Ottawa-Gatineau border checkpoints, vaccination clinics cost Ottawa police $1 million
Police checkpoints at Ottawa-Gatineau border crossings and officers assigned to COVID-19 vaccination clinics have cost the Ottawa Police Service $1 million so far this year.
The second quarter financial status report for the Ottawa Police Services Board shows the service incurred $1 million in costs related to checkpoints at interprovincial crossings in April, May and June and the city of Ottawa's vaccination clinics.
As part of the Stay at Home order issued in April, the Ontario government announced restrictions on non-essential travel into Ontario at interprovincial crossings. Police were expected to staff the checkpoints between Ottawa and Gatineau 24-hours a day, seven days a week. After two days, police shifted to setting up sporadic checkpoints at the bridges and ferry crossings, citing budgetary and staffing pressures.
The police checkpoints at the Ottawa-Gatineau crossings came down on June 16.
Mayor Jim Watson said in June that the sporadic checkpoints at interprovincial crossings cost the Ottawa Police Service $800,000.
The financial status report for the Ottawa Police Services Board only says police are incurring costs at vaccination clinics, but doesn't provide any other details.
Staff say the Ontario government will cover the $1 million costs related to COVID-19 operations in Ottawa.
"The OPS has an agreement with the Solicitor General of Ontario that we will be reimbursed an estimated $1 million for incremental costs related to the interprovincial border enforcement due to the Stay at Home Order and the vaccination clinics."
The Ottawa Police Service is projecting a balanced budget this year. A $12.6 million budget shortfall for revenues, COVID-19 expenditures and operation expenditures will be offset by a spending freeze, a no-travel order, a delay in hiring of growth-related positions and one-time revenue from the province.
Staff say there are four operation obligations causing pressures on the 2021 budget, including fleet maintenance and fuel costs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.