Pricey WRPS budget sparks hours-long debate with regional councillors

Criticism over WRPS' proposed 2025 budget The WRPS police chief defended the force's $252.5M budget in front of regional councillors. Heather Senoran has the details.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service presented their 2025 budget, totaling $252.5 million, to the Region of Waterloo’s Strategic Planning and Budget Committee on Wednesday morning.

The proposed budget is 10.5 per cent, or $24 million, more than last year’s ask and would mean residents would have to pay an additional $67 on their regional taxes.

The police service has cited overtime, salary obligations and benefit agreements as the main contributors to the increase.

The budget also includes the hiring of 18 new officers.

Police Chief Mark Crowell presented the proposed budget and got some pushback over staffing.

“This is a disturbing fact pattern,” Councillor Rob Deutschmann stated. “You’re moving in the direction of less information and less transparency on the very issue that is the single largest point of contention as we review this budget and your request for more staffing.”

Crowell defended the proposed budget, which has already been approved by the police board, adding that he took issue with Deutschmann’s comments.

“Some of the language, Councillor Deutschmann, you used here – ‘less transparency,’ ‘claiming,’ ‘refused,’ ‘disturbing’ – I believe these are uncalled [for] characterizations for the work we put in to report publicly with full transparency,” Crowell replied.

Waterloo Regional Police reported nearly 24,000 overtime hours in 2024, up almost 20 per cent from the year before.

“You’re dealing with runaway overtime costs that exceed $5 million, over and above budget,” Deutschmann argued.

Crowell said that issue was addressed in the budget.

“As we stabilize our staffing, and we onboard people to a level that will allow us to address these needs, we hope to stabilize and reduce overtime, over time,” he explained.

Crowell also pointed to the challenges of a growing population and the pressure it puts on policing.

“We report to the board on a regular basis,” he told the committee. “We have fulfilled our obligations to reach the staffing level, which has been authorized. And we stand before you, factually.”

In addition to the officers, 10 civilians will also be hired next year as special constables and administrative support.

“That allows us to be flexible in our deployment of civilian staff in the course of our duties,” Crowell explained.

Deutschmann also challenged that assertion.

“Can you commit to changing the approach and just providing a better review of what your civilian needs are and hiring what you actually need and not just hiring on a formula?” he asked.

Karen Redman, regional chair and also vice-chair of the Police Services Board, then stepped in.

“When the question ends with ‘will you undertake to do better or different?’, I would tell you that that is not the purview of this council,” she said. “That is the purview of the chief of police [and] his leadership staff in concert with the board of WRPS.”

Deutschmann told CTV News he’s planning to introduce a motion at the next council meeting, scheduled for next week, to reduce the police budget by $4 million.

A final decision on the proposed budget is expected Dec. 11.