At the October 24 meeting, Champlain Township Council received a memo outlining the 2025 Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) budget and associated increases to police service costs. The increase will cost taxpayers an additional $188,772 for 2025, excluding annual price adjustments.
Considerable increases in salaries as a result of ratified collective agreements for January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2026, played a large role in justifying the rising costs. Additionally, base service fees will rise by 13.09 per cent with salaries increasing by 15.47 per cent.
“With the increase in basic service fees, does that mean they give the Township more basic services? Or, if it’s nothing, why is the service base increasing by $110,000?” Councillor Gerry Miner asked.
Councillor André Roy also questioned the dramatic rise in base service fees when it was reported at the last council meeting that there were fewer police activities, though the Township had higher calls for service than in 2023.
“We received an increase in calls for service, but much less activities. It’s a bit contradictory when there is less work. What really happens is that we are prisoners of their collective bargaining and their increases. Why do the municipalities have to assume this responsibility?” he continued.
Base service fees for Champlain Township were calculated by taking the costs of salaries and operating expenses and then dividing the amount by the number of properties in the coverage area. The number of properties in the Township has increased by an additional 29 properties, placing the new cost per property at $189.44 annually. No additional services would be included in the recent increase.
The Township’s overall budget for 2025 will be greatly affected by these changes, and the municipal tax rates would need to increase by 2.36 per cent to absorb these added expenditures. All municipalities serviced by the OPP are being impacted by the increasing costs in the province.
It was then proposed by Councillor Roy for Mayor Normand Riopel to send a letter to the province and seek other municipalities indicating Council’s dismay at the blatant increases in the OPP budget. Mayor Riopel then asked staff to have this letter drafted in time for the next council meeting.
