2009-12-25
by Carli Whitwell
A request from the Toronto Police Service for an additional $1.8 million in its 2010 operating budget for police requirements during the G8 and G20 summits doesn’t mean Muskokans should be worried about a similar figure for G8 security coming out of their pockets, say G8 security planners.
In Toronto, explained Toronto Police Service spokesperson Const. Wendy Drummond, the hope is that the federal government will cover all costs incurred by the police during the G8 and G20.
The G20 was moved to Toronto this month after Muskoka was deemed too small to host the 10,000 expected delegates. Toronto police could also be providing security in Huntsville during the G8.
“This special event will have a significant impact on Toronto policing requirements, and discussions are underway with the federal government to provide funding for any extraordinary costs,” reads the Toronto police operating budget overview.
However, said Drummond, anything the federal government won’t pay for, the City of Toronto has agreed to cover.
Here in Muskoka, residents won’t get stuck with the bill for G8 security costs, said Sgt. Pierre Chamberland, media relations for the Ontario Provincial Police and Integrated Security Unit.
The ISU is comprised of security forces from the OPP, RCMP, Canadian Forces, and more, and its job is to ensure the safety of world leaders and the community during the consecutive G8 and G20 Summits in Muskoka and then Toronto from June 25 to 27.
“There will be extra resources over and above your normal policing complement because of the G8 Summit,” said Chamberland.
The District Municipality of Muskoka pays for OPP services on a fee-for-service basis from property tax revenue.
“All those expenditures will be incurred outside of the expenditure envelope for the contract that’s being provided there now by the OPP. They’ll be two different streams of expenditures that will not meet,” added Chamberland.
He wouldn’t reveal the cost of G8 security, but said once the summit was finished, that information could be accessed through the freedom of information act.
Though the G8 takes place in Huntsville and the G20 in Toronto, the two will share forces, said Chamberland.
“I have no doubt we will see police agencies from other jurisdictions across the province and potentially even across the country (in Huntsville),” he said. Just how many police officers and members of the armed forces will be in town leading up to and during the June 25-26 event is not final, he said.
The Toronto police operating budget has to be approved by Toronto city council, said Drummond. The city police service receives provincial and municipal funding to operate.
The $1.8 million is a preliminary number, according to a Toronto police budget overview.