In South River, the salary bump combined with an increase in calls for service cost is resulting in a $68,000 increase in policing costs this year. The clerk-administrator says that works out to roughly a five per cent hike to the 2025 municipal budget and every one per cent adds $14,627 to the budget.

Small and rural municipalities saddled with significant hikes to their law enforcement bills from Ontario Provincial Police will see financial relief from the province, the Ministry of the Solicitor General said Friday.

The Ontario government is offering $77 million to municipalities that rely on provincial police after some of them sounded the alarm over a sudden and unforeseen surge in law enforcement costs. Several municipalities have reported double-digit increases in their Ontario Provincial Police bills for 2025,

Solicitor General Michael Kerzner announced funds for towns to help with OPP costs, driven in part by a record new agreement making OPP officers the highest paid in Ontario.

Several mayors in eastern Ontario say the province's proposed funding to help offset the steep increases in their law enforcement bills couldn't have come at a better time.

Several municipalities have reported double-digit increases in their OPP bills for 2025, with at least one municipality facing more than double the previous tally