Sioux Lookout, Pickle Lake, Kenora remained focused on finding a solution for policing costs

Tim Brody - Editor

Three Northwestern Ontario municipalities which formed a coalition in April to tackle the cost of policing in their communities say they remain focused on finding a solution for 2023 police costs and beyond.
The Councils of Kenora, Sioux Lookout and Pickle Lake say they remain committed to working cooperatively with the Government of Ontario to find a funding solution for the “extraordinarily high” police costs in their three municipalities. Since they formed a coalition in April, they have had meetings with OPP officials, Ministry staff, and the Minister on the issue and have discussed possible funding solutions to bring policing costs in-line with the rest of Ontario’s municipalities. 
“We remain hopeful that a solution can be reached, but we are running against the clock with the New Year just a few weeks away” said Sioux Lookout Mayor Doug Lawrance. “This issue is not about the quality of OPP service, which has been excellent. The issue is the cost of policing for our northern hub municipalities. It is extremely high.” 
In a Dec. 8 news release, the coalition stated, “Of approximately 330 Ontario municipalities that contract the OPP for police services, Pickle Lake, Sioux Lookout and Kenora are the three highest cost jurisdictions. While the median cost for policing for municipalities is about $300 per property, without discounts, Sioux Lookout, Kenora and Pickle Lake are approximately three times that cost.” 
“The financial impact of the provincial cost formula on our communities has been devastating and an unfair burden on municipal taxpayers,” said Kenora Mayor Andrew Poirier. “Compared to other municipalities in the province, since 2015, our three municipalities have paid $30 million more on policing than we should have. These funds could have been invested in critical infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and other community needs.” 
Pickle Lake Mayor James Dalzell said, “We are each hubs for dozens of northern and remote communities, and each other. Our municipalities act as regional resource centres for healthcare, pharmacy, education, commerce, legal, and transportation services for First Nations peoples living in a geographical area larger than Germany.” 
Pickle Lake and Kenora serve communities double the size of their populations; Sioux Lookout serves communities five times their population. 
“The current system simply does not work for northern hub municipalities”, Lawrance said. “We need to implement a system that brings our police costs in line with other Ontario municipalities. We need to ensure there is enough money to invest in other critical community needs.”