Windsor police board reduces proposed budget increase to 7.1 per cent

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A city councillor who called a Windsor Police proposed budget increase of 7.1 per cent “very concerning,” has asked for cost comparisons with the Ontario Provincial Police.

Coun. Jo-anne Gignac did not propose that the OPP police Windsor, only that the city should compare cost structures to better understand what is needed.

“It’s clear to me that in order to bring this budget down substantially, we’re going to frontline service,” Gignac said at a police budget meeting Wednesday. “And the impact of the number that we’re working with today, as we’re narrowing it down and we’ll be sending to the city, is very concerning.”

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Windsor Police Service Board members shaved 0.8 per cent off the service’s draft 2025 budget while agreeing to seek cost comparisons from the OPP.

The board approved a budget that includes a 7.1 per cent increase in costs over 2024’s budget.

The board met to discuss the budget proposal, which initially included an 8.9 per cent increase. It was reduced to 7.9 per cent before Wednesday’s meeting.

At 7.9 percent, the overall budget would have been almost $112 million, $8.2 million higher than 2024’s $103.6 million. In 2023, the police budget was $99 million.

“The board approved a budget increase for police, both operating and capital, at 7.1 per cent higher than the 2024 budget, and the vast majority of the increase is related to negotiated salary and wage increases and benefit costs,” Mayor Drew Dilkens said.

He estimated the overall increase to be just over $7 million.

“It’s about a per cent and a half on the overall city budget in terms of increase,” said Dilkens, who is also the police board chairman. “Policing is an expensive service.

“It’s one of the biggest services that we deliver in the city,” he added. “We certainly want to make sure the community is safe and secure.”

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Dilkens said the board did not approve some requested positions.

“There were some other positions that we looked at internally and operational efficiencies,” he said.

“And so the board went through pretty much a line-by-line review, looked at what could be removed from the budget and had a discussion with the police executive and came to a conclusion at the end of the day.”

Before the budget was passed, a motion by Coun. Gignac to seek a report from the Ontario Provincial Police outlining that service’s cost structures, was approved with only board member John Elliott opposed.

“So I’ve got a motion that I’m going to put on the table right now in terms of requesting that the Ontario Provincial Police organization give us a comparative cost for the services as we’re providing them within the City of Windsor,” Gignac said.

“For, I think, just to allow the community to understand exactly the significant increases that we’ve seen.”

Elliott, a former city councillor, said he wouldn’t support the motion because, “the police service is doing the best that they can under rising costs and the circumstances that go on.

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“I think I learned the best when I was in council in terms of what it costs to serve the city,” he said. “But I think at the end of the day, I have to stay loyal to our police service. I can’t support that (motion).”

Dilkens said it wasn’t a motion to consider the OPP taking over the municipal service but rather a way to help explain to residents “in a justifiable way” that policing costs are fair compared to other municipalities and the service is operating efficiently.

“You know that there are limitations here because of our geographic position in the province, with respect to having to carry certain overhead costs that we can’t distribute across a bigger range,” he said.

But he added, “adjacent municipalities who have OPP service are seeing increases this year, quite significant increases this year.

“We need to figure out how to lower total overall costs for the delivery of the service. And one of the best ways to do that is to look at the overhead distribution, be able to share that across more people.

“That’s how you lower total overall costs.”

Dilkens said Gignac’s motion is about assuring costs are reasonable, not about looking for a different police force.

“What she’s saying is, can you give us a comparator to see, to really reassure the public, that we’re in the realm of reasonableness here, that we’re operating efficiently and effectively.”

Windsor police also provide service to Amherstburg on a contractual basis.

The budget now goes to Windsor city council for approval.

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