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Penetang mayor keeps heat on province over superjail costs

'We need our MPP to stand with our town and her constituents to relieve these devastating impacts,' says Doug Leroux
2020-04-09 ap4
OPP respond to an incident in 2020 at the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene. Andrew Philips/MidlandToday files

While the provincial election has come and gone, one issue involving the Doug Ford government continues to fester in Penetanguishene.

Mayor Doug Leroux said he’s extremely disappointed and concerned by what he views as a lack of action on the province’s part when it comes to the municipality’s ongoing issue with how policing costs are handled with regards to the Central Central Correctional Centre (CNCC).

“Throughout the last year, the town was promised that our MPP would do everything possible to schedule a meeting with the Ministry of the Solicitor General,” Leroux said.

“Now almost a year into this issue, we have been told that a meeting will not occur," he added. "Both our municipal council and our community are increasingly frustrated with this lack of respect to those who reside and pay taxes in our province, and disappointed in our elected official.”

Leroux said Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop has been silent on the issue while Solicitor General Sylvia Jones responded recently to Penetanguishene’s request for a promised meeting by saying there would be no meeting scheduled.

“As of June 1, 2022, the Town of Penetanguishene has not had any response from MPP Dunlop,” Leroux said. “It was made clear to the town that Dunlop would do everything possible to schedule a meeting with the ministry outside of the AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) conference, a promise that was not kept.

“As the town’s provincial parliament representative, our community and council have relied on her support. We need our MPP to stand with our town and her constituents to relieve these devastating impacts," he added. 

Leroux said the perceived continued lack of support and communication from Dunlop is extremely disheartening.

“As one of the 10 municipalities that form the Simcoe North riding and hold just under 10,000 of her constituents, we are extremely disappointed that this issue and Penetanguishene has not been a priority," he said. 

But Dunlop said she's been actively advocating on the town's behalf and has worked directly with Jones to ensure that in 2019 the town could access transition funding for two years so that the local council had time to plan for changes to municipal policing costs.

As well, Dunlop said she's continued working to ensure support for the institution in areas that would reduce policing costs, including the province's creation of the new institutional security team at CNCC.

"The province has also implemented the use of specialized devices to detect and locate contraband cellphones, and Ontario is investing $500 million into corrections over the next five years as it hires hundreds of frontline staff and updates aging jails," Dunlop wrote in an email.

Last November, Penetanguishene councillors encouraged residents to write letters to both Jones and Dunlop questioning the current OPP costing model and its perceived negative effect on Penetanguishene ratepayers.

“We are extremely proud of our community members who took the time to send emails, letters and provide their support through the petition,” Leroux said.

“Throughout the last year we have not wavered from our initial position that policing costs at this provincial facility are the single and sole responsibility of the Province of Ontario, not to be funded by the 4,269 properties in Penetanguishene. 

“We are asking that the province take responsibility for the costs and recognize the significant inequity of the billing model for a small community.”

Leroux noted that back in December 2021, the town was advised that the ministry would meet with the town once the ministry’s review had been conducted.

“It is our understanding that the Ministry will contact us to set up a meeting six months after the start of their billing model, which would be July 1,” he said. “At this time, we have not received confirmation of a meeting date.”

But Dunlop noted that her continued outreach has resulted in Solictor General staff and the OPP working closely with municipal staff to ease the transition by identifying the new OPP billing model to save taxpayers money for policing CNCC and the community.

"Solicitor General Jones committed to reviewing the cost impact to the Town of Penetanguishene within six months based on monthly fiscal actuals reported by the OPP," Dunlop said. "Additional action would follow, if necessary, once the municipality and the OPP were able to provide financial actuals on the number of calls for service for the Central North Correctional Centre in 2022 at the six-month point."

Dunlop said she's continued to reach out to the Solicitor General for updates in preparation for a follow-up meeting.

"The Solicitor General has indicated that the six-month period would be the appropriate time to review costs and impacts more accurately," she said, noting the Solictor General will not entertain a meeting before the six-month period to have the necessary actual figures, something she says she's told the town.

Leroux, meanwhile, said council and the community plan to hold the province fully accountable to not only this agreement, but “the blatant disregard to our continued requests to have a discussion about this.”

“As far as next steps, members of council intend to keep this issue at the forefront of the province’s mind,” he said. “We continue to ask the community to voice their displeasure and we will continue to hold our MPP accountable.

“We are continuing to encourage our residents to reach out to both the Solicitor General and MPP in hopes to have this matter discussed including options for decreasing this impact on our community.”


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Andrew Philips

About the Author: Andrew Philips

Editor Andrew Philips is a multiple award-winning journalist whose writing has appeared in some of the country’s most respected news outlets. Originally from Midland, Philips returned to the area from Québec City a decade ago.
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