Ottawa Faces Scrutiny Over Police Budget for Mental Health Services

The Ottawa Police Service Board (OPSB) is under scrutiny for its proposed budget, which includes significant funding for mental health crisis responses. Critics argue that the solution lies not in increasing police funding but in enhancing community-led services. Advocates for mental health reform are calling for a shift away from policing as the default response to these crises.

In March 2021, community activists influenced the OPSB to reallocate $2.7 million away from traditional policing. This funding established the ANCHOR program, which provides unarmed, health-focused responses to mental health calls. The initiative demonstrated that reallocating funds from police budgets to community services is possible and necessary.

Despite this progress, the current proposed budget suggests an expansion of police-led mental health initiatives, including new partnerships aimed at youth. The introduction of Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT), which pair police officers with mental health professionals, is being promoted as a solution. However, this approach has faced criticism due to a similar program that existed from 2012 to 2015 but was eventually deemed ineffective.

Experts raised concerns about the MCRT model, questioning whether integrating police into mental health crisis responses is beneficial. The recommendations from the Abdirahman Abdi inquest highlighted how police involvement can escalate situations rather than provide care. Critics argue that formalizing police roles in crisis response could lead to increased criminalization and a breakdown of trust between communities and the services they rely on.

Instead of expanding police budgets, advocates suggest enhancing the capabilities of ANCHOR to provide citywide coverage. This program could eliminate the restrictive triage model that currently diverts calls to police, ensuring that vulnerable populations, including Black, Indigenous, disabled, and unhoused residents, receive appropriate care rather than enforcement.

Additional reforms, such as moving 911 operators outside of police control and boosting community-led violence interruption initiatives, could further reduce police involvement in crisis situations. Ottawa’s existing community resources have the potential to improve safety and reduce harm, but they require adequate funding.

The OPSB has proposed an increase of $26 million to the police budget, bringing the total to a staggering $414.9 million. Advocates maintain that this funding allocation undermines the progress made in community advocacy and mental health crisis responses. They urge the OPSB and City Council to reject the proposed budget increase, emphasizing that safety cannot be achieved through expanded policing alone.

Sam Hersh, a member of Horizon Ottawa, a grassroots organization advocating for local change, and Inez Hillel, an economist and co-founder of Vivic Research, stress that Ottawa should take pride in the establishment of ANCHOR while recognizing the need for ongoing efforts to expand community-led crisis response options. Without such efforts, the city risks reversing the gains achieved in recent years.