WFP was contacted by a Town Staffer that was troubled about what was going to happen at the 17Mar2015 Police Service Board Meeting. WFP sent our camera person to document the meeting.
Below is what the Old Boys Club would like you to believe happened, and what what OBC media will likely print. We will explain why this is 100% BS, and likely contrived as alleged by the whistleblower.
Mike Konoval and Steve Crookshank, Mayor and a Councillor from Carling Township, attended a Wingham Police Service Board meeting and warned Wingham about the dangers of switching to OPP. They even stated that some OPP members are supportive of this, and they claimed it would have a domino effect across the Province. They even went as far as to praise the Wingham Police for being on budget.
While the above may have happened, it is also 100% BS. It is alleged this was orchestrated in defense of the People’s movement to switch to the OPP and save $500,000/year.
The Mayor and Councillor were questioned about their cost for policing on a household/property basis by our camera person. They did state they were paying about $95 per household at one point. This is the standard method of comparing policing costs. Neither of them knew Carling Township’s current HH (household) policing costs, and didn’t know if it was above or below the $350/HH the OPP typically charge. This seemed odd, as they claimed their motivation for this trip was to investigate cutting policing costs.
Quick Facts:
Wingham policing costs are $679 per household and Wingham’s tax rate is above 2%.
Carling Township’s policing costs are $135 per property, and their tax rate is 0.59%.
Wingham’s tax rate is about 4X higher than Carling Township, and our policing costs are 5X that of Carling Township. Once you know the facts, it’s hard to fathom why Carling Township would come to Wingham to find out how to lower their police costs.
Carling Township then slandered the OPP by stating “they’re not totally honest”. After they called the OPP liars, they warned the Wingham Police Service Board to “be very careful when the OPP come knocking on your door”. In defense of the Wingham Police, the Chair of the Police Service Board stated “We wouldn’t have it any other way”.
This team from Carling Township showed up to promote and praise the Wingham Police and slander the OPP. The timing seems extremely suspicious and adds weight to the whistleblower’s claim that this was all staged for the members of the Police Board and the local newspaper for a photo opp.
The Wingham Police Service days seem numbered, as there can be no defense of this organization anymore. The Old Boys Club knows this, and their last pathetic and slanderous defense is bad mouthing the OPP just like Reeve Neil Vincent did. The OPP is better equipped, has faster response times, is better trained, has more career opportunities for it’s members, costs ½ as much as the Wingham Police. If there is a major crime, the OPP are called in to help the Wingham Police. That protocol is admission the OPP is a superior service.
Switching to the OPP would save $500,000/year. There would also be some other very minor changes, such as new OPP uniforms for Wingham Officers along with proper equipment and training.
Is it really worth an extra half million dollars a year to keep the OPP away, only to call them when something major happens?
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