Dryden city council to consider disbanding Dryden Police Service

City councillors in Dryden, Ont., will consider getting a cost estimate from the OPP, to see if it makes financial sense to move to the provincial police service.

Council is scheduled to consider the move at a special meeting on Tuesday, May 25.

Dryden and Thunder Bay are the only two cities in northwestern Ontario that still have their own municipal police services. Kenora disbanded its force in 2009.

Dryden CAO Ernie Remillard said council will first have to pass a resolution just to investigate costing from the OPP.

"They want to understand truly what are the costs if they were to switch to another police service, are there any cost savings opportunities? At this stage of the game, I'd say that we really don't know."

A media release noted how Dryden, which was in financial difficulty for a number of years, still has "ongoing and future challenges to its sustainability."

'Care deeply about the community'

The release said the city will have high debt levels until 2021, and needs to invest at least $9 million annually into aging infrastructure.

Remillard said it would be a very difficult decision to make, if it came to disbanding the service. The Dryden Police Service has served the city since 1910.

"We have talked openly about getting an external consultant involved in the process. We are care deeply about the community, and it's really good if we can get an objective party in to help us through the process."

Remillard expects the process from costing to a decision on whether to go with the provincial police force to take from 12 to 18 months.

Kenora, the most recent community to switch to the OPP for its policing needs, has lobbied the province numerous times for lower police costs, after disbanding its own force.