Saanich police could pay a price for efforts to keep the district's budget under control.
Saanich council is seeking to impose stringent financial constraints which the department (SPD) says could result in the loss of 17 positions.
Joanne Ko, SPD’s executive services manager, stated that the department’s 2025 operating budget requires an increase of just over 11 per cent, or $5.2 million to meet funding needs arising from anticipated wage increases and other operating expenses, noted the report presented before council on Dec. 16.
This would raise the department’s total 2025 budget to $52.3 million, up from $47.1 million in 2024. This year, protective services accounted for 17 per cent of Saanich's total expenditures of $520 million.
While council prefers a five per cent target, Ko stated that even a one to two per cent cut could result in the elimination of four to seven jobs, respectively. She emphasized that this would significantly impact the municipality which is seeing continuous expansion.
“This would result in unacceptable service reductions to a municipality with a goal to increase in housing supply and therefore population,” she said, adding that the budget increase is crucial “to retain staff in a highly competitive market.”
“The budget currently has very little room for further reductions without negatively impacting our service to Saanich residents,” she said. “The staff positions included in the budget are considered as critical.”
Although council may view the budget increase as substantial, Ko highlighted that a 2022 report shows Saanich police cost taxpayers significantly less than other comparable municipalities. At $313 per capita, Saanich's cost is well below the provincial average of $455 and considerably lower than cities of similar size like Abbotsford, Delta, and Victoria.
While 84 per cent of the money would go towards wages, the report also requested an additional $160,000 – representing 3 per cent of the provisional budget – for a new task force specializing in mental-health care.
Chief Const. Dean Duthie emphasized that these two innovative teams would ease the burden on police officers by handling mental-health-related calls, enabling them to concentrate on their core duties.
Duthie also noted that Saanich received over 600 such calls in the past three years, 98 per cent of which resulted in apprehensions. These situations often demand lengthy interventions and additional police resources.
“Now the call response falls on to our patrol officers, so they are the first responders to any mental-health call,” he said. “These result in a high number of apprehensions, which means a transport to the hospital to turn over to the care and assessment of a medical practitioner.”
These specialized teams, already operating successfully in the West Shore and Victoria, are expected to bring similar benefits to Saanich, Duthie reported.
Although council was not expected to debate the nature of the police budget at the meeting, Coun. Nathalie Chambers mentioned being “very supportive.”
“As a councillor, I want to ensure that I do my due diligence and that there's adequate funding to keep Saanich safe at all times. It's a priority… for me,” said Chambers. “If you don't have safety, you don't have much.”
Also expressing his support but adding nuance, Coun. Colin Plant argued that planning a municipality’s operating budget is a balancing act between the ever-increasing costs to taxpayers and the need to ensure residents' safety.
“The increases that you're seeing are merited, and I understand they're collectively agreed upon, but I think they are becoming challenging for the municipality's residents,” said Plant. “But on the other hand, they want safe communities and it's hard to argue with that.”
