The Ontario government is proposing to provide over $77 million in financial relief to municipalities to help offset the increased cost of municipal police services provided by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
This investment will help these predominantly small and rural communities address the budget impacts resulting from the collective bargaining agreement that was reached between the province and the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA) in July 2024.
For the Municipality of Meaford, the increase requested by the OPP in 2025 is 26 percent, which would increase Meaford’s policing costs from slightly more than $2 million in 2024, to roughly $2.6 million in 2025.
“Our government is working closely with our municipal partners and our women and men in uniform to keep communities across Ontario safe,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “The financial relief we are proposing will help municipal leaders balance their budgets and invest in their communities while ensuring no change to the policing provided by the OPP that keeps families and businesses safe.”
The Ontario government’s proposal would support small and rural municipalities by offsetting the 2025 impacts of OPP salary increases. This includes:
- A 3.75 per cent bill reduction on 2023 total reconciled costs,
- A 44 per cent bill reduction on 2023 reconciled overtime costs, and
- A 10 per cent bill reduction on amounts invoiced for 2025 policing costs.
In addition to these changes, the Government of Ontario is continuing its annual $125 million Court Security & Prisoner Transportation Transfer Payment Program for the 2025 calendar year.
The province will also be examining options for reviewing the OPP billing model to ensure that it meets the needs of communities across the province.
“AMO is pleased that the government has listened to concerns about the increase in Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) billing recovery costs with this proposal. Without the provincial action, the rise in OPP costs would have significantly impacted small, rural, and northern communities serviced by the OPP. Municipal fiscal sustainability is under pressure across Ontario, and municipalities struggle to balance their budgets. This proposition is an important recognition of this challenge and will help support quality of life for residents across the province,” said Robin Jones, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
