Niagara Police board rejects budget review, taxpayers staring at 13.2% hike in 2025

“Does that mean they are going to get everything they want?” asked Regional Chair Jim Bradley at the December 5th Niagara Region Budget Committee.

“They”, being the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS), whose police services board had approved the largest budget increase ever proposed by the force. 

While the purpose of Thursday’s meeting was to finalize the overall regional budget for 2025, elected members were still grappling with the 13.2 percent increase proposed by the police. The initial 15.1 percent increase was scaled down after an approved motion, which reflected the staggered hiring of officers over the coming year. 

The $213.3 million police budget for 2025 looked like it was going to pass Council scrutiny a month ago, albeit by the narrowest of margins, only for it to be sent back to the Police Services Board to find cost savings. The board refused to make any cuts.

Back in council’s hands, a debate ensued, centered on what constitutes “adequate and effective policing” (the vague standard used in provincial legislation that dictates the responsibility of forces, boards and local councils); on one side concerns were raised that the proposed increase is not justified, while the other questioned if Regional Council was interfering with operational decisions which the force handles. The competing views placed the police budget approval in question up until the last minute. 

In the end, the NRPS did get pretty well what it wanted: a budget increase of 13.2 percent, including 64 new staff members to “right size” the organization.  

“I did not come here today to talk about things that I want. I am here today to talk about things that we need to provide adequate and effective policing,” NRPS Chief Bill Fordy declared, speaking to Regional Council at its November 14th Budget Committee meeting.

The Chief’s comment, at the outset of his presentation, could have been to pre-empt possible criticism of the hefty 2025 budget request that increased by $28.5 million or 15.1 percent from 2024 totals. Of that, 5.9 percent or $11.07 million was slated for 64 new staff members. 

The NRPS sought a 7.1 percent increase to its 2024 budget, which at the time was the largest jump in recent memory, topping a six percent increase approved in 2019. 

The boost in funding included 40 additional staff, prompting Regional Chair Jim Bradley to opine last year that some of the additional staff proposed were “more nice to haves, than essentially needed.”

Eventually, six of the proposed positions slated for 2024 were deferred as part of $2 million in cuts, allowing for a modest 1.1 percent reduction to the police budget increase for 2024.

In an October presentation to the NRPS board, Chief Fordy characterized the initial 15.1 percent increase as “in keeping with many (other Police services across the Province) and less than some.”

A review of proposed 2025 increases of the “Big 12” police services in Ontario however, shows that only the Peel Regional Police Service has proposed a higher increase, at 23.3 percent, with Waterloo Regional Police, the only other Big 12 service to propose a greater than ten percent increase, at 10.5 percent. The lowest proposed increase of the dozen services is 4.4 percent from the Ottawa Police Services. The Toronto Police Service is seeking a 3.9 percent budget increase in 2025.    

The majority of the additional funding for 2025—9 of the 13.2 percent—is for what is described as “inflationary adjustments”, including negotiated wage increases and benefit changes included in the Service’s three collective agreements. 

In the coming year the annual wage of a First-Class Constable in the NRPS will be brought up to rank sixth out of the “Big 12” Ontario police services, driving up salary costs. In total, 91.1 percent of the NRPS budget is related to salaries and labour costs of existing staff.

In addition to a nominal 0.2 percent increase in capital funding, the 64 additional staff, representing a 5.9 percent increase, are needed for “stabilization, service enhancements, and growth.” 

Some of the six deferred positions that the Chair Bradley described last year as “nice to haves”, were returned to the 2025 budget, such as Social Media Content Creator, an IT Equipment Technician, and Digital Evidence Management System Clerks. 

The majority of the new positions (57) will be “sworn” officers, with seven civilian additions.  Within the 57 positions, 33 are frontline officers, 11 detectives, nine specialty uniform positions and four senior command officers, which will include a third Deputy Chief position. Included in those numbers, are operational enhancements in the domestic violence (8 additions) and training (6 additions) units.

