Peel Police’s first helicopter draws renewed criticism over skyrocketing budget

A very big, new crime fighting machine is drawing criticism across Mississauga and Brampton from some advocates who question the amount of taxpayer dollars being funneled to the local police force, at the expense of critical programs that experts say are being neglected, leading to higher rates of crime.

Peel Police has become the first of five Greater Toronto Area services to receive a helicopter under the Province’s new Joint Air Support Unit (JASU), operating an Airbus H125 that police say will help track stolen vehicles, locate missing persons and support major investigations across the region. 

According to Peel Police’s own Technology & Innovation page, the Air Support Unit’s Airbus H125 (A-Star) is flown by civilian pilots and tactical flight officers, and is equipped with thermal imaging, day-and-night cameras, real-time video transmission, a high-intensity searchlight and a public address system. The force says the aircraft can fly up to four-and-a-half-hours at speeds up to 250 kilometres per hour. 

The new Peel Police helicopter, an Airbus H125 (A-Star) has sparked debate over how resources are being used to prevent crime in the first place.

(Peel Police)

Peel Police describes the helicopter’s role broadly: tracking suspects to reduce high-risk ground pursuits, locating missing and vulnerable people, supporting major incidents and collisions, assisting crime-prevention initiatives, monitoring traffic and large-scale events, and supporting investigations into organized crime and vehicle theft, in addition to general patrol “to increase police visibility and help deter crime.”

The Peel Police website explains the helicopter “will only be deployed for legitimate policing purposes” and will not be used to watch or monitor people, pointing to an updated Privacy Impact Assessment and related directives.

Peel is the first of five partner services, alongside Durham, Halton, York and Toronto police, with OPP support, expected to eventually each operate their own helicopter under JASU.

The JASU unit is costing the province $191 million, and the province is spending $134 million on five more helicopters serving Ottawa and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

David Bosveld, founder of the Black Education Fund (BEF), called the acquisition an act of “political opportunism,” and “militarization.” 

“More spending on air support and the militarization of police services across Ontario is costly political opportunism that does not address the root causes of crime and public safety,” he said. “A police helicopter is a shiny, expensive toy that does nothing to address the root causes of crime and the issues that have people feeling unsafe.”

Bosveld also emphasized how the money used to acquire this helicopter could be used more proactively within the community. 

“A fraction of the amount invested in policing could be rerouted to community organizations that are doing incredible work to address issues in our community,” he said. “Where is the investment in housing? Food security? Education? Youth Employment?”

Peel Police and their Chief Nishan Duraiappah have been criticized over the years for ballooning budgets while ignoring calls for independent audits.

(The Pointer/Alexis Wright)

Tanya Burkart, Chair of the Brampton Centre Chapter of Peel ACORN, echoed Bosveld’s criticism and questioned why governments are not reinvesting money into affordable housing. 

“Our membership is made up of low and moderate income people and funding should be invested in social programs and supports that address the root causes of poverty and crime,” she said. “Investments in deeply affordable housing is vital because housing is always the largest expense for people.”

Burkart pointed to a specific list of alternatives, including doubling the ODSP/OW rates, free or low-cost municipal internet, affordable food programs, anti-racism policies, stable living wages and a drastic increase in co-op and non-market housing, alongside climate action as a poverty-reduction measure. 

“When you decrease poverty, you decrease crime,” her statement said. 

This is not Peel Police’s first high-cost addition in a period of rapid budget growth. The Pointer has reported extensively on the force’s spending, including an operating budget that grew 80 per cent since 2021 to $837.3 million for 2026, a 23.3 per cent single-year increase in 2025 ($144 million), that critics called “an utter failure of governance.” 

Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah was paid more than $600,000 last year (more than any other police leader in Canada), senior officers are driving expensive taxpayer-funded SUVs as their personal vehicle, while the Peel police board, led by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown’s defence of the non-transparent spending, has rejected every public request for an independent audit as the force’s own annual report showed crime-solving rates declining, despite the skyrocketing budget. Critics have asked if the exorbitant budget increases are simply to pad salaries and give officers their own toys, not to actually address alarming types of violent crime across Mississauga and Brampton. Community advocates like Bosveld have raised these concerns repeatedly at council and police board meetings. 

Peel Police is also investing in AI to screen non-emergency 911 calls, as experts raise questions about how the technology will respond to the region’s diverse population. 

Peel Police frames the helicopter as a straightforward public safety tool, and while the use of such aircraft to monitor communities for policing has sparked debate over privacy and surveillance, the force’s own materials anticipate such concerns directly, claiming it “will only be deployed for legitimate policing purposes.” 

For Bosveld and Burkart and many other Peel residents funding a police budget that has nearly doubled since 2021, the aircraft is another example of a force whose runaway spending has been pushed through with little accountability. 

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