Ontario Hansard - 15-November2005

POLICE OFFICERS

Mr. Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): My question is to the Minister of Community Safety. Kingston has applied for 16 --
Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Order. I would like to be able to get on with petitions in a few minutes. The member for Lanark-Carleton.

Mr. Sterling: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Minister, Kingston has applied for 16 new officers; Smiths Falls and Gananoque, four each; and Ottawa, 182 officers. Ottawa has received funding for only 90 officers. I don't know what Minister Gerretsen has said publicly with regard to the need for officers in Kingston, but I do know that Minister Watson has publicly said that Ottawa deserves 182 new officers. For once, I agree with Minister Watson. The question is, will Minister Watson deliver for the city of Ottawa and will you deliver for the rest of eastern Ontario?

Hon. Monte Kwinter (Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services): If you take a look at the numbers of those requests that came in from municipalities across Ontario, there are far more than we will be able to allocate under the 1,000 officer plan. The previous government, when they had their community policing program, had 1,000 officers. We announced, as a campaign commitment, that we will provide an additional 1,000 officers. Not only are we doing that, but we've extended in perpetuity your program, to the tune of $30,000 per officer forever. So when we are finished, we will be providing $67.1 million per year to municipal policing.
We have a formula, and it really has nothing to do with the request that comes in. We will take a look at that formula, so that it's fair, and make sure that it's allocated on the basis of population and other criteria, including those areas that we have designated, and we will then make that allocation.

The Speaker: Supplementary?

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): My question is also for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
Interjections.

The Speaker: Stop the clock.
The member for Haliburton-Victoria-Brock.
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Ms. Scott: My question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. The city of Kawartha Lakes in my riding of Haliburton-Victoria-Brock has made a submission seeking funding for two new officers under your program, yet they've had to wait over two years to hear your response. The city of Peterborough has requested 11 officers to ensure community safety. Port Hope is seeking three new officers under your program. All these have been made to wait two years since you first promised these officers. Will you guarantee Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough and Port Hope will receive the 16 officers they need to meet community safety concerns on November 30? Will you commit to that today, Minister?

Hon. Mr. Kwinter: Notwithstanding that you seem to think they've been waiting for two years for my response, the program was just announced on May 18, 2005. All municipalities have been invited to submit their requests and they're going to be reviewed in a way that, if they meet our criteria, if they meet the requirements under this program, they will get their fair share. I can't tell you the exact number because we have to allocate it across the whole province. I can't be in a position where someone says, "Well, how come they got this and we only got that?" It will be transparent. They will be able to see exactly how they were allocated. That is the way the system will work.