New Waterloo region police budget asks households to pay $672 a year for police services

Waterloo Regional Police Service is asking for $182 million in 2020, a 7.49 per cent increase over the $169 million given this year.

That is almost 50 per cent more than the budget increase from 2018 to 2019, and more than double the average increase from 2014 to 2018. 

Previous reporting from CBC showed that the police-reported crime rate in Waterloo region went up by one per cent between 2007 and 2017, according to Statistics Canada.

The overall police-reported crime rate in all of Canada decreased by 23 per cent in that same 10-year period.

Cost Increases

Staffing costs make up more than 90 per cent of the total operating budget, according to the proposal. 

Salary and wage costs will increase by $6.9 million, which comes from contracted salary changes and new hires. 

An estimated $3.6 million is required to pay the premiums for a new long term disability program and another $574,000 will be needed for sick leave payouts.

In an interview, Chief of Police Bryan Larkin noted that the contract with the police association expires at the end of this year. This means negotiations on salary increases and sick leave benefits will occur in 2020.

Tax impacts

The additional $12 million in funding will result in an average cost increase of $36.85 per household in regional taxes, according to the proposal. The increase from 2018 to 2019 was $14.68.

Each household will pay an average of $672 for police services. An amount which Larkin says is reasonable given the challenges facing the region. 

"I pay more in telecommunication cost than I do for policing," he said of his personal finances. 

"Although I recognize there's an increase year over year," he said "at $672 for the average household, I believe that we deliver a service that is second to none in Ontario."