Oak Bay, Saanich policing agreement nears expiry as negotiations unfold

A policing agreement that ensures Oak Bay, B.C., has the resources required to investigate major crimes is expiring in days, with no immediate indication of renewal.

The five-year service agreement between the Oak Bay Police Department (OBPD) and the Saanich Police Department (SPD) expires on Monday.

The contract enables Saanich police to assist with or take the lead on major crime investigations in Oak Bay, which is a small community with a small police department.

“We are actively engaged in the negotiation process,” OBPD Chief Julie Chanin said in an email to CTV News.

If those discussions continue beyond Monday, Chanin said the departments can agree on an extension.

“During negotiations, all services provided by SPD under the current agreement will remain uninterrupted,” an SPD spokesperson said in a statement.

The departments first signed a service agreement in 2007 and have renegotiated it several times, most recently in the summer of 2020.

The Saanich Police Association said it was consulted during the early stage of negotiations for a new agreement, but it isn’t part of the current discussions, which are confidential.

“Like our partners in the Oak Bay Police Association (OBPA), we await a final decision — particularly as it relates to roles and responsibilities in what continues to be a resource-challenged environment,” union president Jason Whittaker said in an email.

The OBPA could not be reached for comment.

Oak Bay will not go without

Former B.C. solicitor general Kash Heed said if the contract were to collapse, Oak Bay would still have access to investigative support.

“Ultimately, it’s the responsibility of the solicitor general to make sure Oak Bay residents are looked after by their police service,” Heed said in an interview.

“If that is not possible, (the solicitor general) has the authority under the B.C. Police Act to intervene and make sure that takes place.”

That means the province could tell OBPD to contract the RCMP or another agency on an as-needed basis, Heed said.

“It’s down to a negotiation tactic that may go down to the wire, but at the end of the day, you have to ensure the residents in Oak Bay will be looked after with this comprehensive police service,” he said.

As the departments negotiate, the nearby municipality of Esquimalt is eyeing alternatives to its agreement with the Victoria Police Department. Both cases serve as an argument for regionalized policing, Heed said.

“You can see how costly it is to police these balkanized areas; how ineffective it is,” he said. “When you cross the street, you’re in a different jurisdiction and you may get a different delivery of police service.”