Police budget “sparkles” despite provincial courts and federal special events costs
This morning Police Chief Vern White presented his budget to the Ottawa Police Services Board. In years of business I have seldom seen a presentation as professional and credible as the one he and his staff put forward this morning. The presentation highlighted that we live in the safest major city in Canada and clearly detailed the department’s working priorities for 2009 that will make that even better. Well done to the team and congratulations.
The police will be on budget for 2008 and we will see an increase in spending in 2009 of $9.9 million or about $27 per household. That increase is a direct result of $5 million in unexpected federal events in Ottawa and the $5 million in provincial court costs paid by the City. Both of these expenses more rightly belong to the federal and provincial governments respectively. Without these expenses we would be at a zero increase for 2009.
It is Council’s responsibility to help the police upload these expenses to the level of government that incurs them and I plan to raise this issue during the upcoming federal election campaign and with local members of provincial government. Well done Chief White and we will do our best politically to help you upload these costs.