BORDEN — The Village of Borden has responded to the federal government’s disappointing decision to pass unbudgeted and unaccounted-for costs on to municipalities.
Despite months of municipal advocacy led by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), provincial-territorial associations and local leaders across Canada, the federal government has indicated in the most recent federal budget it will not be meeting the request to absorb the retroactive costs associated with the latest RCMP collective bargaining agreement.
Tuesday’s budget further confirmed communities across Canada that are dependent on RCMP services for local policing, including the Village of Borden, are expected to cover these costs — a decision falling well short of the call from municipalities to fully absorb the costs.
“Our council is extremely disappointed in this confusing decision made by our Federal Government that leaves small municipalities on the hook for large sums of money. We will be challenging this decision prior to releasing any funds,” states a press release from the village.
Local governments were not at the table for these negotiations, the release asserts. And while cost estimates were provided to some municipalities, these turned out to be far below the final agreement’s increase over six years, with retroactive pay going back to 2017. The cost to the Village of Borden associated with these retroactive payments is expected to be substantial.
This decision is an example of a federal commitment that deeply impacts municipalities, without municipalities being properly consulted or involved, according to village officials. Municipal governments are paying a growing share of policing costs but cannot run deficits and have limited revenue tools.
FCM has clearly reiterated the need for municipalities to be actively involved in any future processes regarding contract policing, calling this recent decision unacceptable. This is a position supported in full by the Village of Borden.
