The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) tabled its 2025 Draft Operating and Capital Budget to the Ottawa Police Service Board (OPSB) today, with a focus on service improvements and community safety initiatives.
In a press release, OPS highlights that this year’s Draft Budget is aligned with the OPSB’s strategic priorities and community feedback.
The 2025 Draft Budget includes a tax rate increase of 2.9 per cent and a 1.5 per cent assessment growth increase, they added.
“This Draft Budget is designed to meet Ottawa’s key public safety needs and will assist us in serving the residents and businesses of our community better,” said Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs.
Stubbs continued by saying the 2025 Draft Budget is working to address gaps in police service and is focusing on building public trust while advancing the strategic priorities established by the OPSB.
“The OPS continues its commitment to becoming a trusted partner in building an inclusive, equitable, and safe Ottawa,” concluded Stubbs.
Service Improvements
In a statement from the Ottawa Police Service, the District Policing Model has been tailored to ensure policing better meets the needs of Ottawa’s urban, suburban, and rural communities.
Improvements include increasing staffing for Neighbourhood Resource Teams, Youth, Traffic — with more officers assuming community roles through the Staffing Stabilization Plan in 2025, OPS added.
An updated operational map will be released by January 2026, incorporating four districts and reallocating police resources to better service Ottawa’s communities, said OPS.
In efforts to address staffing gaps in frontline and specialized units, 50 new positions — including 32 funded by a 1.5 per cent increase in assessment growth — will aid in OPS’s response to the growing population, they explained.
Investing more in Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) is also a part of this year’s budget direction — improving services for victims, such as more investigative capacity and the ability to address staffing needs by hiring additional sworn officers, special constables, and civilian roles.
“To ensure the Draft Budget meets community needs, the Board and OPS engaged residents through neighbourhood conversations, discussion with community and community leaders as well as data analysis and polling,” said OPSB Chair Salim Fakirani.
According to Fakirani, residents expressed a need for stronger relationships with OPS, increased police visibility, and responsive service delivery.
The public identified traffic, gun violence, equity, hate crimes and youth engagement as key concerns, he added.
Federal and Provincial Funding
Federal and provincial funding that will go towards new policing services is in the process of being finalized, explained OPS.
Once approved, OPS says they plan to direct this funding to the following initiatives:
- Parliamentary District: A dedicated unit to bolster the Ottawa Police Services’ presence around the Parliamentary campus.
- Alternative Mental Health Support Project: Full funding for a community-led program to direct certain mental health related calls in Centretown to specialized mental health service providers.
- Special Constable Expansion: New special constable roles in fraud, cybercrime, forensic identification and hospitals to free up sworn officers for core policing functions.
- Mounted Unit: A new unit to support demonstrations, enhance visibility in urban areas and assist with search operations.
- Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) Strategy: A coordinated safety strategy focused on Ottawa’s ByWard Market and Rideau Street corridor, including initiatives like the Neighbourhood Operations Centre, hot spot policing, and a community advisory board to address evolving safety needs.
- Dedicated ByWard Market Patrol: A fully funded team to increase police presence and safety in the ByWard Market area.
“The OPS 2025 Draft Budget emphasizes community safety, staffing stability, and strategic service delivery, prioritizing transparency and responsiveness to the needs of Ottawa’s diverse communities,” wrote OPS in today’s new release.
The Ottawa Police Service 2025 Draft Gross Operating Budget totals $447.5 million, representing an increase of $16.3 million compared to the 2024 budget, noted OPS.
This results in a net increase to police taxation revenues of 2.9 per cent, and equates to an estimate $20 increase on the tax bill of an average home owner.
OPS and the Board are encouraging local residents and businesses to participate and share their thoughts on the 2025 Budget.
Members of the public are invited to participate in the Finance and Audit Committee meeting on November 22nd at 9:30 a.m. via the following Zoom link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84951021736.
The OPS 2025 Budget is set for approval by the OPSB on November 25, 2024 — and will later be reviewed and scheduled for approval by Ottawa City Council on December 11, 2024.