Ontario Provincial Police officers ratify 4-year deal to become highest paid cops in the province
TORONTO - Ontario Provincial Police officers are now the highest paid in the province, their union says, after they ratified a four-year deal last week.
The contract covers 2023 to 2026 and the officers will see raises of 4.75 per cent retroactive to the first year of the deal, followed by an increase of 4.5 per cent in the second year and 2.75 per cent raises in each of the last two years of the deal.
By the end of the deal, a first-class constable will earn a salary of $123,194, said the Ontario Provincial Police Association, the union that represents about 10,000 officers and civilian employees.
"We're very happy with the deal," said John Cerasuolo, the association's president.
"We had fallen behind our provincial policing partners to 32nd in the province and it's become very, very competitive over the last few years in the policing profession to attract and retain people."
The force went to arbitration for its last contract in 2019 shortly before Premier Doug Ford's government passed a law, known as Bill 124, which capped wages for public sector workers. OPP officers were caught up in that new law, which did not apply to municipal workers.
That meant other police forces across the province were not subject to the wage cap.
Unions challenged Bill 124 in court in 2022, arguing it was unconstitutional.
First a lower court agreed, which was followed earlier this year by a ruling from the Court of Appeal that also found the law unconstitutional. Shortly after that decision, the province chose not to try to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada and instead decided to repeal the law entirely.
"Bill 124 came into play and we did not want to subject our members to a one per cent increase over the first three years of any contract, so our strategy was to wait it out," Cerasuolo said.
Once the Appeal Court found the law unconstitutional in February, the union went to management to begin negotiations.
The OPP said little about the deal.
"A new OPPA collective agreement for uniform and civilian members was ratified on July 18, 2024," said OPP spokesman Robert Simpson. "The agreement applies to the period of January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2026."
Over 75 per cent of union members participated in the ratification vote and, of those, 88 per cent voted in favour of the deal for uniformed officers, and 93 per cent voted in favour of the agreement that applied to civilian members.
The union also secured more mental health coverage for its members. The force had struggled with active and retired police officers dying by suicide. The force lost 10 current or former members in 2018 alone, which prompted a coroner's review.
Out of that review, the union and the OPP created an integrated mental health program for both active and retired members. But part-time contracted civilians were left out.
That has changed with the new deal, Cerasuolo, of the police union, said.
"That was one of the big pluses," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2024.
Correction
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had incorrect results of the ratification vote. The story has been corrected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Mother of Georgia shooting suspect called school to warn of emergency, aunt says
The mother of the 14-year-old who has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of four people at his Georgia high school called the school before the killings, warning staff of an 'extreme emergency' involving her son, a relative said.
Here's what jobs will survive in the AI boom: Statistics Canada estimates
A recent study by Statistics Canada sheds light on how different occupations may be affected by the AI boom, including those who might lose their jobs in a more automation-driven future.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
Sudbury OPP officer pleads guilty to stealing evidence during moose hunt investigation
A veteran staff sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police in Sudbury has been sentenced for stealing two items from a First Nations man and hiding what he did while his fellow officers searched for them.
Texts, social media a 'minefield' for people going through divorce: lawyer
When Sarah Boulby tells clients going through a divorce or locked in a custody battle that their texts and social media posts might be put under a microscope, she usually gets one of two responses.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
Surging Elks lick Stamps 37-16 to escape West basement
The Edmonton Elks are finding a way to return to respectability in what initially looked like a lost season.
Telecom sector poised to shed assets amid slower growth and more competition
As Canada's telecommunications sector copes with challenges such as slower growth and fierce competition, the dominant players are poised to continue shedding assets to reduce costs, industry watchers say.
The 33 most anticipated movies of the fall
Here are some of the most anticipated films of this fall, from large to small and everything in between.