Town of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

Moved by Mayor Carrier and seconded by Deputy Mayor Sandra Cooper that a bylaw 2008-24 being a bylaw to authorize the execution of agreement through the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services of Ontario and the Incorporation of the Town of Collingwood for the provision of police services under section 10 of the Police Services Act be enacted and passed this 11th day of February 2008.

In a recorded vote, the motion was passed unanimously.

Councilor Norm Sandberg, in supporting the motion but put council on notice that he will be asking for further investigation into policing alternatives one year from now. “For me it’s a matter of being able to make a choice of available alternatives” said Sandberg. “I will be requesting within a year that council or the police services board explore other options for policing, not to say that we’ll go to those options, but to see what those options are and to ensure that Collingwood is getting the best policing at the best cost possible” Sandberg said.

Collingwood entered into an agreement with the OPP ten years ago to provide policing to the town. Mayor Carrier says Collingwood continues to benefit from the arrangement, saying that the police force conducts itself as a municipal police force would while at the same time allowing the town to benefit from the many special units the OPP can offer such as the drug squad or tactical units.

An in-camera meeting was held at Collingwood Council on Monday February 4th at which time councilors viewed a presentation detailing policing service levels and how demographics have changed in Collingwood in light of an increase in population over the past five years.

Mayor Carrier would like to see the cost-sharing issue addressed when it comes to schools. “Collingwood receives students from Wasaga Beach and we do supply policing regardless of where the kids come from, and it’s something that we pay” Carrier said on an open line radio program on 97.7 The Beach. In addition, Mayor Carrier would like to see shared policing costs at provincial court. “We pay for the security of the court and that is an area of contention. We believe that the province should be compensating us for that component” Carrier added.

Mayor Carrier says that the community can ease itself into the financial hit it would take by introducing new police officers to the force over a period of time and not all at once. In total, six more officers could be introduced to the Collingwood OPP force over the next two years. In addition to the hiring of new officers, the town must consider the addition of new equipment, vehicles and other policing necessities the additional officers will need to perform their duties.


	Town Passes ByLaw For Provision Of Police Services With OPP

	As the Town of Collingwood grows, so does the need for additional police officers. It is estimated the population of the Town of Collingwood has hit 24,000.
6 New OPP Officers Could Be Introduced With The Signing Of A New Contract Moved by Mayor Carrier and seconded by Deputy Mayor Sandra Cooper that a bylaw 2008-24 being a bylaw to authorize the execution of agreement through the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services of Ontario and the Incorporation of the Town of Collingwood for the provision of police services under section 10 of the Police Services Act be enacted and passed this 11th day of February 2008. In a recorded vote, the motion was passed unanimously. Councilor Norm Sandberg, in supporting the motion but put council on notice that he will be asking for further investigation into policing alternatives one year from now. “For me it’s a matter of being able to make a choice of available alternatives” said Sandberg. “I will be requesting within a year that council or the police services board explore other options for policing, not to say that we’ll go to those options, but to see what those options are and to ensure that Collingwood is getting the best policing at the best cost possible” Sandberg said. Collingwood entered into an agreement with the OPP ten years ago to provide policing to the town. Mayor Carrier says Collingwood continues to benefit from the arrangement, saying that the police force conducts itself as a municipal police force would while at the same time allowing the town to benefit from the many special units the OPP can offer such as the drug squad or tactical units. Leading Up To The Agreement An in-camera meeting was held at Collingwood Council on Monday February 4th at which time councilors viewed a presentation detailing policing service levels and how demographics have changed in Collingwood in light of an increase in population over the past five years. Mayor Carrier would like to see the cost-sharing issue addressed when it comes to schools. “Collingwood receives students from Wasaga Beach and we do supply policing regardless of where the kids come from, and it’s something that we pay” Carrier said on an open line radio program on 97.7 The Beach. In addition, Mayor Carrier would like to see shared policing costs at provincial court. “We pay for the security of the court and that is an area of contention. We believe that the province should be compensating us for that component” Carrier added. Mayor Carrier says that the community can ease itself into the financial hit it would take by introducing new police officers to the force over a period of time and not all at once. In total, six more officers could be introduced to the Collingwood OPP force over the next two years. In addition to the hiring of new officers, the town must consider the addition of new equipment, vehicles and other policing necessities the additional officers will need to perform their duties.

	An increase in population combined with the rapid growth in tourism is putting more pressure on the existing officers of the Collingwood OPP. A new agreement could see the addition of 6 new officers and would allow the OPP to better patrol the community.

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