Sault Ste. Marie city council wants more details on cost of disbanding local police and switching to OPP

Martha Dillman · CBC News

· Posted: May 13, 2025 8:29 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

City councillors successful Sault Ste. Marie person voted successful favour of a question to comparison the outgo of policing betwixt the municipal unit and the Ontario Provincial Police.

The question was enactment guardant by metropolis councillor and erstwhile Sault Ste. Marie constabulary serviceman Sonny Spina.

"The volition down this question is thing much than assembly doing owed diligence for an disbursal enactment point to the citizens of Sault Ste. Marie," helium said.

"I don't privation successful immoderate way, signifier oregon signifier to downplay the value of the constabulary work wrong our assemblage oregon the value of the occupation everyone wrong the constabulary work does."

Spina said contempt that, the outgo of the metropolis constabulary unit makes up 27 per cent of the municipal fund and a provincial study shows it works retired to $463 per ratepayer successful the Sault. 

"The provincial mean is $277," helium said. "So we're paying a important magnitude much successful Sault Ste. Marie."

Several municipalities successful northeastern Ontario person explored the enactment of switching implicit to the Ontario Provincial Police work oregon made the change.

North Bay metropolis assembly had a akin statement successful 2018, but decided not to research the alteration further. West Nipissing, Espanola and Temiskaming Shores person disbanded their section constabulary and hired OPP successful caller years.

Sault metropolis councillor Sandra Hollingsworth said she had concerns astir the outgo of switching to the provincial police.

"OPP is catching immoderate towns by surprise, leaving 1 politician feeling shocked and disgusted," she said.

"All OPP costs are up. The politician of Russell Township said to CBC that his measure from OPP went from $2.3 cardinal successful 2023 to astir $2.8 cardinal successful 2024."

But councillor Angela Caputo said the outgo of the municipal constabulary unit is connected the emergence arsenic well.

"In my clip connected assembly alone, we've seen the constabulary fund turn by implicit 30 per cent," she said.

"Getting a terms doesn't mean we person to spell up with it. But I deliberation that astatine this point, I americium precise overmuch successful favour of getting the costing and seeing what comes from that."

Staffing shortages, benefits attributed to constabulary deficit

Sault metropolis council heard from the interim constabulary main Brent Duguay and constabulary services committee seat John Bruno astir the outgo overruns. Last year, the constabulary fund was overspent by astir $2.5 cardinal and this year, the projected shortage is $1.9 million.

"An unprecedented 15 to 20 per cent of our constabulary officers are incapable to reply exigency calls owed to a workplace injury," Burno said.

"Additional officers were hired to guarantee we could supply capable and effectual policing."

Interim main Duguay said the main origin of the shortage for 2024 was accrued spending connected salaries and benefits.

"This includes astir $1 cardinal successful overtime for large occurrences, staffing shortages and investigative support," helium said.

Duguay said steps are being taken to code the budget, including reducing non-essential question and not hiring "outside of the operational needs."

Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said helium supported the motion, arguing it makes sense to get much accusation earlier making a decision. 

"The information that we've got a shortage successful past year's constabulary fund and a projected shortage successful this year's constabulary fund means that the outgo of everything needs to beryllium examined," helium said.

"This is 1 of the ways we tin bash that. Do I deliberation that it volition needfully travel successful astatine an magnitude truthful overmuch little that it's going to marque the modulation to the OPP worthy it? I highly uncertainty it to beryllium honest. I deliberation that it is the difficult, yes, but liable happening to bash to enactment this truthful that we tin person the accusation earlier us."

The question was carried, with Hollingsworth the lone councillor to ballot against.