Barrie police board makes first move as activists call for big budget cuts

Barrie’s police services board heard calls to cut its budget by as much as 50 per cent during a virtual public meeting July 23.

Community activist Michael Speers, one of four deputants, said the eventual goal is to abolish the police service and create a new municipal public safety and community service.

“We can find a concrete way to fund the services our community needs by following the lead of organizations such as Black Lives Matter Toronto and immediately cut the Barrie police budget,” Speers said during the Zoom meeting.

“Defunding is about how we want to care for and look out for each other. True crime prevention starts with properly funded services and programs.”

Board members didn’t agree to make immediate cuts to the $57.7-million budget. However, they did approve a plan to bring community leaders together to find ways to decrease the number of non-criminal calls to which officers respond.

Led by Mayor Jeff Lehman, the board passed a motion to create a community health accord with the County of Simcoe, the City of Barrie, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.

“Some of the services to replace police don’t exist at all,” Lehman told the board. “To move those calls to alternate services is something the community can tackle as it grows over time.”

Last year, Barrie police responded to 58,345 non-criminal calls, compared to 15,506 criminal calls. Non-criminal calls increased by 10,000, while criminal calls dropped by 340. Many non-criminal calls involve a mental-health crisis or addiction-related issue.

Lehman said bringing health-care and emergency services together to investigate methods to steer non-criminal calls away from police would be unprecedented.

“It would be a shared commitment to invest in many of the things the deputants referred to … and that have been discussed around this table for years to provide the correct service and support so that (the police) don’t have to,” he said. 

Lehman pointed to a Simcoe County paramedic initiative as an example. Paramedics reduced repeat 911 calls by 50 per cent by making home visits to patients during their “down” times. Many of the repeat calls are not real emergencies, but are for medication advice or companionship sought by lonely seniors.

The board also heard from Barrie resident Amber Beckett, who reiterated a deputation she made to city council last month calling for a 10 per cent cut in the police budget.

Beckett said police receive a disproportionate amount of taxpayers dollars, leaving less for other services.

The police services board creates the budget, which is passed on to council for recommendations and approval. Budget approvals traditionally take place in December.

A police board can appeal to the Ministry of the Solicitor General if it believes it is not receiving enough funds to properly protect the public. 

The police board is encouraging more public input in this year’s budget. Residents can complete a survey at bit.ly/39r5f5l.