The Sarnia Police Service (SPS) will receive $361,362 in additional funding from the Ontario government through its Community Safety and Policing Grant Program, the province announced last week.
The Sarnia Police Service (SPS) will receive $361,362 in additional funding from the Ontario government through its Community Safety and Policing Grant Program, the province announced last week.
Provincial documents now detail exactly where the funds are designated. The money is divided between two specific police initiatives:
$140,522 from the Local Priorities Funding Stream will go to the Mental Health Engagement and Response Team (MHEART). This team, a collaboration with the Canadian Mental Health Association and Bluewater Health, pairs officers with psychiatric assessment nurses to respond to mental health crises. The funding will be used to "expand their community reach".
$220,840 from the Provincial Priorities Funding Stream is allocated to the Community Crime Unit. This unit partners with Lambton College’s Criminal Justice program to address "lower-priority crimes, such as retail and commercial theft". The grant will fund the addition of "two detective constables and a crime analyst".
This new funding arrives as the Sarnia Police Service pursues a new multi-million dollar headquarters and its operating budget has seen significant growth. Over the past three years under Chief Derek Davis, the police budget has increased by $9.3 million.
The specific allocation of these grants to address social issues like mental health and lower-level property crime highlights what critics call "policification"—the trend of expanding the role of police into public health and social welfare. This model raises questions about whether enforcement-based institutions are the most effective first responders for crises rooted in social and health-related issues.
The context for this funding also includes the police service's own long-term strategic goals. Consultant reports commissioned by the SPS have outlined a vision for jurisdictional expansion, which could include taking over policing for the entire county from the OPP. Such an expansion would reportedly require an additional 75-100 officers.
This provincial grant provides new resources for an expanding police mandate at a time when local community-led initiatives for housing, mental health, and harm reduction also seek stable funding. The debate highlights a fundamental question for the community: how to best allocate public resources to ensure safety and address the root causes of social crises.
