Northwestern Ontario municipalities will receive relief from the escalating Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) costs in 2026. The provincial government has announced that any cost increases for municipalities under OPP coverage will be limited to 11% next year, and adjustments will be made to the calculation of discounts.
This decision follows concerns raised by municipalities in northwestern Ontario last fall regarding significant spikes in OPP costs for 2025 compared to 2024. For instance, Red Lake experienced a 22% increase, Marathon saw a 23% rise, and Pickle Lake encountered a staggering 315% surge.
In September, Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner informed mayors and CAOs of OPP-policed municipalities that the Ministry had reviewed the OPP’s cost recovery model and made amendments to the Community Safety and Policing Act. Alongside the 11% cap on cost increases for 2026, the ministry is lowering the threshold for municipalities to qualify for discounts.
Under the revised billing regulation, the discount table now uses a statistical measure known as standard deviation to identify municipalities with higher rates of service calls per property compared to the provincial average. The threshold for qualifying for a discount has been reduced from exceeding five standard deviations above the provincial average to three standard deviations.
Mayor Rick Dumas of Marathon pointed out that an 11% increase translates to an additional $80,000 in OPP costs for the town in 2026. He explained that the number of calls for service determines the billing amount, emphasizing that factors such as policing costs linked to socioeconomic challenges and complex service calls are taken into account.
Dumas highlighted that an 11% increase would equate to approximately a 1.5% tax hike for a small community like Marathon. He emphasized the importance of managing various operational costs, including those related to policing, fire services, recreation, road maintenance, and utilities, which all contribute to the financial burden on homeowners and businesses.
The 2025 cost escalation was primarily due to increases in OPP officer compensation, although the province did offer some funding assistance to alleviate the impact.