The budgetary process of the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) is distinct from that of other municipal government departments such as Paramedics, Fire, and Bylaw, as it independently approves its draft budget, with minimal representation from elected officials in the budget discussions.
Irrespective of the process, the budget for the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is incorporated into the wider city budget and is contingent upon the approval of the Council.
Two city councillors, Marty Carr and Cathy Curry, serve on the board with Mayor Sutcliffe. It is important to recognize that municipal taxes finance the OPS, even though the OPSB mandates budget increases without oversight from the Council.
In 2021, the lack of Council involvement became a hotbed issue when the former OPSB Chair, the late Councillor Dianne Deans, “compromised” on a 2.8 percent budget increase, which amounted to an additional $14 million added to the OPS budget. That year, there was open protest over the hike and the public who appeared as delegates at the OPSB meeting went on for hours, decrying the expansion of the budget.
The proposed 2025 OPS budget will increase by an additional $16.3 million, or 4.4 percent, over 2024. According to the OPS website, the average Ottawa household will pay $717 a year towards the OPS.
Despite another year of increases, the OPSB did not listen to the hours of delegations, likely due to the changes in delegation rules, which significantly limit the number of concerned citizens allowed to speak at an OPSB meeting.
Activist Sofia Chaudhry spoke against the budget increase, saying that the OPS’s recent arrest of pro-Palestinian protestors (she referred to them as “anti-genocide protestors”) stated that the OPS cares more about the suppression of dissent than community policing. Chaudhry instead asks that the city focus “on care.” It is unclear what she meant, but the board appeared to ignore Chaudrhy’s statements.
Delegate Don Lalonde argued that the draft budget sets a precedent for more significant increases in the future, even though crime in the City of Ottawa has declined by 6.6 percent in the last year, according to OPS’s own statistics.
Lalonde also pointed out that federal and provincial funding will pay for 76 new positions in the police service, but the funding for the positions will only last three years; he inquired as to whether these positions would be cut once the funding expires or would they city begin paying for them? Lalonde concluded his delegation by stating that the budget locks in higher spending for rising crime that simply is not there. No members of the Police Services Board offered a response or comment to Lalonde.
Councillor David Hill appeared as a delegate speaking in support of the budget. The councillor for Barrhaven West stated that his ward is happy that the OBSB has delivered a budget that will hire 22 new police officers and “the resources our officers need.” Hill spoke of his concern about the “anti-Semitic riots” in Montreal two weeks ago and asked if the police have the resources required to ensure such accidents do not occur in the national capital.
Later, during the meeting, Vice Chair Marty Carr asked Chief Stubbs if there has been a change in tactics with the pro-Palestinian protests, noting that protestors are being told to use sidewalks, and there is a heavier presence of officers and vehicles at these demonstrations.
Stubbs responded, “In recent weeks, there has been an effort to try to manage some of the impacts on the community.” Stubbs pointed out that the community has complained primarily about the traffic disruption and noise pollution, although it’s not strictly about these two issues” and “some other behaviours” have also caused the ramping up of OPS presence at the protests. Stubbs said the efforts to mitigate communal impacts have resulted in “some arrests.”
The OPSB has approved another budget increase, with the draft budget totalling $447.5 million. This reflects a 2.9 percent tax hike for the general population.
