- by David McLeish

I do not envy City Council’s budgetary responsibilities. Once again, they find themselves between the proverbial rock and hard place as they try to balance mounting costs with a municipal tax rate that is the third highest amongst similar sized municipalities in Ontario.

Some look to other municipalities, where the annual tax burden can be half as much as Owen Sound’s $4,029 per year (for a detached bungalow), with envy. That said, when terms such as “use of a machete” and “slash” are used in relation to the budgeting process, I’m more inclined to seek out relevant facts before championing massive cuts. Are there perhaps alternative approaches to managing the City’s finances?

The “use it or lose it” approach for public transit suggested by Councillor Tamming appears to be a case in point. Whose attention would not be grabbed when considering the “14 riders per bus per hour” statistic used to justify a motion to “terminate conventional transit as of March 31, 2022?” The vision of four almost empty buses driving around the city seems to seal the deal in favour of Councillor Tamming’s motion. Thankfully, that Motion was not supported. I have little doubt that cherry picking the most egregious looking statistic in the middle of a pandemic, when one would expect ridership to be at its nadir, was obviously intended by our ‘budget provocateur’ to provoke public engagement, not punish bus riders. There is of course, another side to this story.

According to the same transit study that provided the “14 riders per bus per hour” by Dennis Fletcher & Associates, there were 195,000 boardings in 2019. While that number dropped to 100,000 in 2020, these numbers offer a startlingly different perspective on ridership. Another number that caught my attention was the fact that this bus service costs each household $62 per year (or 31 large coffees). I have no problem whatsoever contributing to the provision of this service for those who are unable to drive or cannot afford a car. It is the least we can do. I would also be interested to know whether City Council looked at the costs for other transit options (e.g. on-demand public transit i.e. Dial a bus or City funded Uber system). The relatively small size of Owen Sound might be suitable to another such model that provides enhanced service, at a more affordable price.

One of the City’s largest costs relate to a “Safe City” (Police & Fire), which accounts for 27% or $14,635,162 of the City’s costs. Perhaps there are savings to be had here? Indeed, when compared to other similar sized municipalities, Owen Sound stands out as one that spends considerably more on these services.

The size of the City’s population is not necessarily the best measure of crime in the city. The Crime Severity Index (CSI), which measures changes in the level of severity of crime from year to year, is a better measure of overall crime. This index assigns a weight based on the seriousness (i.e. actual sentences handed down by the courts) of the crime.  If we replace the line for population size in the above figure with the Crime Severity Index, another picture emerges.  The CSI for Owen Sound is almost double the highest level of other similar size municipalities with lower Police budgets.  Indeed, since 2012, when the CSI for Owen Sound was the same as that for Ontario, the value for Owen Sound has risen to almost double that of the provincial value.  This suggests that the City’s Police expenses are justifiable.  

That said, as has been promoted by the “Defund the Police” movement, “there are more effective methods of providing safety and security to our communities.”  Not all crimes are violent.  In Owen Sound the CSI for non-violent crime is also double that of the provincial average, indicating that property, drug, and public order offenses are also high.  What causes these types of crime?

The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council (WRCPC) notes that “the root causes of crime are well documented and researched” and that crime prevention must focus on Economic Factors, Social Environment, and Family Structures.  Stresses associated with a lack of financial resources, educational opportunities, meaningful employment options, poor housing, lack of hope and the prejudice against persons living in poverty and people of colour cannot be understated.  Owen Sound has the lowest median after tax household income ($46,857) of any local municipality, 28% below the Provincial median.  People living in poverty can find themselves facing desperate circumstances and social workers can help them address these problems through the provision of support and assistance with accessibility to services.

Perhaps, rather than  “slash” the Police budget, the City could take a measured approach and redirect funding to enhance social services.  A Social Worker costs roughly one half to one third that of a Police Constable.  If people who are struggling were provided the necessary assistance, perhaps crime rates could be reduced.  By using vacancy management the salary of one officer could be reallocated to hire two Social Workers, perhaps in partnership with Grey County.  In this manner the City could demonstrate leadership on pressing social issues and reduce crime at the same time.

I wish City Council all the best in its deliberations.