Tax increases possible in small communities amid rising OPP costs

The Ontario Provincial Police is not immune to rising costs, which translates into a sticker price for municipalities that directly impacts every taxpaying citizen.

Midland Mayor Bill Gordon didn’t mince his words on the issue. “The cost of policing is completely crushing small communities across Ontario.”

OPP budgets have soared in part because of a new police contract and a return to pre-pandemic levels of service calls.

Midland’s mayor said the situation is particularly challenging.

“An increase of 26 percent in one year, which for us equates to a million dollars, is something we could never have predicted,” Gordon added.

The jump in costs is having a chilling effect on budget negotiations before they even begin.

A 26 percent increase equates to a tax increase of about four percent in Midland, and that’s before other factors are factored into the equation.

Due to planned infrastructure improvements, the city also faces a tax increase of six percent, making service cuts almost inevitable.

“I can now take $1.1 million off the books if we close the transit system that we share with our Penetanguishene partners if they also wanted to save money because, again, we have been losing money on transit every year.” said Gordon.

In Collingwood, the city is facing a 40 percent increase in its OPP bill or a seven percent tax hike, which Mayor Yvonne Hamlin called shocking.

Like Midland, Collingwood officials will have to make difficult decisions, although Hamlin admitted it’s too early to tell what those cuts might look like.

“Are we reducing the level of service? How often do we collect trash in parks? There are a whole range of things where we have service levels. I honestly don’t know. There are certain things we cannot put off,” said the Collingwood mayor.

And other municipalities controlled by the OPP find themselves in a similar situation.

Wasaga Beach is forecasting an increase of over $1.2 million in its OPP budget, Clearview Township says its bill is up 23 percent, and Tay Township is reporting a nearly 21 percent increase.

As cities face these rising costs, authorities are encouraging citizen participation during budget planning, saying it is more important than ever to help them make the best decisions for the future.