Saskatoon police spending rises to one-quarter of city budget
CBC
Barring an unexpected spending spree elsewhere by city hall, the Saskatoon police budget will rise to a quarter of all city spending for the next two years.
Council overwhelmingly approved increases of 8.62 per cent next year and 6.16 per cent in 2027 to a police budget that already represented the city's single largest expenditure.
At 25 per cent, the policing share of the budget jumps to among the highest in Canada for larger cities. It's now in the same neighbourhood as Winnipeg, which has historically spent about a quarter of its budget on police.
Total police spending will rise to $158 million next year and $167.8 million in 2027. By comparison, Regina is planning to spend $131 million on police next year, representing about 19 per cent of its budget.
“There is nobody in my ward who will object to this increase,” said Coun. Robert Pearce, who was elected a year ago to represent Ward 3 on the city's west side after a campaign focused on safety.
Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer echoed this sentiment: “People are screaming for a safer city.”
But two rookie councillors, Kathryn MacDonald and Jasmin Parker, voted against the police budget.
“I struggle with the investment we’re making in police at record-breaking rates and expecting something different in our community,” Parker said.
Council is later expected to consider cutting community services that also help provide recreational opportunities and increase safety, Parker said. She added that she could not support the police budget without a value-for-money audit.
Police Chief Cam McBride told reporters after the budget was approved that he would accept such an audit if council supported it. He also said he expects the budget to "ebb and flow" as a quarter of all city spending.
City council usually approves the police budget with unanimous support. Council last voted down a police budget 10 years ago, when police were asked to reduce their request by four officers.
Before any other spending is considered, based only on the approval of the police budget, property taxes will rise by at least 3.64 per cent next year and 2.14 per cent in 2027.
McBride also told council much of the increase is driven by expenses that are out of police control, such as an arbitration award and case law that dictates how police must behave to avoid charges getting dropped.
He also admitted that recruiting new officers is getting more difficult due to many factors, including social media, where police often take a 'beating.'
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