The Municipality of West Nipissing is continuing the process of transitioning its police service from local to provincial, but the police board in the area is concerned with its lack of involvement in the process, and is looking to the government for answers.
With the disbanding in mid-October, the local police board has concerns with the temporary solution for an interim OPP headquarters.
Barry Bertrand is the Chair of the West Nipissing Police Board.
"We've had many people calling us as a board, asking us 'how can you house with a temporary building that has no lock up cells, decontamination showers, interview rooms, lock ups for ammunition?' There is no space in the facility, so they are asking us, 'how this can be a temporary police headquarters?' And we don't know that answer." said Bertrand.
The new $8-million OPP station is expected to be complete before the end of next year.
While the cost to repurpose the existing building is about $200,000, the municipality's Chief Administrative Officer, Jay Barbeau, says financially, it is still better than waiting.
"There are substantial savings having the provincial police policing the municipality and the sooner those savings can be received, the better." said Barbeau.
Bertrand, however, says he was not part of any decision making committees, which he says was recommended by the Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as the OPP.
The board is now looking for answers from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of Labour before agreeing to fulfil its role in the disbandment process.
"If the ministry says it's fine, then no problem, we can go back to the people that we represent in West Nipissing and tell them the Ministry of Labour and OPP have signed off on it and we are fine with that." said Bertrand.
Despite the municipality's confidence in the OPP's decision, and its ability to perform adequate services from the temporary location, Bertrand says the board needs to be assured the current level of policing can be sustained during the construction period before it hands over the reins.
