Addington Highlands Council not pleased with increased OPP costs

Craig Bakay | Oct 23, 2024

The prospect of a $939,387 bill ($78,282 per month) for police services from the OPP for 2025 didn’t sit well at the Addington Highlands Council table at the regular meeting Oct. 15 in Denbigh.

CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed told Council that she received the statement in a recent email.

“There’s an additional $50,000 to reconcile from 2023 and an additional $100,000 that they’re forecasting the cost to be in 2025,” she said. “That represents an additional 20 per cent increase just in policing costs or a 3.8 per cent increase to the levy.”

From the 2024 budget, policing costs came in at $787,697, which was in itself a 3.37 per cent increase.

And Reed wasn’t alone in her surprise at the increase, she said.

“There’s an email group of all the treasurers in the Province so you can imagine when the email came in last week, it sort of blew up,” she said. “We’re not the only ones with most facing 15 per cent increases, some up to 30 per cent and one facing an increase of over a million dollars.”

“Well, you could see it coming,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch. “They had a collective agreement that was very substantial so it comes to roost eventually.

An OPP constable’s salary is $120,835 with higher ranks ranging up to $168,657 for a staff sergeant and $187,318 for an inspector.

“I think we should send a letter,” said Coun. Ken Hook. “No one can argue that we don’t need the policing (but) it’s just the costs of it are not sustainable.

“We’re having a hard time with ratepayers paying their bills right now and I don’t think we should just lie down and accept it.”

“It’s not effective if we can’t pay for it,” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “We should send a letter to the Solicitor General and the Premier suggesting the increases are not sustainable.”

Coun. Kirby Thompson asked where the money collected from fines goes.

“It goes to the County and it’s quite a substantial fund,” said Hogg. “(And) the County doesn’t have anything to do with policing other than collecting the money . . . well, they do have staff.

“It’s a major (budget) line item and it’s not chicken feed — over a million a year.”

“The County does use that money to offset their levy,” said Reed.

Affordable Housing

Of the 558 households on Prince Edward Lennox & Addington Social Services waiting list for affordable housing, 77 are in Addington Highlands, Director Lynn Chenier told Council.

“One bedroom units are in short supply,” she said. “To build a 42 one-bedroom unit building would cost about $15.7 million with annual operating costs of about $1,77,621 per year.”

“If we could get a smaller unit here, it would have a big impact,” said Coun. Ken Hook.

Council asked staff to come back with a report that would include some potentially available municipal property.

Eurasian Milfoil

Council was sympathetic to the Mazinaw Lake Property Owners concerns about Eurasian milfoil in the lake but other than lending moral support, there doesn’t seem to be much a lowest tier municipality can do.

“It’s not up to local municipalities to deal with this,” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “It’s up to the Province and Feds to be getting involved.

“First off, we can’t afford (but) I don’t think they like it either.”

“This is a Mazinaw Lake issue but it’s going to be all of our lakes,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch. “And it’s going to be a significant problem to wrestle to the ground.”

Building Permits

Chief Building Official David Twiddy reported that building permits are “edging towards the 100 mark, which is a little lower than last year but still a positive. There were also 40 septic permits issued.”

He also said that Pickleball is popular and the washrooms are open in Flinton.

And, speaking of the Flinton rink, he said the nets are working and there’s not a pigeon to be found.

“They’re all in my back yard,’ said Reeve Henry Hogg.

“Don’t feed them Henry,” said Twiddy.

“Talk to my wife,” said Hogg.

Capital Improvements

Council received reports on a potential roof and outbuild at the Denbigh Rink as well as a plan for fencing at the Flinton Library.