Timmins police board applauds plan to add more seats at Ontario Police College

Timmins welcomes police college expansion The Timmins Police Services Board welcomed news that the province is adding more seats at the Ontario Police College.

At a recent meeting, the chair of the Timmins Police Service Board expressed his thanks for the recent news from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

On Wednesday, the Ministry announced it would open up 80 more seats at the Ontario Police College in its basic constable training program.

"So now there'll be 2,080 seats," said police board chair Kraymr Grenke.

That means more officers will be trained in a shorter time period to begin serving the community.

The additional seats are for small, medium and Indigenous police services throughout the province. Grenke said the announcement comes at the right time with these police agencies ramping up their officer rosters.

"So really, with these extra seats and the opportunities that are available within our service, we look forward to anybody that is willing to answer the call in law enforcement today,” he said.

The basic constable training program will expand in 2025. Last year, the province eliminated the tuition fee for the program, saving new recruits more than $15,000.