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MPP calls on province to better fund Treaty #3 police

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur
Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
18th Floor, George Drew Building
25 Grosvenor Street
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1Y6
OPEN LETTER

Dear Minister:
I am writing to request your immediate assistance to help resolve the Treaty #3 policing crisis in my riding.
As you are aware, the Treaty #3 Police Services Board has issued layoff notices for staff, with the intention of folding the police force this August.
While this is, in part, the result of a failure to reach a negotiated contract settlement with its officers, the root cause is the failure of both the Provincial and Federal Governments to provide adequate and equitable funding for First Nations police forces.
This includes not only a significant gap in wages and benefits, but also a failure to fund the overall force at a level equal to the province’s other, provincially recognized police force, the Ontario Provincial Police.
At the same time, rather than being recognized as an essential, mandated service, First Nations Police Services continue to exist as optional programs, which can be renewed or cancelled depending on the whim of the government of the day. Allowing this double-standard to continue to exist is unacceptable.
Minister, the Treaty #3 Police Service was established in 1999 to provide First Nations communities with an effective, yet culturally sensitive, police service. The need for this service has not changed. What immediate action will you take to ensure this essential work continues?

Sincerely,
Sarah Campbell, MPP
Kenora-Rainy River

Copy: Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Premier
Hon. David Zimmer, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs