New contract for officers, rising OT costs create budget hole at Ottawa Police Service

Ottawa Police sign outside headquarters on Elgin St. in Ottawa. (CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is facing a multi-million-dollar budget deficit this year, due to an increase in demonstrations, rising overtime costs and a pay hike for officers.

A report for the Ottawa Police Services Board shows the service is projecting a $15.8 million deficit in the 2025 budget, accounting for four per cent of the $389 million operating budget.

The biggest budget pressure for the police service is events and demonstrations, with an $8.5 million budget shortfall.

“OPS has experienced significant pressures due to frequent events and demonstrations that occurred in the first half of 2025. The continued efforts to implement a robust approach to the planning and deployment of police for these activities incurs significant costs,” police said.

“Some of these significant events and demonstrations include the ongoing demonstrations related to the Middle East conflict, the CANSEC trade show and the visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla to the nation’s capital.”

The police service will seek funding from the federal government to reimburse $8.5 million in costs incurred for policing large events and demonstrations. Police said $3.3 million of the costs were related to demonstrations related to the Israel-Hamas war.

Other budget pressures facing the Ottawa Police Service include:

• The new collective agreement for officers will cost the service $7.5 million this year. “This pressure is mainly the result of the budget base funding that was approved being 2.85 per cent less than the contract settlement for salary increases for 2025,” police said.
• The service is facing $8 million in overtime pressures.
• A $1.5 million shortfall tied to employee benefits and WSIB benefits.

“Due to this forecasted deficit, OPS imposed a discretionary spending freeze in June, implemented safeguards to preserve vacancy savings, and implemented other proactive measures to mitigate further financial strain,” police said.

The service has found $1.5 million in savings through vacant positions and $1.1 million in new funding through higher revenues.

Council has directed the Ottawa Police Service to draft the 2026 budget with a 2.9 per cent to 6.5 per cent budget increase. In the 2025 budget, the police service submitted a forecasted estimate of a 10.6 per cent increase for 2026.

Drop in calls

There were fewer requests for services for Ottawa Police Service officers in the spring.

A report for the Ottawa Police Services Board said police received nearly 97,000 demands for service in the April-June period, four per cent below the five-year average of 101,300.

Of the 8,000 reports submitted online, 37 per cent of all online reports were for shoplifting.

The second most frequent online report was Traffic Complaints, accounting for 14 per cent of all online reports, according to police.