LaSalle backs out of talks to potentially police Amherstburg

LaSalle says it won’t be able to police for Amherstburg after its contract ends with Windsor.

Amherstburg appears to have lost another option in its search to determine the town’s next police provider.

At a council meeting Monday night, Michael Prue, the town’s mayor, announced LaSalle has ended talks that could’ve seen their police service patrolling Amherstburg.

Talks ended in November, according to Prue, after LaSalle shared that it would not be able to accommodate the request largely due to staff resources, costs, and the expedited timeline.

“They would not be able to find the 30 police officers, and get them trained, because you might be able to find 30 recruits, but you couldn’t send them to the police college in Aylmer and have them trained in time for them to come on board,” Prue said after the meeting.

In February, the City of Windsor announced its intention to end a policing contract with Amherstburg, citing increasing policing costs.

Through the existing contract, the Windsor Police Service will continue to service Amherstburg until Dec. 31, 2028.

In search of a new police provider, the town set out to examine all of its options but appears to have only two that remain possible.

Either a contract to work with the Ontario Provincial Police or the revival of its former town police service, which dissolved in 2019, remains on the table.

Regardless, due to the added resources and logistics, Prue said council will need to make a decision in the near future.

“A great deal will depend on the costs, and a great deal will depend on our ability to set it all up and pay for it, the costs, and find the recruits and spend the money on the cars and the radios and everything else that has to be done,” Prue explained.

At the beginning of the process, Amherstburg was touting five potential options to provide policing service, including a local force and the OPP.

So far, LaSalle has backed out of talks, and Amherstburg has claimed that talks to remain under Windsor police are over.

An Essex County police force, pitched by Prue, was rejected by most of his county council colleagues.

“I am not discouraged. We knew that all of the options were not feasible,” he noted.

In February, the town is expecting a report from staff that outlines the policing possibilities. Despite being “unlikely,” the mayor noted the option of contracts with LaSalle or Windsor will be included.

“People will be invited to make deputations. They’ll come, and they’ll say what they want to say, and I will listen to every word,” Prue said.