Niagara Regional Council’s goal of holding the 2026 property tax increase to 3.5 per cent appears to be long gone as Council’s budget committee recommended accepting a Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) operating budget of $236.9 million, which would trigger a property tax increase of 4.55 per cent from the police budget alone.
Chief Bill Fordy appeared before Council last week during its budget deliberations to defend his proposed 11.5 per cent budget increase for next year for the NRPS, with an average household impact of $97.
“We’ve had critical dialogue about our priorities, how we balance the stewardship of public monies on one hand and on the other hand the pressures associated with the increase in complexity of community safety, and how we responsibly support the effectiveness and wellness of our members,” said Fordy as he began his remarks.
Fordy noted that the budget process for the NRPS has been going on since June. He also highlighted the fact that his budget request has been trimmed down significantly from where it was just a few short months ago in recognition of the demand it would place on the Region’s finances. He also touched on the fact that 92 per cent of the NRPS’s budget is funded through the general tax levy, which is quite different from other agencies funded by Niagara Region’s budget.
While Council could reject the police budget, options remain limited. Council cannot make line-by-line changes to the budget: it can only ask for further cuts. It looks increasingly unlikely that this scenario will occur, given that the budget committee, which includes all Niagara Regional Council members, voted to accept the police budget as-is.
Fordy was very intentional in telling Councillors that his proposed budget “is not about expansion. It is about sustaining the level of service that our community expects and relies upon.”
Fordy also pointed to a 31 per cent increase in domestic violence calls, an 18 per cent increase in sexual assault calls, an 87 per cent increase in homicides, and a 27 per cent increase and child abuse calls over the past five years as clear reasons why increased funding has been needed.
Furthermore, Fordy noted that, simply to sustain current levels of operations, due to increases in wages and benefits and other fixed costs, requires an 8.2 per cent funding increase. A lower increase, Fordy said, would require shrinking the size of the police force and consolidating units.
Other drivers for Fordy’s larger budget ask includes software pricing and technology enhancements, further investments in community safety, and an adjusted capital financing strategy.
Councillors did not unanimously endorse Fordy’s approach. Councillor Rob Foster (Lincoln), for example, asked Fordy to consider looking at a base 8.2 per cent funding increase, while Councillor Tom Insinna (Fort Erie) insisted that the average household cannot afford a police budget-driven property tax increase of nearly $100.
While Councillors did vote to approve the police budget, Councillors Foster, Insinna, Heit and Easton voted against.
The final property tax increase, and overall Niagara Region budget, will be determined on Dec. 11.
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
