Greater Sudbury Police Services Board greenlights proposed 14.3 % budget increase over two years

The 2024-2025 budget for the Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) was finalized at a board meeting on Wednesday evening.

The final figure – a 14.3 % increase over two years — is less than the 17.6 % requested in the initial budget proposal of the GSPS on October 25, but much higher than the less than four per cent target provided by city council last year.

GSPS will have an operating and capital budget of $78.6 million in 2024 and $83.5 million in 2025, if the budget is approved by Sudbury city council.

The increased resources will be used to hire specialized staff, such as an equity diversity inclusion strategist, a digital evidence processor and two forensic specialists. 

The police service also hopes to recruit six additional constables in its drugs and sexual assault investigation units, in addition to the hiring of 14 additional constables greenlit by council earlier this year.

The Greater Sudbury Police Services Board met twice in the past week to find ways to reduce the initial GSPS proposal.

The reductions proposed included removing $500,000 from the $2.6 million annual contribution to the facilities reserve, a fund that will eventually be used to build new police headquarters. 

Other measures included cutting out budgeted overtime by a little less than $400,000 and delaying staff hiring processes until at least mid-2024. 

When looking at these reduction options on Monday, Mayor and GSPS board member Paul Lefebvre asked if slashing reserve fund contributions would have any impact on daily operations. 

Police Chief Paul Pederson said it would not, but it could end up "having a net effect down the road of us maybe having to come back to the city saying: 'we can't balance that.'" 

"As we reduce the budget to bare bones, we get into a place where there is significant risk of us not maintaining the facilities that we are in," warned Pederson.

GSPS board chair and Ward 8 councillor Al Sizer says the increased budget is necessary to meet community needs. 

"People in Sudbury are asking for more police presence," he added. "They're looking for more police cruisers in their area and a more timely response to the issues they are dealing with."

Al Sizer notes that part of the increased demand for police services comes from a hike in mental health related calls.