THUNDER BAY - After reaching out to the province for assistance in addressing the issue of increasing gang activity in the city, Thunder Bay Police Service acting chief, Sylvie Hauth, said she has received a response but no commitment of assistance.
“It’s a bit frustrating,” Hauth said. “I don’t want us to be forgotten here in the north.”
Last month, Hauth sent a letter to the Ministry of Community Services and Corrections asking Minister Michael Tibollo for assistance from the province in tackling the issue of gangs and gun violence in the city, saying crime does not know borders and gang activity with roots in cities like Toronto can reach communities as far away as Northern Ontario.
Hauth said she received a reply from the Ministry that stated the government is continuing to review the provincial budget line by line.
The pause on the provincial budget is also concerning to Hauth because more than $3 million in the upcoming police budget is dependent on provincial grants for resources and projects.
“It’s a large amount of money and something I had to give notice for the city and say this is our budget for 2019, but fingers crossed that we still get that $3 million in grants,” she said.
If the grants are no longer available, Hauth said she will need to have a conversation with city officials about what the budget will look like going forward.
“We may have to shuffle a few things and make sure we are offering services as usual and that there is no disruption in terms of what we can do and we have to be creative in other areas,” she said.
The 2019 budget was to be presented to the Thunder Bay Police Services Board on Tuesday before it is presented to council at a later date.
The government has not provided any timelines regarding firm answers on possible funding or grants. Late this summer, the Toronto Police Service received $25 million in provincial funding over four years to address issues of guns on city streets.
“We face similar issues and we just hope that the government understands that those grants need to continue but also the additional funding, not just for officers, but for resources and programs and projects that can be beneficial for our community,” Hauth said.
Regarding the police service’s current budget, it remains in the red to close out the third quarter. The 2018 annual budget started the year with a positive variance in the first quarter but slipped into a negative variance of $52,800 in the second quarter.
As of Sept. 30, the annual operating budget of $40.7 million was at a negative variance of .72 of 1 per cent, or $293,600 unfavourable.
Hauth said high vehicle maintenance costs for an aging fleet were once again a contributing factor to the negative variance, as well as radio maintenance, but those costs should be reduced due to the installation of a new radio system earlier this summer.
The Thunder Bay Police Services Board is also expected to run significantly over budget by year’s end. The board is budgeted for $24,500 annually to cover honorariums, travel, and miscellaneous expenses.
By year’s end, it is projected the board will be over budget by $264,200.
According to Hauth, the deficit is due largely to a number of legal issues, including the Stacey Debungee investigation, the Ontario Civilian Police Commission review, and the search for a new chief of police.
The Police Services Board is one of 12 of Thunder Bay Police Service’s cost centres and it will absorb the shortfall.
“This has been an anomalous year for the service, not just the service, but the board,” Hauth said. “So it is important to look at line items for the board to make sure they have what they need to operate as a board and have the resources that are there. I think $24,000 is enough in terms of what they need to do.”