Laurentian Hills is calling on the provincial government to provide more relief to municipalities facing the increasing cost of the Ontario Provincial Police.
In a motion adopted at its most recent meeting, Laurentian Hills council calls on the province to review the current OPP billing model and give “increased financial assistance” to small and rural municipalities experiencing “significant policing cost increases.”
The motion also calls on the province to take measures to limit annual police cost increases to municipalities and to explore “alternative funding mechanisms that recognize the limited tax base and fiscal capacity of rural communities.”
Moved by Councillor John Hoyle and seconded by Deputy Mayor Brenda Blimkie, the motion notes that small municipalities across Ontario already face “significant financial pressures resulting from escalating costs associated with infrastructure renewal, maintenance, and replacement, including roads, bridges, water and wastewater systems, and other essential municipal assets.”
At the same time, municipalities are required to maintain balanced budgets and have “limited revenue-generating tools, relying primarily on property taxation to fund municipal services.”
The motion notes that the cost of police service provided by the OPP “has increased substantially in recent years and is projected to continue rising, creating significant budgetary challenges for rural and small municipalities.”
“Rising OPP costs place additional strain on municipal taxpayers and reduce the ability of municipalities to invest in critical infrastructure and other essential community services,” it says.
“Community safety is a shared responsibility and the province of Ontario has an interest in ensuring equitable and sustainable policing services across rural Ontario.”
Laurentian Hills received its OPP billing invoice for 2026 late last fall.
The notice showed that the town will be billed $460,476 for the services of the Ontario Provincial Police this year.
That’s up from $414,843 in 2025 and $400,758 in 2024.
The increase could have been worse. The province announced earlier last fall that it would place a cap of 11 per cent on OPP billing for 2026.
According to Laurentian Hills’ billing statement, that means the town’s full costing for 2026 should be $536,196.
With the cap in place, Laurentian Hills will be hit with an increase of “only” $45,633 instead, a “savings” of $75,720.
In a letter to municipalities at the beginning of December, Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said the cap on OPP billing was introduced “to provide municipalities with greater predictability and stability for the 2026 billing year.”
“This measure reflects the province’s commitment to responsive and responsible cost management, particularly in the context of the cost pressures identified for the upcoming year,” Kerzner said.
“Without provincial intervention costs for OPP-policed municipalities would be significantly higher in 2026.”
By Vance Gutzman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on Aug 12, 2026 at 12:22
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