Waterloo regional police present $228 million budget ask to council
Waterloo regional police are asking for a $14 million budget increase in 2024 to pay for 18 more officers.
But one regional councillor questions if the service will be able to hire the additional recruits even if the budget ask is granted.
Chief Mark Crowell presented the service’s proposed budget to council Wednesday.
The total budget ask stands at $228 million, up 6.7% from last year.
Aside from the new sworn officers, Crowell said increasing inflation, contractual and benefit increases and investments in technology are the driving factor behind the increase.
Staffing and overtime costs are major challenges, he said.
“The vast majority of those overtime allowances are for frontline resources everyday,” Crowell said. “I can tell you that virtually every hour of every day we have unmet overtime needs to serve minimal staffing requirements across the Region of Waterloo.”
Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) is projected to spend $7 million on overtime this year alone, as rising crime rates and public events add to the financial strain, Crowell said.
“This is not how we want to do business,” Crowell said, adding aside from financial inefficiency, the reliance on overtime is bad for members’ mental health.
Coun. Rob Deutschmann said while the desire to hire new officers is evident, it’s not matched by the ability to actually bring them on board.
Last year WRPS faced questions when a staffing report surfaced after their annual budget had already been approved, recommending the service could pay for additional officers using past surpluses.
On Wednesday, Deutschmann said despite having funding for 833 officers, WRPS’ actual complement as of Q3 2023 is 810, estimated to drop to 808 by the end of the year. If funding for 18 more officers is added, it will leave them with 43 spots to fill, he said.
“We’re going to start the year with [a] 43 officer deficit,” Deutschmann said. “So my question to you chief, is why can’t we just focus on hiring what the current deficit is for a year – given it’s a difficult tax year – and not add the additional 18? Because all that’s doing is adding to the surplus with police services and it’s causing us to have to look at other services or the [tax] levy to finance that.”
Crowell said the service has “had great success onboarding new officers,” averaging 48.6 new hires per year.
“We understand that there are lags,” he said. “That if anyone for any reason through retirement, resignation does depart our police service then there is automatically a staff gapping. So we’ve built into the this years’ budget, as we have in the past, a $2 million salary gapping provision to account for that to allow us to bring down the budget to a place that we feel is responsible.”
Crowell also agreed to bring forward a report on the police surplus at Deutschmann’s request.
No decisions on the police budget were made on Wednesday. The regional budget, including finding for police, is expected to be finalized by mid-December.
CTV News asked WRPS to confirm their current actual complement of officers but did not immediately receive a response.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.