Matheson loses its OPP detachment, but still has to pay full cost of policing
The Ontario Provincial Police is closing its detachment in the town of Black River-Matheson. The building is approximately 90 years old and is located in Matheson on Railway Street.
Town CAO Chris Wray said they've been told that officers will stop working from the building at the end of next week and will respond to the Matheson area from the Monteith Correctional Complex in Iroquois Falls.
But Wray said the municipality is still expected to pay $450,000 a year to the OPP.
"They said we won't see any difference in service and I have to take the OPP at their word," said Wray.
Not a local decision
He said the town is worried about the decision and suspects it was made by the province, not the OPP.
"The OPP have been great with us and they’ll continue to provide good service here," Wray said.
"They’ve got a great history here so we’re not overly concerned about their dedication, but we are concerned definitely that this is a microcosm of a bigger thing."
In recent years, Wray said the municipality has lost several provincial offices, including the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.
CTV News contacted the OPP for a comment, but officials replied by saying a media release will be sent out.
CTV also contacted the Ministry of the Solicitor General's Office and was told the OPP would respond to our questions.
Correction
After publishing, Chris Wray contacted CTV News and retracted his comment about the Porcupine Health Unit office located in the Bingham Memorial Hospital. He told CTV News he has confirmed the office is not closing and there was never any intention by the health unit to do so. The previous information has been removed from the article.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.