Esquimalt will be forced to kick in another $183,523 to cover its share of additional police personnel after the province ruled against the township in a dispute over the 2022 Victoria police budget.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General determined that Esquimalt, which shares the police force and policing budget with Victoria, was in the wrong in March when it rejected a request from Victoria police to fund its share of 10 new positions, worth about $1.3 million.
“We’re disappointed,” said Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins. “We thought we had a compelling case to not have to pay for it. But we’ve been through this before and we’ve won some, we’ve lost some. I think the important thing is to keep making sure that whatever budget increases there are there is a benefit to both communities.
“So we’ll be looking to make sure that those new services are also being used in Esquimalt.”
The additional positions included four new civilian posts and two officers for the Assertive Community Treatment team, two officers who would be part of a co-responder team with Island Health, a cultural liaison officer to build bridges with the Indigenous, Black and people of colour communities, and a sergeant to work on cybercrime.
When it voted against funding the new positions, Esquimalt, which pays about 14 per cent of the Victoria police budget, argued the township’s declining crime rate and fewer calls for service meant it was paying for resources it didn’t need.
Desjardins, co-chair of the police board, said while the department needs all the resources it can get, the current Police Framework Agreement in place since 2002, when the province forced the merger of the two municipalities’ departments, is unfair to the smaller partner.
Esquimalt approved the core police budget of $64 million in March, but when it balked at the cost of the additional positions, the budget was left with a shortfall of $1.34 million.
The Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board then appealed to the province to rule on the dispute.
In a statement Thursday, Victoria police chief Del Manak applauded the province’s decision, saying it restores funding for resources that are critical to adequate and effective policing, including an overtime budget for the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team and Public Safety Unit.
Manak said while he’s aware that funding for policing represents a “significant” portion of every municipality’s core budget, public safety cannot be compromised.
Desjardins said the decision does not affect the Esquimalt budget, as money had been set aside in reserve in case the decision did not go their way.
It’s not the first dispute Esquimalt has had under the shared policing agreement, but Desjardins said it underlines the need to get out of the deal.
“These budget disputes happen nearly every year and it’s frustrating for all parties. Victoria has very different needs than Esquimalt and the police board are putting forward a budget that ensures public safety needs are being met,” she said. “So the challenge is having these two very different communities and making sure equity occurs across the board. We have been working at it for almost 20 years now and it has not occurred and it’s not likely to occur. There’s just too much difference between the communities.”
Earlier this year, Esquimalt council voted not to renew the 10-year Police Framework Agreement, which expires at the end of next year.
Esquimalt needs provincial approval before it can get out of the agreement, and is in the process of hiring a consultant to come up with a new police service model, a cost structure and a plan to transition from the existing model.
Desjardins said the province has indicated it is open to new ideas.
“The encouragement is certainly there to continue to work with the partners on a framework agreement,” she said.
Desjardins said the hope is to have a report from the consultants by the end of this winter, then submit the proposal to the province in the spring.
The merger of Esquimalt and Victoria police was supposed to be the first step toward creation of a regional police force, but that plan stalled in the face of opposition from many municipalities.
Esquimalt tried to break away from the forced marriage a decade ago, but was rebuffed by the province.
