After CTV News shared that there will soon be a charge for police attendance at special events and parades, veterans made their concerns known at Thursday's Police Services Board meeting.
Randy Warden, a member of the Royal Canadian Legion's Remembrance Day Committee, told the board there's no way for them to address the financial burden created by the police chief's new policy.
"If you are asking us to dip into the poppy fund to pay the police, I am going to tell you that money is coming right out of the creative things the Legion does for veterans at Parkwood and veteran programs."
The new London Police Service policy takes effect June 1, and will require all special events that require additional police presence to pay for cost of bringing in off-duty officers to close roads and provide security.
London Police Chief John Pare says, "It goes down to the availability of us to respond to calls for service. We are restricting them away from doing what they are to be doing. There is a financial impact that goes along with that."
Police began an audit process in 2014 and found that the money spent on police services during special events was unsustainable.
The policy change comes during budget season at city hall, with the London Police Service looking for $109-million from city hall as well as additional uniformed officers and support staff.
Pare says, "It's about trying to manage the demands put on police and the budget that goes with it."
But Warden suggests Remembrance Day should been seen differently from events like the Santa Claus Parade and Rock the Park, and be exempted from the policy to maintain the sanctity of the service.
The matter is expected to be discussed at the next Police Services Board meeting in February.
