City Budgets

With the "Black Lives Matter" movement, we have heard a call to defund the police. Of course, we all know that this doesn't necessarily mean that the movement wants to take all the budget funds away from all police forces. I know that some activists want to disassemble some forces and create a new institution responsible for community care. While I am certainly not thinking that all police forces should be disassembled, I did want to take a closer look at how much they are funded versus other civic services.

Coincidentally enough, after I compiled the following information, the CTV published an article on exactly this same issue. It's excellent and contains more links to detailed information. I still will post this blog because I present the information slightly differently and I raise some different points.

The CTV article: Defund the Police?

Detailed numbers:  Numbers behind calls to defund

Part 1 - Cost of Protective Services in Canadian Cities

I decided to look at the budgets of cities that are dear to me.  What I have done is looked at their audited financial statements (which are readily available on the internet except for the city of Charlottetown which, for reasons unknown to me, couldn't be reached online) and compared some major spending lines. I figured that, with this analysis, I would be better equipped to form an opinion on the matter of police funding. Here's what I found.

Some minor details: 

• In Ottawa the policing is done by the city police, the provincial police and the RCMP, depending on where an incident has occurred (e.g. on The Hill or on the Queensway or in your back yard). I didn't do any data analysis of the RCMP or any provincial police services.
• Most cities have a budget line called "Protective Services" or something similar, not Police Services.  
• Only Saskatoon has budget lines called "Police" and "Fire". I combined them but you will see the separate numbers in the details.
• I have done some arbitrary grouping for the pie charts, but have included the statements with more detail.

City of Moose Jaw

City of Edmonton

City of Ottawa

City of Saskatoon

Are we over-policed in Canada?  I am sure that each of you feels differently about this situation, but the key thing that I think is important is that each of you should know how your tax dollars are spent. And each of us has a voice when it comes to how our tax dollars are spent. Years and years ago, I used to write correspondence and briefing notes for the Housing Minister of Canada. I know that the concerns of the public at large influences government policy. I know that write-in campaigns and "protests" have an impact on how tax dollars are spent. I encourage all of you to look at how your municipality, province, and country spend the money that you give them on a regular basis. If you have any concerns, please voice them. A letter, a phone call, an email - whichever suits you. All elected officials have a duty to respond to the concerns of their constituents. (That's you). Oh - and if you think your police are doing a commendable job - you can tell them that too. 

Part II - Has it changed over the years?

I reviewed the Annual Reports for the City of Edmonton, years 2005 to 2019. Background info.  I picked Edmonton as an example because the information was easy to get. There is absolutely nothing alarming here - the percentage of budget spent on "protective services" has remained pretty much constant. 

Part III - How do we compare to U.S. cities?

Clearly, U.S. cities spend a larger percentage of their total budget on "public safety" than what Canadians pay for "protective services". I was amazed to see the numbers for Tampa. 

Boston

Denver 

Tampa 

There is nothing in the data I collected to make we want to protest or write a letter of complaint. I have never had any desire to move to the U.S. (oh, maybe I did when I was young and totally sick of winter), so their figures don't concern me personally, but I do understand why there is such an outcry for "defunding" in the USA. 

Some things you might want to consider:

1. Ask your city council to put you on the mailing list for their Annual Report.
2. Ask your city council to separate police services and fire services and anything else they have clumped in "Protective Services".
3. If you are curious, ask for a breakdown of how the policing budget is spent (e.g. salaries vs equipment).
4. Become engaged (e.g. become a volunteer) with organizations in your city that provide non-profit protective services. 

So that's what I've been up to the past few days. I also found time to put nearly 3,000 songs on the SD card in my phone so that I can bluetooth them to a magnificent speaker that friends recently gave me. If the power goes out (it is the monsoon season after all), we still have music!

Take care, friends, and I hope you find the time to engage somehow with your city council. 

Loretta.