The November 14th Budget Committee of the Whole meeting marked the first budget presentation for Chief Bill Fordy. Having served as a Deputy for the NRPS since 2017, Fordy was appointed at the end of January, becoming the tenth Chief in the Service’s 53-year history, replacing retiring Chief Bryan MacCullough.

The Chief recognized that the NRPS request was a “big ask”, but maintained that this was a “right-sizing” of the organization, while offering a more community-centric model of policing moving forward. 

He outlined pressures on the NRPS, including the impacts of the recently enacted Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA) which replaced the longstanding Police Services Act, adding new requirements around equipment and training (it did not fundamentally change the expectations of police services or the boards that govern them); the increasing complexity in the nature of calls, especially related to domestic violence, mental health incidents, civilian protests and armed and barricaded episodes; the technological advancements that the service needs to adapt to and the unique pressures on Niagara being a border community with a large influx of visitors. The Chief argued that due to his legislative duty to ensure public safety, “it would be irresponsible (for the NRPS) to maintain the status quo.” 

Over the course of the approximately 45-minute presentation, Chief Fordy systematically went through each “program change” line item, attempting to justify the respective need by offering a list of statistics and comparisons to other police services, especially in regard to staffing levels. 

Chief Billy Fordy stated additional staff were needed within the Niagara Regional Police Service to deal with growth and the increasing complexity of crime in the region.

(NRPS)

The presentation was deliberate in its approach. At the October 31 presentation before the Police Services Board, Chief Fordy described the proposed budget slightly differently than how he would before Regional Council.

“We did not cut our wants but cut our not so urgent needs,” he told the board. 

The three Regional Councillors on the Police Services Board, Mayor Bill Steele (Port Colborne), Pat Chiocchio (Welland) and Laura Ip (St. Catharines), offered advice on what should eventually be presented before Regional Council. 

Mayor Steele suggested that the “more information presented (to Regional Council) the better’, as some councillors “don’t read their stuff”, so spelling out crucial items in slides would be key. He also spoke to the use of data from comparably sized jurisdictions, such as Durham, Halton, Hamilton and Waterloo. Councillor Ip suggested focusing on the additional costs as a result of the enactment of the CSPA and an emphasis on “what happens if we don’t hire? What is the toll?”

Councilor Laura Ip (St. Catharines).

(Niagara Region)

In a report that went to Regional Council in November, the justification for the 33 patrol officers (28 constables, 4 sergeants, and 1 staff sergeant) included improved response times, better ability to handle increasing call numbers and more efficient deployment of resources. By not adding the additional front-line resources, the report stated that there was a “significant risk of non-compliance” with the CSPA, response times would be inadequate, with some calls for service being unfulfilled, and that member burnout would increase with resources stretched thin. 

The Chief also pointed to the so-called “Cop by Pop” statistics, which outlines the number of officers per 100,000 people in their jurisdiction.

NRPS was second lowest among large police forces in Ontario for “cop by pop”. In addition, it was second lowest in the percentage increase of personnel between 2000 to 2023, at 22 percent, while services such as Peel, Halton and York ranged in increases between 70 to 120 percent.

All police service increases, however, have out paced population growth. Niagara’s population growth during the same time period was seventeen (17) percent. 

The growth in police personnel versus population among large police forces in Ontario.

(NRPS)

At the police services board meeting at the end of October, there was much discussion on how Niagara’s numbers were below provincial and federal averages. Fordy indicated some misgivings with the “cop by pop” statistics, implying that they underestimate resource needs in Niagara due to the broad geographical area covered by the NRPS; the proximity to the international border and the presence of major waterways, that other police services lack.    

Chief Fordy echoed the comments of his predecessor Chief MacCullough, who had admitted during last year’s budget deliberations that the NRPS had not realized benefits of the additional staff due to increases in allowable hours for parental leave and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) becoming an eligible workplace injury for first responders. In addition to 20 new front line officers last year, a previous large infusion occurred in 2020 with 40 new patrol officers.  In addition, NRPS has continued to struggle with maintaining minimum staffing levels, as set out in their collective agreements, failing to do so on 230 occasions in 2023.

