The Ottawa Police Service is getting an early start on its budget process for next year, saying it is facing more than $44 million in budgetary pressures and suggesting it could need a significant tax increase to pay for it.
According to a presentation at the Ottawa Police Service Board Finance and Audit Committee Monday, the service says it needs an additional $32.7 million next year just to maintain services, $8.5 million to grow the police force and $5.3 million to pay for new services. The budget forecast also includes $1 million in “efficiencies” and $1.3 million in changes in fees and revenues offsetting the budgetary demands.
The $44.2 million would represent a 10.6 per cent increase over the 2025 Ottawa Police Service budget. In the last two budgets, the Ottawa Police Service kept its tax rate increases within the caps imposed on the city budget, such as a 2.5 per cent increase in 2024 and a 2.9 per cent increase in 2025, figures that amounted to budgetary increases of $13.4 million and $16.3 million, respectively.
Police Chief Eric Stubbs said a significant part of the budget increase covers salaries.
“Our collective bargaining agreement that the board agreed to with the OPA (Ottawa Police Association), that accounts for over six per cent of that demand,” said Stubbs. “Our staff stabilization plan, which is a key tenet of our strategic plan, which feeds in a lot of the initiatives and our units is also included in that, and that together is nine per cent.”
According to the presentation before the OPS board finance committee, $24 million of the $44.2 million the OPS is seeking for 2026 covers the collective bargaining agreement, while $2.7 million covers the staff stabilization plan.
This presentation comes months before the city’s budget process begins in earnest. Budget drafting is not set to begin until June, with the draft budget not set to be tabled until November. Final approval will take place in December.
Stubbs said there would be lots of time to work on the budget before it is tabled.
“We’re starting early this year because we feel that’s the best path to take,” said Stubbs. “There will be several opportunities for members of the board and this committee to be informed on the status of the budget and to provide input to us.”
