Earlier this month, Gananoque council passed a bylaw for the mayor and town clerk to sign a transfer agreement with the province for the Court Security and Prisoner Transportation Program.
The town received $52,828 for 2024 to cover police service costs for court security and prisoner transport. Adding last year’s allocation, the total in the police budget tops out at $71,638 for the program.
Gananoque lacks a courthouse, meaning they have to transport suspects to the Brockville courthouse.
Municipalities and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police advocated for provincial financial assistance for court security and transport. They made an argument that the Minister of Attorney General’s office should bear responsibility due to oversight of court-related costs.
The Court Security and Prisoner Transportation Program waxs launched back in 2012 to mitigate the financial impact of court security and prisoner transport costs on towns like Gananoque.