In November, a number of councillors seemed receptive to the proposed increase in front line patrol officers. Nonetheless, Regional Councillor Rob Foster (Lincoln) asked if the additions would be a case of “right sizing” or would the Chief be returning with similar requests in 2026 and 2027.

Chief Fordy noted that the NRPS had actually engaged in two different staffing studies but were presenting the most “conservative” scenario as far as increases. He admitted, however, that it was likely that there would be further requests in the next couple of years. The related report indicated that “hiring frontline officers annually over the next three years will ensure the Service can meet the projected 2.2 percent annual increase in Calls for Service (CFS). Fordy was hopeful that more effective policing “on the front line” would mean “less resources needed in the future.”

While an infusion of more front line resources may help minimum coverage levels for the NRPS, there is no guarantee that increased staffing will mean reduced crime.

A 2023 research article that looked at police budgets in 20 of the largest Canadian municipalities (which did not include Niagara) found there was no strong correlation between net change in police funding and the net change in crime rates and that changes were likely due to “socio-political factors in a local context.”

As for Niagara, the statistics present a similar mixed bag. Much of the Chief’s presentation centred around the increase in call volumes, as opposed to crime rates. Niagara witnessed a peak call volume number in 2021 of 142,464. The following two years saw volumes remain static at around 140,000. In 2023, while the number of Criminal Code violations grew, due to the increase in Niagara’s population, the percentage of crime per 100,000 population decreased by three quarters of a percentage point. 

Despite a downward trend in call volumes in recent years, the Niagara Regional Police project a consistent increase in the years ahead due to Niagara’s growing population.

(NRPS)

Nonetheless, the related report on the Region’s November agenda argued that a lack of proactive policing “could lead to higher crime rates”. 

Despite being the largest financial request of Regional Council, there was little push back expressed upon the conclusion of the Chief’s presentation. While Chair Bradley had questioned the previous year’s police budget, in November he termed this effort as “not whimsical” or something dreamt up by the NRPS. Regional Councillor and Mayor Sandra Easton (Lincoln) said there was nothing to be “nitpicked” from the presentation.  

One differing perspective was offered by Councillor Tom Insinna (Fort Erie), a retired RCMP officer. Although supportive of more “boots on the ground” and the general need for the NRPS to have more resources, he questioned the ability of the local taxpayer to afford the increase. He argued that the growing police budget would contribute to the tax levy likely hitting a double-digit increase, not to mention the previously approved 12.3 percent increase in water rates and the 5.8 percent increase in the Niagara Transit special levy.

“We can’t do this; we have to look for alternatives. There has to be some savings we can find and things that could be put off for another year,” he said. 

Councillor Ip, seconded by Councillor Steele moved a motion that the Regional Chair be directed to petition the Province to fund the increase in the NRPS budget directly attributable to the impact of implementation of the CSPA, namely increased costs for equipment and training that were added into the updated legislation. The Chief’s presentation identified approximately $10.3 million in direct impacts to meet requirements in the province’s policing legislation, which accounted for 5.7 percent of the proposed budget increase. The motion passed.

Councillor Steele moved a further amendment to the proposed budget, seconded by Mayor Terry Ugilini (Thorold) to remove 1.9 percent of the slated increase.

Chief Fordy had been forthright that practically speaking the proposed 64 new hires would be staggered throughout the year, especially front line constables that would be at the mercy of the police college’s scheduling. However, the Region’s budget bylaw required the identification of “full year costs”. The Chief estimated that the staggered hiring would result in a $3.6 million surplus. The motion carried, effectively reducing the proposed budget increase from 15.1 percent to 13.2 percent.

With no further amendments proposed during the November 14 Committee of the Whole Budget meeting, the final vote on approval of the NRPS budget passed on the narrowest of margins, with 15 members in favour and 14 members opposed. 

