During the regular municipal council meeting held on September 14, Hawkesbury elected officials were warned of an anticipated 11 per cent cost increase for Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) services, representing an additional expense of approximately $350,000 for 2027.
This Queen’s Park–mandated increase will put a 2.4 per cent to 2.5 per cent strain on the municipal budget, adding to the increases absorbed in 2025 (20 per cent) and 2026 (11 per cent). In total, policing costs account for roughly one-third of the town’s overall budget allocation.
Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre outlined the challenges awaiting the municipal administration heading into the 2027 fiscal year. Based on council discussions, the town will begin drafting the 2027 budget with baseline pressure already around seven per cent.
In addition to the OPP hike, the municipality must address its infrastructure deficit through the asset management plan (two per cent) and absorb rising baseline operational costs, such as road salt, which jumped from $89 to $119 per tonne.
Council members voiced their concern regarding the imposed increase.
“It is important for the public to know: this is non-negotiable,” stated Councillor Jeanne Charlebois. “The province negotiates directly with the provincial police association. The public needs to understand that we have no say in the matter,” she noted.
For his part, Councillor Raymond Campbell lamented the gap between these rate increases and the broader economic climate.
“According to economists, the cost of living is around three per cent, and they are constantly asking for 11 per cent,» he said. «It’s hard to swallow.”
This perspective is shared by Councillor Manon Séguin, who expressed concern over the continuous rise in the cost of living and the impact of tariffs on the local economy.
Municipal Treasurer Philippe Timbers provided a technical explanation for the successive increases. The current spike stems primarily from the court ruling that struck down the former provincial Bill 124, which had capped public-sector wage increases at one per cent annually.
While the OPP had built its budget forecasts around that 1% cap, subsequent arbitration awards and new collective agreements ultimately granted retroactive raises of three per cent to five per cent.
As a result, municipalities serviced by the OPP now find themselves in “catch-up mode” to fund the shortfalls from 2023, 2024, and 2025. The administration anticipates a stabilization of actual costs starting in 2028, once this retroactive period is absorbed, while acknowledging that Hawkesbury Town Council will face important decisions during the adoption of the 2027 budget.
