Sudbury police asking city for budget increase

Sudbury's police services board is seeking a budget increase for 2021 and hopes city council will approve.

The city had asked that a budget increase be kept to no more than 3.9 per cent. Police Chief Paul Pedersen says increasing pressure on police means it costs more to continue to provide expected levels of service.

"I'm sure hopeful that city council sees that we've done everything we possibly can to reduce our budget but still ensure that we deliver on the expectations from our community," Pedersen said.

At a police board meeting on Monday, board members approved several cost-cutting measures, totalling more than $750,000. But even with those, the budget would still need to be increased by about 4.8 per cent.

Increased demands on police, says chief

Some of the cost-cutting measures approved by the police services board include temporarily suspending community volunteer programs and storefront operations, delaying hiring for some positions, and spending less on training and professional development, largely thanks to little to no travel for training during the pandemic.

Pedersen saidhe doesn't see many other available options for cutting costs, saying any additional cuts "start impacting legislative responsibilities"

"[Cuts] start impacting the number of officers we have on the street and the number of staff we have working here. And all of those would be a significant impact on our ability to deliver adequate and effective services."

The 2021 budget includes a plan to hire sixnew positions: two constables, and four emergency communications centre staff.

Pedersen says demands on police have increased over the past year, with police responding to more calls related to landlord and tenant conflicts, opioid overdoses, and everything in between all the while dealing with COVID-19 safety concerns.

"Our business hasn't stopped through COVID, it's only gotten more challenging," Pedersen said.