As per the Region’s procedures, the November 14th vote would be subject to ratification at the following Regional Council meeting, scheduled a week later. Usually, such ratifications are a rubber stamp, however, on November 21st, Councillor Insinna took another attempt at having the police budget re-examined.

He moved a motion that “the matter be referred back to the Police Services Board, with the intention of hoping to save $1.067 million.” Councillor Insinna’s dollar amount was purposeful, aligning with the cost for the hiring of an additional Deputy Chief, a superintendent and two inspectors.  

Chief Fordy characterized the addition as an organizational model change, providing an emphasis on community safety. The additional deputy will be classified as Deputy Chief Community Services, with a focus on community relationship building. 

In the related report on the Region’s agenda on November 14, it referred to a scholarly study that noted community policing’s effectiveness in reducing serious crimes such as burglary, drug use, and robbery. While empirically true, another study noted that “there is still substantial controversy surrounding the question of the impact of community policing on crime rates”, concluding that the community policing approach does indicate an increase in citizen satisfaction with the police.

Another of the Chief’s justifications for the proposed, new organizational structure was that several police services in Ontario (London, Peel, Halton, Toronto, York) had reorganized to address community safety issues, adding “new deputy chief or senior command roles specifically tasked with overseeing community safety strategies.” Also provided for regional council’s information was a chart showing that six other services had three deputies or more, with only Niagara and Waterloo having two.

Councillor Insinna’s motion, which he described as striking a balance between affordability and public safety, was seconded by Councillor Diana Huson (Pelham) and passed by the majority of regional council.

Insinna had specifically made a point that he was “not telling the police how to do their business” but when the Niagara Police Services Board met a week later on November 28th, that was the perception.

Chief Fordy, choosing his words carefully, stated, “with the utmost respect for the regional councillor who made the recommendation, the CSPA is very clear that is not in the scope of his responsibilities. It is my responsibility and the Board’s responsibility.” He further intimated that the motion was “not appropriate”. 

The related report on the board’s agenda detailed that while the Region is responsible to provide the board with sufficient funding to comply with the CSPA and the regulations, Council does not have the authority to approve or disprove specific items in the proposed budget. Also, as a matter of case law, a police chief is to maintain operational independence and not be influenced by elected officials.

Councillor Ip dismissed the idea that the motion was about affordability noting that the impact of reducing the police budget by the $1.067 million or 0.57 percent would be a mere quarter of a percentage point decrease to the Region’s consolidated levy.

Despite the concern over appropriateness, the Chief presented a report that reduced the police’s budget by approximately $850,000. Various positions would be staggered further throughout the calendar year, such as 14 potential patrol officers starting in October, instead of July and costs associated with new positions such as a Health Wellness Coordinator and the Social Media Content Creator “aligning with more realistic hiring timelines.” At the same meeting, in a separate presentation, the NRPS Director of Human Resources noted that candidate pools for police service positions are “shrinking”.   

Councillor Chiocchio and Kevin Gibson, the provincial appointee and former police officer and mayor of Wainfleet, seemed satisfied with the Chief’s efforts. Chiocchio inquired whether it would be possible to find the remaining $215,000 to fully comply with the Region’s request. The Chief pointed out that there was a $1.2 million reserve fund and that it was the Board’s prerogative, if it wished to use it, but he had not specifically made that recommendation.

Mayor Steele indicated that he would support the cuts the Chief had proposed, but he had been prepared to send the request back to the Region without making any changes as he found the motion targeting the four senior positions as “insulting”.

Councillor Ip inquired whether the slowing down of hiring would have likely happened during the normal course of business. The Chief responded that while they were slowing down some of the hires, those could have taken place sooner, if not for the budget reduction request. He did not, however, view the delays as a risk. 

