who is also Mayor of Clarence-Rockland, said he would like to see the feasibility of regional administration of policing studied in the same context of a service delivery review that is currently taking place involving emergency services, roads, and social services.
Casselman Mayor Geneviève Lajoie said Clarence-Rockland had made its position, but it was clear most municipalities across the UCPR do not support regional administration of policing. She said it was unfair for Warden to use his position to advance the plan.
She said there is already a struggle about agreeing on fire services and including administrational oversight of the OPP would only add challenges. Lajoie moved that UCPR Council not support the resolution.
“Madam mayor, I think you were out of line to suggest I was using my role as Warden to request a transparent process of obtaining information of the same kind that was obtained with the OPP,” Zanth responded.
“I am not trying to force this through. I am one vote at this table. So, do not assume that I am using my role as Warden to request transparent information,” he continued.
Lajoie said it was clear most municipalities do not want to move forward with it, so that consensus should be respected.
Zanth said he was only asking that the information come back to council so all can be aware of how much each is paying for services.
Council voted to not proceed with a study exploring regional-level policing governance. The only votes against it were from Zanth and Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre.
