Fort Frances is facing a huge hike in policing costs.
The contract with the Ontario Provincial Police for 2025 is estimated at over $3.4 million.
Mayor Andrew Hallikas says it is a $700 thousand increase from this year’s estimate.
“I want to emphasize that it’s an uncontrollable budget item. We have no control over it. We get the invoice, we pay it,” says Hallikas.
“But a $700,000 increase in that one budget item, if we can’t find other places to cut, that one item alone could add about 5%, a 5% increase to our taxation. It’s pretty shocking.”
Hallikas is among northwestern Ontario mayors calling for a different way for municipalities to be charged for policing.
Before receiving the new bill, Fort Frances had the second-highest policing costs per capita in Ontario, behind Kenora.
Kenora is also facing a substantial increase.
“This is simply not sustainable. The formula for calculating policing costs must change to reflect individual differences in communities, particularly small, rural northern communities, which do have unique differences,” says Hallikas.
A delegation of Fort Frances council that included the mayor, met recently with representatives from the Solicitor General’s office to discuss policing costs.
Hallikas says they are looking at the funding formula and ways there could be reductions in certain circumstances.
Councillor Steve Maki, who was also part of the delegation, would like further explanation for the increase.
“It’s outrageous, but I would like to ask that council ask the OPP to send somebody here to come and explain this to not just us, but to this community as to why a 25% increase in costs is about to happen and we don’t have a say. They need to come and explain to us,” says Maki.
