Ottawa Police Board Approves 2% Budget Increase, Below Service Request – Ottawa | The Canadian News

The Ottawa Police Services Board has called for a two percent funding increase for the local force in 2022, below the 2.86 percent increase proposed in Chief Peter Sloly’s draft budget, but below the requested freeze. by many community advocates.

The $ 11.45 million budget increase was adopted at Tuesday’s board meeting, which was delayed to a second day due to the volume of delegates who signed up to speak, largely against the funding increase, on Monday. .

The Ottawa city council has yet to approve the final 2022 budget at its December 8 meeting.

OPS had expected an increase of roughly $ 14 million, but now sees its proposed budget cut by an additional $ 2.65 million, beyond the roughly $ 5 million in savings that police chiefs say they identified on their own.

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The budget reduction came as a result of a motion by Ottawa city council members and board members, Rawlson King and Carol-Anne Meehan.

King said the motion sought to “strike that delicate balance” of providing enough funding to provide effective policing in the city, but it also shows the board’s commitment to “reimagining” public safety.

Community groups, which sought to redirect police funds to other social services or, at the very least, keep the OPS budget at 2021 levels, said the two percent budget increase is still too much.

“We are disappointed and frustrated by the decision as it highlights the OPSB’s lack of courage,” said Sam Hersh, a member of the Horizon Ottawa board, in a statement.

Horizon Ottawa joined the Ottawa Black Diaspora Coalition in blocking the access ramp to Highway 417 at Isabella and Metcalfe streets on Monday to protest the proposed budget increase, as well as in solidarity with We’suwet’s action. ‘in in British Columbia.

Sloly harshly criticized the approval of the reduced budget during Tuesday’s meeting, arguing that proposed new models of service delivery, such as addiction or mental health crisis response teams, were not yet in place to offset the impact of a budget increase so small.

“This will be incredibly difficult to implement. There was already a significant amount of risk that was presented to the board. … This increases the risk even more significantly, “he said, adding that he will do” everything possible “to avoid job cuts.

OPSB President Diane Deans said she would file a motion in city council to redirect funds saved by King and Meehan’s motion toward developing community-led mental health response teams.

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