By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—Haldimand Council voted to extend the existing OPP contract for just one year, with the upcoming elected Council determining next fall whether or not to continue with the contract further. The current contract began in January 2018 and contains the following provisions, among others:
- Ensure adequate and effective police services in accordance with the needs of the municipality
- The Commissioner will ensure the Detachment Commander responds appropriately to Police Service Board objectives and priorities for police services
- OPP shall provide police services to the municipality, including the enforcement of mutually agreed upon bylaws
Since entering into the contract, Haldimand’s Police Services Board (PSB) has repeatedly expressed concerns over the effectiveness of the OPP’s presence in Haldimand. This included penning a letter to the OPP in December 2018 citing concerns over service, just the first in a series of concerns voiced from both the PSB and Council.
Most recently, PSB Chair Brian Haggith took the OPP to task last February for their policing of Land Back Lane in Caledonia, calling the response “cookie cutter” and claiming it led to “Indigenous lawlessness.”
In 2020, Mayor Ken Hewitt commented on the inefficiency of police services locally, saying, “The contract is a provincial formula. We get X amount of officers based on the number of households…. Even if we wanted to pay for more the OPP will not allow it. On the other hand, if they did there still would not be enough officers out there.”
At the time, Hewitt said that Haldimand was only receiving 70% of the total amount of officers called for in the County contract.
Other concerns include rampant speeding on rural roads and frustration from residents in Dunnville over vandalism and theft.
County CAO Craig Manley commented on the decision to extend the contract: “The current OPP contract expires at the end of the year…. We’re recommending that it be extended for one year under the same terms. The reason for that primarily is the Province is changing the whole format of how police services boards will operate. That legislation has been passed, but the implementing regulations haven’t, so we want to see that and we also think given the magnitude of the cost, it’s important for the new term of Council to determine (next steps).”
Deputy Mayor and PSB member Bernie Corbett added, “I think with regard to the OPP contract, we should work to have an appeal procedure for what adequate and effective policing is, so it’s not simply adjudicated by the OPP. The Solicitor General, who is supposed to look after our interests, is more interested in what the OPP has to say than what we have to say.”
Caledonia Councillor Dan Lawrence added, “There isn’t much choice out there, but this next year for the new Council … we need to further explore some options for the long term.”
The extended contract is set to expire on December 31, 2023.