Ip indicated that she did not feel good about delays, especially, in the Domestic Violence Unit. The presentations at the board and regional council had detailed how the Unit had not had any increase in the staff complement of 13 since its formation in 2011 and that even with the proposed eight additional sworn officers, the NRPS would still lag behind the size of similar units in other cities. As a result, she indicated that she would not be supporting the Chief’s proposed cuts.

Board Chair Jen Lawson was also of the opinion that the budget reduction request should be sent back to the Region unfulfilled, but she appreciated the tough situation that board members, who serve on Regional Council, were in.  

An initial vote in favour of the Chief’s proposed reductions failed, with the board, ultimately, approving the sending of a correspondence back to the Region indicating that no further budget reductions would be forthcoming.

This was not the first time, in recent memory, that one of the Region’s ABCs (Agencies, Boards & Commissions) had balked at having to make cuts to their proposed budget. 

Last year, Regional Council had sent the transit budget back to the Niagara Transit Commission (NTC) for reconsideration. While Transit Staff had suggested mitigation options that would have reduced the NTC’s budget increase, the Commission rejected any changes sending a correspondence to the Regional Chair and Council confirming their original budget submission. 

With no movement on reducing the NRPS budget, the December 5th staff recommendation report showed the consolidated levy budget increase resting at 10.8 percent, considering the Region’s assessment growth of 1.51 percent. The 13.2 percent increase of the NRPS budget worked out to a 5.14 percent increase to the consolidated levy, the line item with the largest impact on the budget. 

Prior to any consideration of the consolidated levy, Council had to determine what to do about the police budget. Staff explained that it was Region’s obligation to provide a funding envelope for the police to work within, as long as it allowed the NRPS to provide adequate and effective policing.   

Chair Bradley, as he had done the year prior, broached the possibility of the Region formally rejecting the police budget, which could trigger an appeal to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) by the police services board. He again questioned the need for certain positions, adding the third deputy chief to the list he had raised a year prior. Bradley also questioned the viability of all of the proposed positions being filled, noting the difficulty most police services were having recruiting officers. 

Councillor Huson was miffed by the news that the Chief had offered up approximately $800,000 in cuts for the Board to reject it out of hand. “I would have liked to have heard about what was being offered,” she lamented.

Councillor Insinna, who described his effort to get the $1.067 million removed from the budget as being “vehemently rejected”, made another attempt. Instead of identifying a cut that could be potentially tied to an operational decision, he moved an amendment motion that would have capped the Police Budget at a 10 percent increase or $207,322,860. If approved, the amendment would bring the consolidated levy budget down below ten percent to a 9.55 percent increase. Councillor Brian Heit (St. Catharines) seconded the amendment.

“My definition of adequate and effective policing differs from that of the board,” Insinna said. He then borrowed from the rhetoric in Peel Region, arguing that the NRPS wanted a “Ferrari, when a Chevy would do.” 

Not surprisingly, the regional councillors on the Niagara Police Services Board were vociferously opposed to the amendment. Mayor Steele questioned the latest proposed reduction target as something just “reached out of the sky”. Councillor Chiocchio said it would be “almost impossible” for the NRPS to provide effective policing in the proposed funding envelope and Councillor Ip, who described herself as a skeptic of police budgets, argued that what the Chief had previously presented was the most responsible and professional budget presented at the Region “in a long time”.

The comments were persuasive for Councillor Peter Secord. He had missed the November 14th meeting and indicated that coming to council that evening he was prepared to vote against the police budget, but his mind had changed. He reasoned that with the impacts of the CSPA and negotiated settlements, not much of the increase was actually attributable to the additional staff and even the small portion of the additional funding request that is for more officers would be justified because the community “wants to see more police”. 

The amendment failed but, once again, by the narrowest of margins with 14 opposed and 13 in favour. A motion to approve the proposed $213.3 million NRPS budget passed on a 16-11 vote.

Of course, with five councillors absent from the December 5th meeting and the related bylaw scheduled for next week’s Regional Council meeting, there are no guarantees that the 2025 Niagara Regional Police Services budget has truly been put to bed.

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