Policing Costs Unsustainable in Northern Ontario

The cost of policing across North Bay and the municipality is increasing to an unsustainable level, according to the federation of North Ontario Municipalities (FONOM).
abstract empty asphalt blurry road and sunlight with space
Al Spacek says that costs are spiraling and that the budget created for policing in Northern Ontario needs to be modernized. Until that happens, FONOM says there will be continued to be problems with policing in the area and law enforcement will be stretched. He added that all municipalities (100) that are represented by the organization are worried by the situation.

“It keeps resurfacing because it’s become such a significant issue for municipalities to deal with,” he said.
“Policing costs have gone from being a negligible part of a lot of budgets to being, if not very significant, to the most significant cost for some municipalities. The municipalities have come to the conclusion that it is not sustainable and taxpayers cannot continue the kind of exponential increases that they’ve seen over the past 10 years. Something has to be done.”

The Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) has launched a policing modernization report, which was published in 2015. The key point of the report is that policing in Ontario is more expensive than anywhere else in Canada. With the highest population in the country and the largest cities, that is not surprising per se.

However, the scale of Ontario’s policing costs is increasing beyond sustainable levels and the result is a struggle for communities in Northern areas in the province.

“When I became mayor of Kapuskasing 10 years ago, our policing contract was about $1.2 million per year. It is now in excess of $2.4 million,” he said. “A one per cent tax increase in Kapuskasing brings in about $100,000, so, you do the math.”

Holey Roads Presenting Driving Problems in North Bay Area

snow_plowsIt is easy to think that maintaining roads during the winter is all about clearing snow, but actually the cold months take a toll on North Bay roads for the rest of the year. Thawing ice and snow seeps into the cracks in asphalt and when it freezes again it expands and cracks the road, causing potholes.

The city is warning that the post winter potholes could be bigger and more frequent this year and that is may not have the budget or time to fix them all. This winter has seen some extremely wintery conditions, but it has also been a warmer than usual winter, meaning the thaw and freeze cycle has repeated more often than normal.

The result is more potholes and bigger potholes. The city usually patches the roads in spring as a temporary fix until asphalt plants reopen in May. However, the city says it is overstretched at the moment, but is doing its best to reach all potholes. Crew work on a worse first basis, tackling the potholes that need the most attention before moving on to less sever cracks.

The city urges the public to report potholes they see, while explaining to motorists the potholes can be a hazard when driving.

Potholes should be deterrent enough to not speed in the North Bay area, as a car going over the legal speed limits could lose control if it hits a sizeable pothole. Collisions can occur in such circumstance or severe damage can be caused to a vehicle.