Councillor Mark King has given notice to North Bay City Council that he intends to pursue the costing of the OPP taking over policing in North Bay.
Miles Peters, president of the North Bay Taxpayers’ Association made a presentation at Tuesday’s regular meeting of Council also in support of finding out the financial particulars of a transition to the provincial police service.
What both men say they have been trying to get across to local politicians and the general public is that they are persisting with the OPP angle, not as an all-or-nothing endeavour, but rather a fact-finding mission.
Peters says that as soon as the police board expressed a need for a new police headquarters, the clock started ticking on the possibility of going to the OPP. He even goes so far as to say that if a new building is granted to the North Bay Police Service, the opportunity to make the switch will not arise again in our lifetimes.
In an interview following the meeting, King makes it clear that there is no financial commitment entered into for costing the OPP. He maintains that it is the duty of elected officials to explore all possibilities in this and other municipal matters.
The problem King, and to a degree, Peters faces is that there does not appear to be much support in even undertaking a financial study. King admits that he has had difficulty finding a colleague to second his motion but believes he will have someone on board in time for the January 30th meeting.
