A new billing formula being explored by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Affairs, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and municipalities it has contracted services with, will not impact wage contract negotiations between the ministry, OPP and Wellington County.
The OPP five-year contract is set to expire at the end of this year. Wages have been frozen for the past two years and the province has indicated OPP officers will see an 8.55 per cent increase in their new contract.
Wellington OPP employs 111 constables and 12 administrative and civilian personnel, according to detachment commander Inspector Scott Lawson.
“Contract talks and discussions are ongoing for the OPP and will be handled over the fall,” county treasurer Ken DeHart said in an email to the Advertiser.
“Preliminary estimates have the OPP salaries increasing by 8.55% in 2014 (to match the salary of the highest paid police service in Ontario – this was built into the last provincial contract). This is after a two-year salary freeze.”
The county paid slightly more than $15 million for OPP service in 2011, $16,131,050 last year and has a budget estimate of $16,610,000 this year.
“The county does not control salary negotiations with the OPP – that is handled by the province,” DeHart noted.
Locally, the county police services board (PSB) is charged with overseeing the OPP contract – to a limited extent.
“The PSB controls some of the service levels,” DeHart said. “For the last several years the county has been hiring two new uniformed officers … to keep up with service levels and a growing population. The PSB has to ability to change that.
“Since the county owns and operates most of the OPP buildings, the PSB has some control over the cost of those facilities.
“The mounted unit is also not specifically part of the OPP contract; the PSB has the ability to determine service levels with that as well.”
The treasurer does not believe contract talks are tied to the new billing formula the province is looking at.
He recently received a letter from the province on the formula revisions.
“The letter did not indicate that wage talks are off the table, only that contract renewals would be delayed until 2015,” DeHart said of a new formula expected to be in place in two years.
“I’m assuming wage increases are still going to happen as that was a part of another deal made by the province.”
Cathy Bell, a case manager with OPP headquarters in Orillia, said the billing formula will have no impact on wage talks.
“This change is about changing OPP billing, not staffing,” she said. “That won’t change whether the raise happens [or not].”
Bell said municipalities that contract with the OPP will be brought into discussions on a new billing formula, however no timeframe for those talks has been established yet.
“There will be further engagement sessions,” she added of upcoming talks at the municipal level.
The new billing formula is expected to “be simpler and more fair,” for municipalities to understand, she said.
Correctional Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur said the government is working on concerns raised by municipal organizations such as the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
“We listened to the needs of our municipal partners and we are working together to support community safety, including police service delivery that is fiscally responsible, transparent and sustainable for the people of Ontario,” Meilleur said in a media release.
“We will also be seeking input on the most appropriate way to phase in the new billing model to ensure municipalities have the same time to plan for implementation.”
OPP inspector Chris Lewis said in the release, “The OPP is absolutely committed to working with the municipalities we police to provide high-quality service in the most cost-effective way possible.
“Over the coming months, we will be engaging our municipal partners to give them the opportunity to provide feedback so we can all move forward constructively as we do our best to keep policing costs sustainable.”
DeHart said more information is needed from the province in order to determine how the new billing formula will impact the county.
