Municipalities with their own police services are asking the province to provide “fairness” when it comes to support for the OPP.
The province announced earlier this year that, after providing financial relief for municipalities facing hikes of 20 per cent or more in their cost of OPP policing last year, it will place a cap of 11 per cent on municipal billing for 2026.
For some municipalities, that means significant savings in their calculated policing costs.
In Petawawa, for example, the OPP’s annual billing statement shows the town should be paying just over $2.3 million for its services in 2026, an increase of more than $500,000 over 2025.
With the province’s cap in place, Petawawa’s actual billing will be held to $2 million, a “savings” of $305,658.
In a letter to municipalities at the beginning of December, Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said the cap on OPP billing was introduced “to provide municipalities with greater predictability and stability for the 2026 billing year.”
“This measure reflects the province’s commitment to responsive and responsible cost management, particularly in the context of the cost pressures identified for the upcoming year,” Kerzner said.
“Without provincial intervention costs for OPP-policed municipalities would be significantly higher in 2026.”
But municipalities that maintain their own police services, not the OPP, are calling for “equivalent financial relief”…
- For the full story, pick up a copy of this week’s NRT.
The NRT website offers just a sample of what you’ll find inside each week’s issue. To get the full NRT delivered directly to your mail box or inbox each week, subscribe to our print or digital editions here.
