Municipality grappling with second highest OPP bill in Ontario

The cost of policing in the Municipality of Brockton just went way up.

“Huge jump. Brockton will have the second highest OPP costs in all of Ontario, second behind Fort Frances,” said Chris Peabody, Municipality of Brockton mayor.

Brockton, which includes Walkerton, has been handed a 30 per cent increase in policing costs. From roughly $2.5 million in 2024, to nearly $3.3 million in 2025.

While a 4.75 per cent increase in yearly OPP officer salaries accounts for some of the increase, a nearly doubling of court security and prisoner transportation costs for the Bruce County Courthouse, located in Walkerton, is what really hits hard, according to Peabody.

“We’re talking 900,000 for court security. So, just an incredibly high amount,” he said.

“It's something that the ratepayers here won't be able to bear over the next few years. It's not sustainable. There is a courthouse security grant, but that has not been guaranteed for this year. We could be getting zero. So, a lot of anxious times here in Brockton.”

South Bruce OPP headquarters in Walkerton, Ont. on Nov. 12, 2024. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

If left as is, the more than $700,000 increase in policing costs would lead to a 6.5 per cent tax increase for Brockton taxpayers in 2025.

“Officers did get a very good pay increase. We can handle that. We can give our officers a good pay increase that they deserve,” said Peabody.

“It's really the court security, the almost doubling of court security, that is very difficult for us.”

Peabody is hopeful that the costs of court security can be dispersed across Bruce County’s other municipalities, so they aren’t stuck with the entire bill.

Grey County and Owen Sound recently struck a deal to share court security costs for the Grey County Courthouse, located in Owen Sound.

Peabody said lobbying Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson will hopefully get their message to Queen’s Park decision makers to fix their immediate increase and potential future ones.

“I think that Lisa’s intervention will pay off,” he said.

Other Ontario municipalities are dealing with large OPP increases as well. Collingwood will see a 37 per cent jump in policing costs, while Napanee is facing a 23 per cent increase.