Councillor opposes arbitrary process in policing equipment
By Kyra Hoggan
A city councillor is speaking out against a process that sees the city making massive expenditures without having any say in the decision-making behind those expenditures.
Councillor Kevin Chernoff said he has no problem with getting closed circuit TV surveillance for the local RCMP detachment – but he’s not okay with the city having to foot the bill without any say or input.
“Including the equipment and installation, it comes to somewhere around $215,000, all told,” he said. “We’re basically issued a letter that says we need to do something by a specific date, and that’s that. There’s no mechanism for us to dispute it.
“It’s not like we can raise the rent (at the detachment) to recoup some of the cost,” he said, adding this is but one example of many situations in which other levels of government are downloading costs to already-beleagured municipalities.
As for the closed circuit equipment, he says, “It’s a line of defense for the members and protection for the public – I think it’s a good thing. My issue isn’t with properly equipping our police … my problem is with the process. If we’re paying for it, we should at least be part of the conversation.”
